Bricks and Stones: A 1929 Stone-and-Shingle Kitchen and Mudroom Renovation in Westfield, NJ

One wall of the kitchen is given over to cooking: a pro-style range under a zinc vent hood trimmed with brass, with cabinets below for pots and pans and appliance-lift shelves so the air fryer and the toaster live out of sight.

The island carries the main sink and a table section that seats six, which is where homework, snacks and a good many meals actually happen. A brick niche with open shelves sits between built-in freezer and refrigerator columns and echoes the mudroom floor, so the two rooms read as one idea.

Cabinet finishes are varied deliberately rather than matched — tall blue-green cabinets that echo the arched doorways against a white marble backsplash and base cabinets, with honed granite counters and new red oak floors laid to match the rest of the house. A double pendant, simple sconces and undercabinet lighting give the room layers instead of one flat wash.

A fieldstone path off the driveway leads to a portico, and that is the door the family actually uses — arms full of groceries, children in tow, close to both the kitchen and the mudroom. The original slate roof was repaired rather than replaced, and the siding shingles were repaired or swapped and repainted.

A new Dutch door opens onto a floor of brick pavers laid in herringbone. Turn right for the kitchen, left for the mudroom. A run of new arched openings carries the sight lines through the whole sequence, which is what makes a set of small service rooms feel like one continuous space.

The brief for the mudroom was blunt: make it all about the children’s things, and keep those things out of sight. This is a household of athletes and a dancer, which means a great deal of footwear.

Tall cabinets take it, their doors finished with leather pulls that echo the leather bench in the middle of the room. There is storage for art supplies and gift wrap, and a fridge kept full of grab-and-go snacks. The apron-front sink doubles as a cleanup station for muddy cleats. Crisp white shiplap and marble counters keep the dark blue cabinetry and the brick floor from closing the room in.

The old breakfast room had a shed roof, skylights and wraparound windows, and it felt like a greenhouse. A flat, beamed ceiling and a fireplace settle it, without giving up the view.

Decorative oak beams, a two-sided gas fireplace and a generous oval table do the work indoors. The real move is the foldaway multi-panel window above a row of base cabinets holding a refrigerator drawer, tableware and an ice maker. Open it and food, drinks and place settings pass straight through to the granite snack bar outside — so anyone wet from the pool can stay where they are and still be fed.

The fireplace is two-sided by design and is enjoyed from the patio dining area as well. The fieldstone for its chimney was sourced to match the stone already on the house, which is the detail that keeps a new element from announcing itself.

The full bath across from the mudroom was gutted and fitted with a walk-in shower for cleaning up after the pool, rebuilt on a slightly smaller footprint so a separate laundry closet could go in across from it.

The pale celadon vanity takes a marble top and a washstand-style backsplash with curved sides. Three birds crown the mirror frame, an homage to the children of the house. Touches of marble — the vanity top, the floor, the shower tile — are what make even a small bath feel luxurious.