The History We Keep
Design NJ, March 2025
Writer: Meg Gox
Location: Kingston, NJ
Photographer: Tom Grimes
Architect: Lasley Brahaney Architecture + Construction
Cabinetry Design: Christopher Peacock
The renovation of a Kingston kitchen and butler’s pantry honors the home’s storied past
The Withington Estate in Kingston, also known as Heathcote Farm, is prized for its rich architectural details and prominent place in New Jersey history. Built circa 1850 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the stone mansion has evolved with the times, initially serving as an elegant country estate for generations. In the 1970s, it was transformed into a four-unit condominium and then, in the late 1990s, reverted to a single-family residence.
The homeowner selected classic marble for the kitchen backsplash and perimeter countertops and leathered Black Absolute granite for the island as a more “user-friendly work surface,” says Marc Brahaney, owner of Lasley Brahaney Architecture + Construction. Framed prints capture mid-19th century images of Isaac Chandler Withington — the estate’s original owner — and his family on the property.
Seeking to blend modern functionality with all the charms of yesteryear, the current owners collaborated with Princeton-based Lasley Brahaney Architecture + Construction and Christopher Peacock in New York City for a comprehensive remodel of the kitchen and butler’s pantry.
“Preserving and restoring the home’s historical features — such as the plaster molding and parquet floors in the butler’s pantry, as well as the fireplace in the kitchen and leaded glass cabinetry doors throughout — were particularly important to us and served as a guiding principle throughout the design process,” the homeowner says. These and other unique historic details, such as ceilings that soar to over 9 feet high and intricate trimwork, presented many “aesthetic opportunities in the kitchen and the home in general,” says Marc Brahaney, owner of Lasley Brahaney.
Leaded glass cabinetry doors in the kitchen and butler’s pantry beautifully echo the authentic leaded glass windows in the living room. The design team also uncovered an existing fireplace, which was elevated over two feet and converted to gas logs for enhanced visibility and warmth at the island height.
Deep window jambs were designed with panels to replicate the rest of the home’s architectural features. While the original crown molding throughout the home was crafted in plaster, Brahaney explains, “We used wood to mimic the look in the kitchen.”
The new kitchen was installed where the original one had been, though that space had been converted to a bedroom during the condominium phase, the homeowner recalls. Subsequently, “The new layout creates a more open floor plan and completed the restoration process to a single-family house.”
“The space that is now the butler’s pantry was the existing kitchen when we started our work,” Brahaney recalls. “This was an advantage, as the family had a working kitchen while the new one was under construction.” Senior Architect Joe Gallagher of Lasley Brahaney led the design of the project, which included adding utilities to support the new kitchen, designing the layout, trimwork and more.
In the butler’s pantry, “I chose delicate period-appropriate latches, catches and finger pulls” and the brass light fixtures are simple but historically accurate, notes Dionne Trifiro, head designer at Christopher Peacock. The room’s parquet floors and upper crown plaster molding were restored.
One of the room’s standout features is an existing fireplace, which had been bricked over at some point. Gallagher skillfully recreated the fireplace opening, converted it to gas and elevated it approximately 2.5-3′ above the floor. “This created a platform for the ‘floating’ fire, allowing it to be both seen and felt at the height of the island,” Brahaney says.
The original leaded glass windows in the living room inspired the leaded glass cabinetry in the kitchen and butler’s pantry, both of which were “specifically chosen and researched by the homeowner,” Brahaney says, as were the marble slabs selected for both spaces. The home’s unusually thick exterior walls allowed for the addition of panels in the deep window jambs of the kitchen, a design detail that echoes throughout the house. While the original crown molding in the home was made of plaster, “We used wood to mimic the look in the kitchen,” Brahaney explains.
Located between the kitchen and dining room, the butler’s pantry serves as a backup kitchen with additional capacity for entertaining large groups. Among the amenities are a wine station, sink, LaCornue range, a dishwasher, and refrigeration drawers.
The cabinetry in the kitchen and adjacent butler’s pantry reflect the same style, albeit with distinct detailing and finishes. “This historic Colonial Revival mansion has large rooms with generous ceiling heights, so I was very conscious of achieving the appropriate proportions,” says Dionne Trifiro, head designer at Christopher Peacock. “The cabinetry was designed and built to feel like furniture, like it has always been there, with inset doors and wide stiles and rails.”
The kitchen cabinets are painted classic white and feature large hardware “as a nod to old refrigerator boxes,” Trifiro notes. In the pantry, “dusty blue-hued” upper cabinets add a sophisticated touch and complement the natural walnut base cabinets, which feature rich burled end panels. “All cabinetry was hand-painted on site, as it would have been done in the past.”
To enhance the vintage aesthetic in the butler’s pantry, cabinets are fitted with “period-appropriate brass latches, catches and finger pulls,” Trifiro notes. Additionally, brass light fixtures are simple yet historically accurate. “The entire project evokes a feel reminiscent of Downton Abbey.”
