The Floating Farmhouse, an 1820s farmhouse renovation in upstate New York, is a feat of engineering and the result of relentless resourcefulness from architectural designer Tom Givone.
The kitchen layout is based on the original footprint of the two demolished shelters. The beams, salvaged from a 200-year-old barn in Pennsylvania, were engineered to work with the steel window frame and skyscraper glass.
Givone says he “maximized the exterior effect by minimizing the interior finishes and making all the elements as honest and transparent as possible.”
“I must really love this house,” Givone says (proof: he spent a summer oxidizing the kitchen chimney’s Corten steel in a daily bath of muriatic acid).
The kitchen is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Super White.
Materials
The kitchen island was salvaged from a Greenwich, Connecticut, house. Givone, who prefers paint colors close to white, painted the island in Benjamin Moore’s Hancock Green from the Historical collection.
The countertops are bluestone. CoorItalia has Belgian Blue Limestone and Artistic Tile stocks Belgian Bluestone.
The kitchen cabinets are Ringhult Cabinet Doors in gloss white from Ikea; $179 for the two-door cabinet set.
The kitchen floor is polished concrete (and is heated); see Remodeling 101: Polished Concrete Floors for more information.
Givone used the Blanco Rados Pro Kitchen Faucet with Black Sprayer Head at both sinks in the kitchen. It’s $611.92 in chrome on Amazon.
Faucets & Fixtures
Givone found the concrete utility sink in the basement of a neighboring farmhouse and bought it from the neighbor.
The range is a FiveStar 48-Inch Pro-Style LP Gas Range; $5,356 at AJ Madison.
Appliances
Givone installed the Toscano Wood Fired Oven within a “skin of floor-to-ceiling Corten steel.” The result is a monolithic, Richard Serra-like sculpture against a backdrop of white.
The KitchenAid Professional 600 Stand Mixer in white is $499.95 at Williams-Sonoma.
Lighting
The large ceiling fixture is a commercial High Bay Metal Halide Lamps with a clear acrylic lens ($233 each at All Discount Lighting).
“I thought the gymnasium-like scale of the kitchen, the fact that they’re very simple, and, perhaps most importantly, inexpensive made them a good fit,” says Givone.
Furniture
Vico Magistretti’s design for Kartell, the Maui Chair in Matte Pale Blue is $490 for two at Hive Modern.
The dining table in the farmhouse was designed by Givone and made custom for the space out of two-inch-thick pine.
The Village Vamelie Wood Dining Chair is Crate & Barrel’s take on vintage furniture, shown here painted in off-white, the chair has a worn-in look; $199.
Pottery Barn’s Mabry Side Chair is inspired by traditional Swedish Gustavian furniture, shown here in the darkest oak.
The Hanson Cream Mechanical Scale is $25.56 on Amazon.
Accessories
The Calypso Basics Enameled Colander in Red is $20.81 for the three-quart size on Amazon.
The John Boos Cherry Edge Grain Reversible Cutting Board measures 20-by-15 inches and 1.5 inches thick; $100.30 on Amazon.
The Oval Cabinet Knob from Sun Valley Bronze is similar to the knobs Givone used on the custom lacquered cabinets and kitchen island. Contact Sun Valley Bronze for pricing.
Iittala’s Kartio line used to make glassware in a deep cobalt blue color.
A Set of Three Airtight Blue-Colored Glass Canisters from HC are $34.99 on Amazon.
A pizza peel like this Deluxe Wood Pizza Peel for $44.49 is found at Central Restaurant Products and other restaurant supply stores.