As you drive along Wood Street in Wilkinsburg, you can’t seem to miss the Yingling Mansion, a 19,000-square-foot Georgian Revival-style home that for years has been patiently awaiting a makeover.
The Junior League of Pittsburgh has tackled the mansion as part of its Designer Show House. “A Window into Wilkinsburg” was the League’s 19th Show House fundraiser and benefitted programs that are fighting hunger in Pittsburgh’s East End. The mansion is now being used for community events, including book talks, bridal showers and more.
Reviving a relic
Built in 1905 by Roswell Gardner Yingling, a Pittsburgh coal and brick dealer, the mansion’s architecture is composed of unique features that you simply can’t find in today’s modern homes.
Boasting 27 unique rooms, each with a working fireplace, the mansion has rift and quartered hardwood floors and stain glass windows throughout. The bathrooms feature authentic subway tile, honeycomb tile flooring, and transoms above interior doorways allow for ventilation and natural light – a truly authentic 1900s look. If you head to the basement, you’ll even find a Speakeasy, a nod to the home’s role during the Prohibition.
In the initial stages of the rehab project, construction workers uncovered plenty of other historical features, including pocket doors and additional fireplaces. As builders peeled back layers of retrofitting, the bones of the home provided endless inspiration.
The League reached out to a slew of different interior designers to bring the mansion back to life. American Society of Interior Design Past President, Nancy Sakino-Spears, was tasked with redesigning the home’s kitchen. We sat down with Spears to get an inside look at the designs she has cooked up.
Choosing the right appliances
“People don’t realize how planning a kitchen right can make their quality of life better,” Spears commented. “Kitchens are where people spend most of their time. It’s the heart of their home, their command post; it’s where their kids do homework. That’s part of what we do as designers, improve our customers’ quality of life and a big part of that is with kitchen design.”
Considering this space was intended to be a community house, Spears wanted to make sure the appliances used were practical and beautiful. She found the perfect solution with Signature Kitchen Suite. The designs are stunningly simple and provide gourmet features with the perfect amount of bells and whistles.
Aside from a custom hood and microwave, all of the kitchen’s appliances are Signature Kitchen Suite, including two 30-inch ranges, two dishwashers with PowerSteam™ technology and a 42-inch side-by-side refrigerator with an external ice and water dispenser. Not to mention, they are all Wi-Fi enabled.
Speaking to the ranges, Spears noted, “I love the design of the two 30-inch ranges. When you do a lot of cooking—especially in dealing with commercial appliances—stovetops are hard to clean, they burn hot and your griddles get dirty. What I like about Signature Kitchen Suite is that the griddle is removable so you can take them off to clean them and it’s much easier than scrubbing.”
By placing these appliances in the Show House, Pittsburghers are able to see this up-and-coming brand and use them firsthand. Their size, functionality and design make them a perfect choice for homes or businesses of all sizes.
Designing with purpose
An important task of the remodel was to restore the home’s original character while making it functional for community events. To do so, Spears has meticulously thought through each area of the kitchen.
Decorating for the time period
The entirety of the design has an art-deco theme, with black quartz countertops and white cabinets. Gray glass and granite mosaic tile floors tie the look together. The floors feature penny round tiles, a historically accurate approach and a nod to the home’s 1900s construction.
Providing a gathering space
Attached to the kitchen is a “food lab,” a room for meeting, planning and teaching, complete with a flat screen TV for learning purposes. A large island has been installed out of the wall near the fireplace, and a crystal chandelier is hanging above. To hide exposed pipes on the wall, a grandfather clock has been strategically placed. To bring back the home’s original character, wooden archways were built to mimic other areas of the house.
Focusing on the details
Back in the kitchen, Spears focused on mixing function with historically accurate design. A custom hood has been built over top of the range, and shelving for wine surrounds the refrigerator. A commercial three-bowl sink that is still in place will be kept and refurbished to fit the space.
Additional shelves have been built along the windows in order to grow fresh herbs. Venetian blinds cover the windows, and the ceiling is wallpapered with a pattern replicating tin. And for when it’s mealtime, the kitchen’s original dumbwaiter has been reconstructed so that it is fully functional.
“Working with other designers to restore this beautiful home has been incredible,” said Spears.