The Skylands Kitchen - A Most Functional Space

January 10, 2011

The Skylands Kitchen - A Most Functional Space

My last blog about the laundry room at Skylands, my home on the coast in Maine on Mount Dessert Island, generated so many fabulous comments. Skylands truly is an American Treasure. Designed by Duncan Candler for Edsel and Eleanor Ford, this magnificent estate was built in 1925 as a summer retreat for the Ford family. This 35,000 square foot home sits upon 63 verdant acres, overlooking Seal Harbor. During those summer months, Skylands was abuzz with activity and the Fords enlisted the help of thirty staff members. The front of the house is where the entertaining took place and the back of the house is where all the “serious” activity occurred. With many family members and their guests present, the laundry room and the kitchen above, were basically, command central. I present to you, the Skylands kitchen, much the same today, as it was in the late 1920’s.

: Laundered and pressed tablecloths are stored on wooden poles and stored beneath a rolling tambour.

: An assortment of big, metal topped glass storage jars sits on the window ledge over the sink.

: I found this porcelain fishmonger’s table in an antique store and I think it’s the perfect accompaniment for the china.

: Opposite the ‘Great Wall of China’ is the cappuccino station. Guests are free to help themselves whenever they need a coffee fix.

: The wash-up area is across from the stoves. The two enameled sinks are original to the house.

: I get excellent yogurt and milk from nearby Smith Family Farm. http://www.smithfarmmdi.com/ I take the empty glass containers back to the farm when I need to purchase more.

: Eighteen stools of various heights were gathered from the rest of the house and painted white. Guests, short or tall, can sit where they are the most comfortable around the metal-topped table.

: Each sink has its own wooden drainage board.

: To the right of the sinks is the sun-lit baking pantry. Batters and doughs of all sorts are mixed in this space.

: Giant jars of flour and sugar line the wide windowsill.

: This is my ‘Great Wall of China’ – I took every white dish I could find in the cupboards and put them on display.

: The kitchen was designed for functionality. During the summer months, there were always many mouths to feed.

: Simple, antique schoolhouse lights grace the ceiling.

: Right off the kitchen is the butler’s pantry, or servery. Much of this fine china belonged to Mrs. Ford.

: A deep galvanized sink makes cleanup a breeze.

: The butler’s pantry also has a fabulous linen press. All this woodwork, by the way, is cypress from the swamps of Mississippi and Louisiana.

: The drawers are filled with exquisite Irish, Portuguese, French, and Italian hand-embroidered napkins and placemats.

: This original Frigidaire chills bar supplies.

: For example, this is her beautiful Limoges tea set.

: This old dry-weight scale is very precise.

: Just down the hall is an entire wall of original Frigidaire refrigerators and cooling drawers. They are pretty magnificent and continue humming along.