Kitchen Showcase: Functional, Old-World Forms

August 21, 2025

Michael Colbert, Morgan Karanasios, Photographer,

Renovating a condo can present unique obstacles, between homeowners’ associations and shared walls, but when a couple wanted to refresh their space in historic Portsmouth, Greenland-based design-build firm Mighty Roots rose to the challenge.

“They felt their condo was very cookie-cutter, and while they couldn’t alter the exterior, they wanted to make the interior their own,” says lead designer Sheah Ableman.

In pursuit of old-world elegance and inspired by deVOL Kitchens in New York, the homeowners partnered with Mighty Roots to bring a Seacoast flair to their design dreams.

The room’s framed, inset cabinets are bold and stately, lining the kitchen with distinctive elegance. They’re finished in a velvety, matte black that is both scratch- and fingerprint- resistant. Antique brass drawer pulls and accents throughout the room dress up the space with a timeless feeling.

The preference for vintage aesthetics did not mean sacrificing comfort, however, thanks to modern construction and cabinetry with useful inserts for enhanced ease and functionality. A crowning feature of this at once striking and practical aesthetic is the shelf that sits above the honed white macaubas quartzite backsplash.

“People love the look of the stone shelf at the top of the tall backsplash, but it needs more support than the thickness of the backsplash,” says Ableman. “We blocked behind the backsplash and drywalled around the shelf to give the necessary support needed without using exposed brackets.”

This handy floating shelf supports oils and cooking supplies while keeping any hardware out of sight. Approaching the build in this same spirit of opportunity, Ableman and the team both opened up the floorplan and found ways to work within smaller spaces efficiently. Pocket doors hide a coffee station beside the stove. Pull-out shelves to the stove’s other side stow plates, bowls and stemware.

The kitchen, dining room and living room were all separated by walls, and the homeowners wanted to open the space. With incredible views of the water beyond a wall of windows, making their living area open-concept bathed the kitchen in sunlight.

One of Ableman’s favorite parts of the design process was the walnut kitchen island. She worked closely with the homeowner to create vented drawers for vegetable storage inside of the island, again finding ingenious ways to marry form and function.

“I love this aesthetic,” says Ableman. “When you share design sensibilities with a homeowner, it’s a real treat to bounce ideas off each other and create something I would love to live in every day.”