Kim Case Greg West

Related Articles

When, Where and How

Saturday, April 12, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 for Music Hall members, $23 for non-members, and $25 if purchased the day of the event. They are on sale now and can be purchased at The Music Hall box office at 28 Chestnut Street, Portsmouth, N.H., on the phone by calling: 603-436-2400 Purchase tickets online at www.themusichall.org. On the day of the tour, tickets can be purchased at The Music Hall box office beginning at 9:30 a.m.

After last year’s successful tour of kitchens in Kittery Point, Maine, The Music Hall Kitchen Tour returns to its hometown to feature kitchens and dining spaces in the historic seacoast community of Portsmouth, N.H. Now in its 17th year, this benefit for New Hampshire’s oldest theatre and still-vibrant performing arts center offers a fresh look at recent renovations and new construction in and around town.

“We’re excited to be back in Portsmouth this year,” says Mary Horigan, director of partnership and foundation giving at The Music Hall. “It’s The Music Hall’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and we owe so much of our success to our incredible hosts, loyal sponsors, over 100 volunteers, our creative and hardworking committee, and our visitors—many of whom have made this a tradition each spring.”

Featured in our exclusive sneak peak, the kitchen of Karin and Stephen Barndollar is a true expression of elegant yet functional minimalism. Don’t miss the kitchen’s moveable ladder, which allows for easy access to the upper cabinets that soar to the room’s 12-foot ceilings. Inset tracks hold the ladder, both of which, along with all the polished chrome hardware, were custom designed and fabricated by Viking Welding of Seabrook, N.H.

The Barndollars first saw this breathtaking site in 2001 and knew they were destined to own it and build something truly fantastic here.

“We wanted to look at this house in ten years and still feel like we did it right,” says Karin. Working with Graf Design of Newburyport, Mass, to realize their contemporary vision, the couple enlisted Wood Wright Incorporated of Kensington, N.H., to create the reality of a sleek modern home that invited the view in while allowing for gracious living.

The most extraordinary feature of this home, however, are its walls. Artist Tom Schulz of Ennis Art in Charlotte, N.C., created a luminous visual depth in the walls by applying multiple layers of plaster and paint, and finishing with a top coat of wax. Maintained by Ron Fabiani of Silver Lining Paint Works of Portsmouth, the walls are a warm and earthy contrast to the cool blues of the water views beyond.

An easy-to-follow map is provided by The Music Hall, and tour-goers can start and finish anywhere along the way. If you’re looking to turn your own dreams into reality, the craftspeople involved in the kitchens are noted in the tour’s guidebook along with detailed descriptions of the kitchens.