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" Jeanne and Eric Brooks love to cook and entertain, but, like many couples, they made do for years with a tiny, outdated kitchen. In their case, the age and location of their home, an 1868 brick Federal-style in downtown Savannah, precluded a major interior renovation.      [link href=&amp;quot;http://www.elledecor.com/article.asp?article_id=308%C2%A7ion_id=17&amp;amp;amp;page_number=1&amp;quot; link_updater_label=&amp;quot;internal&amp;quot;]    To pass muster with the city&amp;#039;s Historic Review Board (a yearlong process shepherded by Eric, a hotel developer), Jeanne, a hotel-management consultant, proposed turning the galley-style kitchen into a butler&amp;#039;s pantry (a relatively minor redo) and replacing existing parking bays at the rear of the house with an attached two-story structure; it would contain a 285-square-foot, Tuscany-inspired kitchen above a garage.  Completed in 2002, with project architect Alexandro Santana and project manager Josh Brooks (no relation), the outside of the addition repeats the exterior details of the historic house.    Built in 1868 of local Savannah gray bricks, the three-story, Federal-style home sits in the heart of the city&amp;#039;s downtown historic district. The main entrance and family living areas are one flight above street level. The piazza leading to the new kitchen is shown on the right side of the house.    The custom cabinetry in the new kitchen resembles antique furniture by virtue of its distressed alder finish. Matching panels cover the refrigerator and, to the right of the 1 1/2-by-2 1/2-foot porcelain farmhouse sink, the dishwasher. The radiant-heated, polished-limestone flooring has polished-granite insets that match the countertops.    Lined with 8-by-10-inch tiles of tumbled Jerusalem limestone, an alcove for the stainless, professional-style gas range and vent hood was purposefully designed to appear as if the modern appliances had replaced a wood-fired stove and a chimney.    A shelf above the built-in alder desk holds cookbooks. The oil painting is by Tuscan artist Fabio Calvetti. On the smooth walls, a multilayered yellow glaze imitates time-burnished stuccowork evocative of the Old South and Italy.    To the right of the range, a wood-burning fireplace with gas starter is raised 3 feet off the ground to allow room for wood storage below--and so that guests can easily admire it when seated at the antique heart-pine dining table.    &amp;quot;This kitchen feels like a tree house,&amp;quot; says Jeanne, crediting the room&amp;#039;s six 9-foot-tall double-hung windows. The one shown here faces camphor trees in the home&amp;#039;s front garden.    The kitchen&amp;#039;s French doors open onto a 32-foot-long slate-floored piazza, which is frequently used for alfresco dining. Doorways at the far end of the porch and to the right of the French doors connect to the historic residence. Design Details        Wired to a dimmer, leaded-glass pendants by California artist Alison Berger glow brightly for work or romantically for entertaining. &amp;quot;They&amp;#039;re art,&amp;quot; says owner Jeanne.      When fully open, painted-wood bifold shutters tuck back flush into recesses in the 3-inch-deep window frames.        Opposite the sink, two island drawers with tarnish-resistant felt inserts safeguard the Brookses&amp;#039; heirloom silverware, which they use every day.      French doors fabricated to match originals in the house have operable windows; wrought-ironwork and screens provide security and keep out bugs.        An ultraquiet front-loading clothes washer, above, and dryer, are hidden behind doors on one long side of the 6 1/2-by-4 3/4-foot island.      To the left of the cooking alcove, a 1 1/2-foot-square electric dumbwaiter can lift as much as 80 pounds of groceries from the garage up to the kitchen.    "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/room-ideas/a952/above-it-all-17453/>