This century-old kitchen used to have a service porch and ice larder, but the current owner decided to tear it down to the studs. Architect Everett Schram undertook a full gut renovation, reorganizing the existing spaces to give them a new life. The interiors in question—a butler’s pantry, kitchen, service porch, servants’ hall, and a former ice-chilled larder for eggs and dairy—all still exist but are utilized in a different capacity than 100 years ago, when the estate’s staff occupied this wing of the home.
Now finished with a groin vault ceiling, marble floors, and plaster walls, the former larder serves as the morning room, where the homeowners enjoy breakfast each day. The old service porch is now a mudroom, and the previous servants’ hall is transformed into a scullery. “We create kitchens that will age well over time and are built with lasting detail, quality, and integrity,” Schram says.
This space, which until now was used only by the estate’s employees, lacked a sense of style. Today, Everett Schram notes, “It’s an exercise in aesthetic balance” that blends the 1920s and 2020s.
While the homeowner’s affinity for historic architecture drove the renovation, the layout was dictated by the original footprint. The main kitchen is bookended by the butler’s pantry and this room, which Schram calls his favorite. “It’s a functional space that displays practical items as a collection,” he says.
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Believe it or not, we inherited this space as a walled-in, windowless, exposed-masonry cold room with slate shelving and a concrete floor. Now, it’s a charming breakfast nook, complete with Ethan Allen chairs and an antique 1890s bronze lantern.
Antique Holophane globes maintain the historic essence of the home. The French marble floors ended up being the project’s biggest splurge. Glazed white brick tiles cover nearly the entire wall across the range as a nod to brasserie decor. Schram wanted to update the space while honoring its history, so he installed a stylish La Cornue range and custom hood, both tucked in an alcove lined with Bardiglio marble slabs.
Everett Schram, AIA, is the president and founder of his Baltimore-based firm, J. E. Schram Architect, LLC. While growing up in South Louisiana, he was drawn to the heritage architecture that defines the area. His interest was encouraged and reinforced by traveling across the state to visit historic homes and plantations. He also spent time in homes by the esteemed A. Hays Town, which further inspired his lifelong architectural passion. Today, Everett and his family live in an Olmsted Brothers-designed neighborhood in Baltimore that epitomizes the garden city moment and Maryland’s iconic architectural styles.
