Alejandro Brambila and Rachel Hallock were living in San Francisco when they decided on Providence – one of their “favorite cities on the East Coast” – as the location of their wedding. Friends living on the East Side told them about a house that was available in the Mount Hope section and they decided to take a look, as they’d wanted to buy a house but couldn’t afford much in California. “The house needed a lot of work, and we weren’t sure we wanted to take on such a big project as our first home,” says Hallock, “but when we started looking at other houses over the next six months, we kept comparing them to this house, and in the end we couldn’t resist.”
“It’s a really quirky house,” says Hallock of the circa-1900 three-bedroom. “The rooms don’t all make sense, and it’s clear that the original builder changed plans last-minute to include indoor plumbing, but it’s forced us to get creative with how we use the space. The other big appealing factor was that the kitchen was basically non-existent — the owner who sold it to us had started to remodel and never finished. It was basically a blank slate for us to work from.”
To help decode some of the design challenges, Brambila and Hallock enlisted the help of nearby artisan furniture designer Matthew Soule of SouleWork, a firm in South Elmwood offering custom cabinetry and millwork. “Designing a modern kitchen that blends well with the style of an existing old home is a fun challenge, and I think the result was a success for this project,” Soule says. The work included creating functional space by removing a wall, installing updated light fixtures, and custom cabinetry. The main entrance to the kitchen might have been a sticking point, but Soule designed curved cabinets – using a bent lamination technique – to service the flow.
Brambila, an agroecologist for the Trustees of Massachusetts, and Hallock, a software designer, set out to curate their own interior aesthetic. “We like to collect things from flea markets, antique stores, and from our travels,” she explains. “Our decor ends up being pretty eclectic, and also kind of permanently unfinished.” When it came to selecting paint, the couple considered of-the-period colors, “but we’re not militant about it,” Hallock shares. “We painted one room lavender because we’d never painted a room purple before and new colors are fun.”
Now, two years later with a baby in tow, the couple is delighted with the choices Soule and team made for the house. They enjoy spending time cooking, learning about the craft of home restoration, and gardening, with Brambila tending to the property’s various fruit trees, and beekeeping, and Hallock planning a year-round garden. Says Hallock, “There are people who have lived here forever, and there are new people like us here, too. That mix of people creates such an interesting community.”
Ideas and resources for making the most of living in the Ocean State.
Matthew Soule has been practicing the craft of woodworking for as long as he can remember. “I grew up a carpenter’s son, so I was exposed to building and working with my hands early on working with my father.” He returned to it in Los Angeles before moving back to Rhode Island and building out his first shop in Providence. “We make everything from architectural millwork and custom cabinetry to artisan tables and chairs, custom furniture designs, and smaller products like lamps and decor. Find Soule’s work at his shop at 95 Hathaway Street by appointment, at Inhabit in Warren, or online at SouleWork.com.
For the custom kitchen, Soule started by listening to the couple’s needs and laying out a kitchen that functions according to their lifestyle. “The conversation typically moves from function to form and any special details they had in mind or if they are open to any unique design details I might envision,” he explains. The maker’s personal favorites are the curved cabinet and the three-inch-thick butcher-block island. “It was a challenge,” he admits, “and it came out beautiful.”
Homeowners Brambila and Hallock enjoy exploring the ever-evolving East Side. “We love getting little treats from Stock Culinary Goods, and fish from Fearless Fish Market on Hope Street. We’re super close to Nikki’s Liquors [Branch Avenue] and they have a great selection of beer and interesting liquors.”
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