The twin parlors on the main level, separated by a suspended pendant arcade, now serve as a formal dining room and living room. A 10-foot-tall gilt mirror, original to the house, presides over the living room, which is crowned by frothy plaster moldings. Other original details reward the observant visitor, including the brass hardware on the doors.
On the list to go, however, was a grim, utilitarian kitchen bearing no relation to the rest of the house. The designer replaced it with glossy white Victorian-style cabinetry that creates a dramatic effect against black Venetian plaster walls. Galiani borrowed trim details from the living room door casings for the refrigerator framing and echoed scalloped shelves from another room for the hood design. “The homeowners were thrilled with the result,” she says. “They frequently use the kitchen to entertain groups both large and small.”
