Lynn Butler Beling on Updating a Farmhouse Kitchen

Lynn Butler Beling discusses how she created a light and airy kitchen with splashes of blue in Southampton, New York.

Tara Striano
Christine Pittel: Looks like you hardly changed a thing.

Lynn Butler Beling: That's the idea, but actually it was a complete overhaul. This is an 1880s farmhouse that used to be in the midst of potato fields. At some point, somebody tacked on a kitchen. Nothing was original, so I felt totally free to redo it.

What was the problem?

It's small — about 11 by 12 feet — and it felt cramped. We had to use the space to better advantage. I bumped up the ceiling to make it feel larger and installed glass doors to the patio, to let in more light. But what really made the most difference was getting rid of the huge refrigerator.


I replaced it with an undercounter refrigerator, an ice maker, a refrigerator drawer, and a freezer drawer. If you add them all up, I'll bet they give me about the same capacity as a full-size refrigerator, but without the bulk. The other big move was getting rid of the stove hood. I replaced it with a pop-up vent.

Do those really work?

This one does. It's by Viking, and I love it. Having no hood freed up a lot of space. I could run the open shelves right across the wall, restaurant-style.

Open shelves are so simple.

And practical. When guests come for the weekend, no one has to ask, 'Where are your plates?'

And they look like they belong in a farmhouse. Something about beadboard also says country, casual, cozy...

We added all that beadboard, for instant character, and painted it white. But an all-white kitchen can feel sterile, so I treated myself to some color. From the countertops up, everything is white, to keep it light and airy, but the lower cabinets are ocean blue and a deep, rich navy.

Why two different blues?

I don't know. I'm obsessed with blue. Why pick just one?

The dark hardware is very striking against the blue and white.

It's oil-rubbed bronze, and I picked it for the whole house, every hinge and doorknob. My pet peeve is when you see brass, chrome, and crystal doorknobs in the same house. I like this bronze. It looks aged and worn, in keeping with the house.

What's in those apothecary-style drawers?

Stray keys, scissors, vitamins, dog medicine. They're like my junk drawer, but divided up.

They look as if they could have been here forever.

And they're all new, but it's the sort of thing you might see in an old farmhouse.

And then you put them next to garage-door cabinet fronts — which are definitely not period.

I know, but I love how they open. I think they're easier on your arm. And visually, they have that long line just like the shelves on the other side.

What did you use for the countertops?

Silestone. I've talked to a lot of chefs and they say marble may not be the best kitchen surface because it can stain. It's very porous. Silestone stays nice and clean, and it comes in plain white without any specks. Then, on the navy cabinets, I switched to black granite. It just blended in better and gave me this nice dark moment over there.

The backsplash changes, too.

Right, from beadboard with a semigloss finish to dark porcelain tile that picks up the blue and the black. And it covers the whole wall. I hate when a backsplash only goes up three or four inches. That makes no sense. Things splash against the whole wall.

The mix in here is a little quirky...

And that's what makes it feel even more like an old house, where things were often done at different times. You just have to go with it.

Get the look...









Advertisement - Continue Reading Below