A New York Vibe on the North Side
Story by Susan Fleming Morgans
Photography by Dave Bryce
Styling by Keith Recker
Food by Chef Shaun
Forcett Cake by Mediterra Cafe, mediterracafe.com
Every interior designer has at least one go-to skill. Melissa Rees of M Hill Rees Interiors in Point Breeze says hers is listening, a habit she attributes to growing up patiently taking in tales of chatty but sometimes tipsy relatives.
When it comes to our clients, “We get really personal,” she says, “so being able to navigate the emotions and the stress [that accompany remodeling] has been very helpful.”
Rather than making pretty spaces, she thinks of her work as “creating a style of living.” Listening was critical to her recent remodel of Ish and Shaun Forcett’s kitchen on Pittsburgh’s North Side. First, Shaun is a personal chef. Second, each member of the couple had strong, independent preferences. And finally, they had never worked with a designer.
“They did not really know what to expect,” says Melissa, who worked on the project with her associate, Chrishuna Wilkerson. “But they made it really easy. They gave us their trust.”
Ish, a Verizon executive, lived in the Pittsburgh suburbs when she moved to Pennsylvania from her native Brooklyn in 2005. But in 2011 she moved to a townhouse in the more familiar-feeling city, “where I could sleep like a baby hearing all the sirens,” she says.
She met Shaun when she hired him to cook for a party. They married in 2017. Shaun, following the spot-on advice of a close friend, left his Upstate New York career as a social worker to attend culinary school in Pittsburgh. For the past 14 years, he has prepared meals in people’s homes for crowds of up to 20. And then he comes home—and cooks for himself and his wife. Chef Shaun Forcett described his Thermador range as the "Workhorse where I get the results I want."
Among his specialties are scallops, perhaps accompanied by a mango or butternut squash puree, depending on the time of year. He definitely knows his way around a medium to medium-rare steak. But he always begins curating his menus with seasonal vegetables. His experiences in other people’s kitchens were a plus in helping to envisioning his own. The Forcett’s “skinny” townhouse has an open plan. The long hall that flanks one wall is narrow, but it’s still easy to circulate from the foyer through the other rooms, ending up in the kitchen.
Melissa was hired to design the living, dining, and powder rooms, but convinced the Forcetts the kitchen should be consistent in style with the rest of the first floor. Originally an 11 x 10-foot space, the kitchen was expanded four feet by removing a pantry closet, making room for a centered walnut butcher block perfect for prepping. There is direct access to the dining room, which connects to the living room via a half wall with a built-in dry bar and wine racks usually filled with the couple’s favorite sparkly, Veuve Clicquot, but sometimes with a collection of what seems right in the moment.
Entertaining is easy. Ish’s only must-have was a brick wall reminiscent of the brownstone she grew up in, and she got her New York look. A red brick wall extends from the living room throughout the first floor to a kitchen door that leads to the backyard, where she tends an herb garden to spice up Shaun’s creations.
Most of what they selected for the kitchen was sourced locally. Shaun chose the appliances. His favorite feature is the recessed oven in the butcher block—a second oven for entertaining. He also loves the six-burner Thermador range’s extra-low setting, which cycles on and off, keeping any sauce the perfect temperature. He’s used every type of range, some of them more expensive, but describes Thermador as “more like a workhorse where I get the results I want.”
The stainless-steel appliances are housed in sleek custom cabinetry from Oread Design. Painted in Sherwin Williams’ Urban Bronze, cabinets reach to the ceiling, creating the illusion of height. Setting off their deep, complex hue are countertops and a backsplash of light quartzite natural stone by Ultimate Granite.
Lighting in the compact kitchen needed enhancing. To that end, windows were replaced. In addition, subtle recessed lights now brighten the space, and decorative hanging fixtures—frosted glass globes with satin brass trim that echo the Brizo plumbing fixtures and cabinet hardware—are stunning. Lighting is from Shades of Light and Lightology. Small touches, such as updated baseboards, new door trim, and custom doors, complete the transformation. Melissa was able to meld the Forcetts’ desires and aesthetics into a shared vision.
“She nailed it,” Ish says. Investing in a designer was worth it, Ish adds: “As someone in management, it was the least stress[ful] project I’ve ever been involved in.”
That said, the project took 18 months and at one point had them operating out of a temporary kitchen in the basement.
“We couldn’t wait for the project to be over so we could come home, sit down, light a [scented] candle, and have a glass of whatever,” says Ish. “So,” advises Melissa, “If you’re going to work with a designer, bring them in early, because planning takes time.”
Appliances
Thermador 36" Pro Harmony Standard Depth Gas Range
Thermador 24" Professional Stainless Steel Emerald Dishwasher
Thermador 36" Built-In French Door Refrigerator with Bottom Freezer
Thermador 36" Pro Harmony Wall Hood
Thermador 30" Masterpiece Stainless Steel Electric Wall Oven
XO Refrigeration Luxury 24" Undercounter Dual Zone Wine Cooler
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