Oak Park kitchen designer Denise Hauser has been working on local kitchen and bathroom projects for more than two decades. While trends come and go in kitchen designs, Hauser says that a current appreciation for historic details hits right in the sweet spot for many local homeowners.
“Vintage design is a kind of a thing right now,” Hauser says. “Oak Park is so cool because a lot of the homes already have these great details. I’m trying to get people to appreciate what they have. The original details in your house are cool, and it’s good that people know that.”
Hauser says that as the internet spreads design ideas more widely, people here are beginning to appreciate what they have. One topic that comes up a lot in the area involves the age-old decision about wood trim: to paint or not to paint?
According to Hauser, clients always want to know how to answer that question. She remarks, “They want to know if they should keep the wood, and I say ‘yes.’ Years ago, I would have painted it.”
That’s not to say that Hauser is advocating for no updates in kitchens. She argues for keeping old decorative features that still work and combining those with more modern touches. “If it’s 100% vintage, it looks stuffy or dated. A blend is good,” she says.
Combining original architectural details with more modern lighting, hardware and finishes can make the mix more livable. “There’s a fine line,” Hauser says. She adds, “If you make it too literal — trying to make it look like what would’ve been in the house originally — it looks too dated, too period.”
In two recently completed projects in Oak Park, Hauser says she created timeless designs that complement the homes. In doing so, she found the finished spaces leaning towards the trend for cozy, colorful spaces that have a bit more embellishment.
In the first kitchen, she utilized ash wood to give the kitchen a moody feel. Hauser says the wood is often found in mid-century designs, and she used it in the pantry of this home to bring a more modern twist to the space.
The kitchen also shows off a few more trends. She used vintage hardware from different eras to make the space eclectic and also used cabinetry that reads more like furniture.
“In your living room, things aren’t perfectly matched. We’re trending towards that in kitchens now too, making the space more personalized.”
In the second local kitchen, Hauser turned a stumbling block into a design element. The existing kitchen had a plumbing stack that extended into the space and would have been very expensive to move. Instead of building a wall around it, she hid the plumbing stack behind the legs of the range.
“Moving the plumbing stack would’ve been a big deal. I always say, ‘If you can’t fix it, feature it.’ It was a ton of effort to get it exactly right. When you do these details, they don’t come easily, but they really make the space special.”
In this kitchen, she echoed the arched opening to the breakfast room in the cabinets and also replicated the original molding in the home’s other rooms. She used glass details from the home’s windows in the cabinetry as well.
Those nods to the past were combined with a more modern floor plan — she opened up the space to the dining room — and with a more modern island.
Hauser says working in historic homes is a great way to celebrate the vintage while making the kitchens and baths work better for families today.
While there are plenty of local homeowners who are planning or dreaming of renovating their kitchens, Hauser says it’s an odd time to be in the renovation and design business. She sees a lot of concern about economic uncertainty and how tariffs might play into big renovation projects. “People really can’t see the future right now.”
