The Beverly Hills Kitchen Volume
Spanish Colonial
Reorganized
Demo to Punch
All-In
Restoration, not replacement
The home was a 1928 Wallace Neff–era Spanish Colonial Revival on a half-acre in the Beverly Hills flats. The owners had inherited the property and lived in it for six years. They loved the architecture and disliked the 1990s Tuscan kitchen that the previous owners had installed against the original plaster walls and through the original cabinet framing. The brief was specific: remove the 1990s overlay, preserve the original plaster and framing, and install a kitchen that read as if it had been part of the house since 1928. Not a period reproduction. A continuation.
The decision wasn’t between modern and traditional. It was between a kitchen that pretended to be from 1928 and a kitchen that knew it was from 2026 — but spoke the same language as the rest of the house.— On The Beverly Hills Kitchen Volume
Strip back, restore, install one new layer
The work moved in three deliberate phases. First, careful removal of the 1990s additions without damage to the original substrate. Second, restoration of the discovered original plaster, cabinet framing, and a covered transom above the doorway to the butler’s pantry. Third, installation of a single new layer — a La Cornue range, custom millwork, and a single bookmatched marble island — sized and detailed to read with the original architecture.
01 · 1990s Removal
Tuscan-style stained cabinetry, faux-finished plaster overlay, granite tile counters, and a stainless commercial range hood. Removed without damage to original substrate. The dropped soffit covering the original transom was discovered and preserved during demo.
02 · Original Restoration
The original 1928 cabinet framing — found behind the 1990s boxes — was preserved and restored. Plaster walls were patched and re-troweled with matching lime plaster. The covered transom to the butler’s pantry was uncovered and restored with original arched profile.
03 · La Cornue Range
A La Cornue Château 150 in matte black with brass detailing — sized to match the original range alcove proportions. The hood is custom plaster, hand-troweled to match the wall finish, integrated as architecture rather than as equipment.
04 · One New Material
Single bookmatched honed Calacatta island, 11 feet long, sized to the original room geometry. Custom millwork in rift-sawn walnut — selected to bridge the original 1928 cabinet framing’s color tone. Floor: restored original terra-cotta saltillo tile, sealed with a low-sheen wax.
The original 1928 cabinet framing was behind the 1990s overlay the entire time. The owners had never seen it. Finding it during demo set the entire material palette.— Jacob Bachar, WDC
The material palette
Floor
Restored original terra-cotta saltillo · low-sheen wax
Walls
Restored original plaster · lime patch and re-trowel
Cabinetry
Rift-sawn walnut · finger-pull · period-appropriate brass hardware
Stone
Bookmatched honed Calacatta · 11-ft single-slab island
Range
La Cornue Château 150 · matte black + brass · custom plaster hood
Appliances
Sub-Zero refrigeration · Miele dishwashers · panel-front integration
Five months, end to end
+ Range Lead Time
+ Discovery
Plaster + Framing
Cabinetry + Stone
+ Range Commissioning
Trades + collaborators
Design-Build Lead
We Do Construction · Jacob Bachar
Architectural Authorship
In-house · WDC Studio · period research
Plaster Restoration
Specialist plaster restorer · lime + traditional finishes
Millwork
Southern California millwork shop · rift walnut
Stone
Bookmatched Calacatta · single-block sourcing
Range
La Cornue authorized dealer · 12-week lead time
