THE SETUP Imagine how thrilled Diana was when she was approached about designing a kitchen for a client who is an avid traveler and Francophile. ‘French-country’ is a very specific category of traditional design that combines French provincial elegance with rustic comforts. The look draws on soothing hues, antique accents and a wonderful fusion of polished and relic’d finishes. Her client wanted to feel like she was in the south of France every time she walked into her kitchen. She wanted real honed marble counters, vintage finishes and authentic heavy stone walls like you’d find in a 400-year old château in Les Baux-de-Provence. Diana’s mission: capture the client’s vision, design it and utilize Drury Design’s sourcing and building expertise to bring it to life. Design Objectives: Create the feel of an authentic vintage French-country kitchen Include natural materials that would have been used in an old French château Add a second oven Omit an unused desk area in favor of a large, tall pantry armoire THE REMODEL Design Challenges: Finding real stone for the walls, and the craftsmen to install it Accommodate for the thickness of the stones Replicating château beam architecture Replicating authentic French-country finishes Find a spot for a new steam oven Design Solutions: Source and sort true stone. Utilize veteran craftsmen to apply to the walls using old-world techniques Furr out interior window casings to adjust for the thicker stone walls Source true reclaimed beams Utilize veteran craftsmen for authentic finishes and distressing for the island, tall pantry armoire and stucco hood Modify the butler’s pantry base cabinet to accommodate the new steam oven THE RENEWED SPACE Before we started work on her new French-country kitchen, the homeowner told us the kitchen that came with the house was “not my kitchen.” “I felt like a stranger,” she told us during the photoshoot. “It wasn’t my color, it wasn’t my texture. It wasn’t my style… I didn’t have my stamp on it.” And now? “I love the fact that my family can come in here, wrap their arms around it and feel comfortable,” she said. “It’s like a big hug.”