Project Spotlight
Bringing the Barn into the Kitchen: A Journal of an NKBA Designer's Off-Beat Kitchen Remodel
By Diana Tuorto
Chapter 2 – Finding the Materials
Craig and Nicole’s search for wood to use in their new kitchen began on the Internet. “There are multiple websites dedicated to locating old barns for sale,” said Craig. “There’s no shortage of barns available, but finding one with the perfect wood isn’t always so easy. We specifically wanted chestnut wood, which has been extinct in the United States for over 100 years. We were unable to locate a barn in reasonable distance to harvest the wood, but one of the contacts I met had a number of raw chestnut boards for sale. This was an extremely rare find and located only five miles from our cabinetmaker, which would allow the manufacturer to hand select the boards he wanted, and then mill the wood.”
At the same time, the family’s quest for a barn from which to harvest wood from continued. “I stumbled upon a barn in Randolph, NJ, which was five miles away from our home,” said Craig. “It was advertised as black walnut. We bought the barn and spent a full day dismantling it with the help of friends and family. The wood was then loaded it up on a trailer and driven out to Lancaster for milling. To my horror, the mill soon told us that the wood was not black walnut—it was a pine variation. I approached the barn’s owner and was immediately given a partial refund. Thankfully, the wood is still workable and will be used in the kitchen’s island. While it’s not as high quality as the black walnut, it has a great rustic look and the black island will greatly contrast our cherry-colored cabinets.”
Designer Peter Salerno added, “By taking on a project like this, it’s bringing us closer to the way that the process was done back when people forested their own lumber; we’re only one step removed from that. I’m very excited about this project because of all of the layers and detail it involves. We’re going back to basics; hand-selecting the lumber and finding where each piece will work best in the space and where it can have the most visual impact. Using weathered lumber makes the wood and space imperfectly perfect.”
“With today’s tough economy, we thought that by using recycling wood from barns and other abandoned structures, it could help us keep our costs down.” Craig continued. “In addition to the money saving, it’s satisfying to know that the wood will be reused and given a new life and identity. Our motivation in finding barn wood was driven by the unique look and characteristics found only in recycled wood. One can also state that by reclaiming wood makes this project a shade of ‘green’ and adds an air of adventure to the entire process. Since Nicole grew up south of Pittsburgh, having the Pennsylvania wood in our home is also a nice way to bring a bit of Pennsylvania into New Jersey for her.”
Peter’s reply is as follows:
“Craig and Nicole,
I must tell you- I thought this was going to be a fun project, but it has already become much more than that. Thanks for thinking out of the box; 99% of the customers out there would never consider going into this level of detail. Thanks for being that 1%. Thank you for making me part of this special project.
Sincerely,
Peter”
Check back on NKBA.org for Chapter 3 - Plan Changes.
To read Chapter 1- Choosing a Theme, click here.