Courtesy of Megan Gorelick Interiors
A family of five in the Edenridge neighborhood envisions a central gathering space that is both modern and refined.
For this center-hall colonial in Wilmington’s Edenridge neighborhood, Megan Gorelick Interiors was enlisted to reimagine the first floor; the rest of the home had already been renovated. For the active resident family of five, the kitchen and dining room would capture the spirit of the house, and a lot of emotion was riding on the commission. Familiar with Gorelick’s work, the new clients confidently told her to just “do your thing.”
That “thing” turned out to be a stylish yet durable kitchen and dining area designed with versatility in mind for quick and casual dinners, soccer parties and gatherings at the holidays. “They wanted a family gathering place for a busy family,” Gorelick says. The result was an open, modern style with great flow, yet with notable moments of refinement. The kitchen itself approaches a country feeling, but is balanced by a deliberate sleekness, which derives in large part from its impeccable quartzite countertops and backsplashes.
They wanted a home that everyone would be welcome in.
The rich stone surfaces “have a classic look that will age,” Gorelick explains, and they play well against the walnut island and the custom wooden barstools, which are wrapped in vinyl. “We even have an upholstered stool tucked in on the side of the island if a child’s friend shows up,” Gorelick points out. “They wanted a home that everyone would be welcome in.” Other details include the stained oak floor, custom-made cabinetry (by Goebel in Pennsylvania) and a trio of homey lantern pendants sourced from Visual Comfort.
The transitional dining room strikes the same balance: It’s certainly not rustic, but neither is it especially formal. It’s both stimulating and inviting, anchored by a table composed of a cylindrical concrete base and a circular glass top. The custom-made blue-and-white dining chairs are swathed in a Crypton performance fabric that boasts an intriguing design: a loosely elongated variation of a Greek key that picks up from Gorelick’s living room armchairs, which were covered in a similarly patterned textile.
The dining room’s grass-cloth wall coverings confer what Gorelick describes “as a little shimmer for elegant dinners,” while the ceiling’s metallic paint completes a look that can segue into sophistication as night falls. Gorelick explains that the intent was to create a candlelit room perfect for holiday dinner parties. (The chandelier is also from Visual Comfort, and the sheer window treatments were custom.) When it came time to work with the contractor on the millwork, what emerged was a modern twist on traditional—a quality that nods to the kitchen’s carefully balanced aesthetic. The type of durable functionality that was required in both rooms has rarely seemed so design-forward.
