karen and Todd
Woodward’s dream
was to raise their
family in a historic
Connecticut farmhouse. The reality was
an 1830s fixer-upper
with a 1950s kitchen that was far from the
stuff of fantasy. But a budget-friendly
foreclosure price, paired with Todd’s
woodworking skills, convinced the couple
to take on the challenge.
The dilapidated kitchen was their first
priority, and Karen and Todd envisioned an
airy, organized space with a family room
where their three daughters could hang
out. “We wanted the kitchen to have a
rustic feel,” says Todd. “Not too country-ish, but appropriate for the house.”
They added windows, removed interior
walls, and pushed the fireplace to an
outside wall to make the room feel larger.
Reclaimed pine beams and yellow plaster
walls provide old-house authenticity.
In the family room, wood furniture, a
cotton rug, and patinaed metal accessories
nod to tradition; simply shaped accessories
and crisp shades of red and yellow keep the
look up-to-date. As a playroom, homework
station, and entertaining area, the style
suits both guests and the kids.
Cabinetry with Shaker lines and
furniture details—custom made by Todd
and his business partner, Tim Blais—wrap
the new kitchen, and a peninsula separates
it from the family room. Those pine beams
emphasize the now-vaulted ceiling, carved
out of an unusable half-story above.
“There’s an earthy sensibility to this
space,” says Karen. “It’s broken in, like an
old pair of jeans.”
FAMILY TIME
Cheery yellow walls and crackling logs make the
family room popular with Sarah, 9, and Maddie
(with Karen), 6. The new fireplace, built with
antique bricks, includes a lone brick from the old
structure to serve as a historical touchstone.
