#New York Historic Farmhouse - Donna and Paul Frank Farmhouse Tour

Kitchen

Kitchen

For the kitchen, Donna envisioned an antidote to the all-white, stainless steel norm, choosing a black La Cornue stove, dark-soapstone counters, and a floor of salvaged bricks. "I love the texture," she says. "It's a little 'downstairs at Downton Abbey .' " She limited the black cabinetry to lower units, in order to install a bank of windows at eye level. Explains Donna, "Seeing the hedgerow was more important than storage"—no matter that the results rendered the dining room extraneous. "We always wind up eating in here!" she says.

In this photo: A local carpenter constructed the cabinets, painted black to match the range and topped with soapstone counters. The floor—made of bricks from the old chimney—is heated radiantly. The cabinets are painted Black Blue by Farrow Ball .

Bright idea: A secondhand brass desk lamp, set to the right of the window, gives the kitchen cozy style.