A Comfortable Kitchen, Complete with Pizza Oven
Tim and Sheryl Moore’s open-concept, eat-in kitchen enables them to entertain guests while enjoying views of the Ossipee Mountains.
Tim and Sheryl Moore’s kitchen started with a pizza oven.
Inspired by cooking shows and home magazines, Tim, a New York-based commercial contractor, wanted a wood-fired pizza oven in the couple’s new Moultonborough home. Although the Moores at first joked with their builder, Ken Hood, of K.P. Hood Construction in Meredith, about installing such a large piece, the stone oven is now a focal point of the Moores’ comfortable kitchen.
The kitchen was the first space to be designed in the home, says kitchen designer Sue Booth, of Vintage Kitchens in Concord. Booth worked together with Hood; architect William F. Collins, AIA, of Bonita Springs, Florida; and interior designer Annie Ballin, of Annie Ballin & Company in New London, to create a kitchen that not only is a gathering place for the Moores, but easily accommodates traffic patterns in and out of adjoining rooms as well as access to a back deck with a stunning view of the Ossipee Mountains.
“The Moores wanted a space that was really comfortable,” Booth says. “They’re very social and like to entertain. Sheryl needed a space that not only allows her to be in the middle of everything when she cooks for family and friends, but is also just right for just her and Tim.”
Booth brought in Ballin early during the design process to ensure that the kitchen colors worked with those in the remainder of the house.
The soft moss-green walls contrast subtly with the tall maple cabinets, designed by Booth, and crown molding along the ceiling. The iridescent glass tile backsplash is a mosaic incorporating Sheryl’s favorite colors.
Designed for ease, the center island provides ample prep space (including a porcelain sink, dishwasher and plenty of storage) and is elevated on one side to incorporate seating. “People can work on each side of the island and by the sink,” Booth says. One of Sheryl’s favorite design elements is the granite outlet covers made from the same material as the kitchen countertops; each cover is magnetized and can be placed over conventional electrical outlets.
Next to the refrigerator, Booth designed a glass-fronted end cabinet, lit inside with LED lights, that’s also glass on one side. “It’s a nice way to make the cabinet appear lighter on the wall and transition into the living room,” Booth says.
A walk-in pantry off the kitchen provides an extra space to prepare food, as well as storage for additional dishes and glassware in the recycled cherry cabinets. A glass-fronted Sub- Zero wine refrigerator keeps wine and other drinks chilled.
The kitchen, including the pizza oven, is now the hub of the Moores’ home. “It was a happy, fun project,” Ballin says. “We avoided challenges because we all, the Moores included, worked together as a team.”
Gathering to celebrate the completion of the Sheryl and Tim Moore’s (second from right and right) kitchen are, from left, Ken Hood, of K.P. Hood Construction in Meredith; Sue Booth, of Vintage Kitchens in Concord; Annie Ballin and Bridget Windsor, of Annie Ballin & Company in New London.
A rich palette of greens and neutrals—echoed in the custom cabinetry and granite countertops—makes the kitchen warm and inviting.
The walk-in pantry incorporates the classic colors and style of the kitchen.
The rustic stone pizza oven is a focal point of the kitchen.
