KITCHEN RENO
EVERYTHING THE CAMP’S CREATE IS A LABOR OF LOVE. THEIR NEWLY REMODELED KITCHEN IS NO EXCEPTION.
After years of collecting inspiration and daydreaming about their dream kitchen, Joe & Kristen decided it was long overdue to bring their European old-world-inspired vision to fruition.
We got the scoop from Kristen on the reno and the elements that make their kitchen a beautiful, sacred space for their family to whip up pizzas, dry herbs from the garden, and bake cookies with Florence.
Custom cabinets & island by Redline Woodworking · Photography by Meredith Brockington
Why is your kitchen so important to your family?
We love to cook… well, Joe loves to cook, and I love to eat! We spend the majority of our time in the kitchen and we wanted it to be a beautiful reflection of our style, and allow us to display our pottery.
What type of wood did you use to construct the island?
We went with cherry. At first we were skeptical because we didn’t want it to have the traditional reddish pinkish hue that you think of cherry as having. Tate, from Redline Woodworking, was very patient with us and worked very hard to find the right color for the wood by testing different stains. We are very happy with how it came out!
How did you come up with the island design?
We love using a wide variety of kitchen gadgets, linens, and tools, so I wanted there to be plenty of drawer space for storage, but also have lots of open space to show off our pottery and pretty copper pots. We used a similar layout drawer-wise as the island that was there before, but decided to create some open space on one end. I intentionally designed it to be a little more narrow and a little longer to make the kitchen feel bigger, giving more room between the island and the counters.
Tell us about the tile you chose.
We chose Cle Tile Belgian reproduction (flemish black | terracotta square) because the quality, character, and color compliment our work as potters.
How long did the project take from start to finish?
We started talking with Tate, who built our base cabinets at the end of February and we just completed it in mid-July. Joe and I have been dreaming of designing this kitchen together for a long time. For years I've been gathering photos of different kitchens and inspirations. Tate did an amazing job bringing our vision to life with the base cabinets, his craftsmanship was really so impressive. He created a beautiful thin trim around the cabinets for a modern look. Joe then used the same type of wood and stain to create the open shelving and the spice rack, and I love the way he built the hood vent with the same trim detail to imitate the base cabinets. Joe then did a plaster technique on the walls of the kitchen, using plaster and a combination of pigments to create a warm gray tone. We learned this method from Tara & Percy, owners of Jersey Ice Cream Co., an interior design business. They teach workshops on plastering at home! Joe laid the floor tiles from Cle Tile and installed our beautiful Raku & Maple Pendants over the kitchen island. This kitchen was very much a labor of love and a collaborative effort with so much thought and detail put into it. We have more plans to hand-make a tile backsplash behind the stove, but for now, it's finished! We are in love with the final result and finally feel like our home is starting to feel like it's our own!
What was the inspiration for the kitchen?
I did a lot of looking around at different kitchen designers and I found a lot of inspiration from DeVol Kitchens and other various sites. We kind of cobbled together a few looks and mixed them with our needs in regards to function.
What's your favorite part?
I love the plate & spice rack that Joe built. It's so beautiful and functional.
Can anyone order the Raku & Maple Pendant Lighting?
Yes! It’s part of our new lighting collection and is available in 3 different design options. The Pendant is a collaboration between Joe and I. I carefully throw each ceramic pendant and fire them in our outdoor kiln to achieve the raku finish. Joe handmakes the wood disk and expertly assembles each one by hand. Our hope was to design a piece that is adaptable to any space — while allowing the pendant to be a focal point of the room. Many of the products you see in our kitchen are available on our website, as well as our brick and mortar shop, Ember, located in Portland’s beautiful West End.
