I feel as if I'm in another country and another era. What's the inspiration?

Blue and white. I love that feeling you get when you look at blue-and-white porcelain. It's so fresh. And I've always loved blue-and-white tile. You see it all over Europe, and it was in my mind.

Those scenic tiles have an old-world look and add a sense of age. Where did you find them?

At Country Floors. The circular scenes on the backsplash are four different landscapes, with great details like a man with a net leaning over the water to catch a fish. Then there's a big fruit bowl on the tile behind the range.

I cannot believe the level of detail. Where do you find people to carve all those turned posts these days?

Those are applied moldings. Molding companies and lumberyards have these books, and you look through and pick out what you want and then you integrate them into the cabinetry. My builder, James Nigro, put it all together for me. He's great with woodwork.

Is that leaded glass on the cabinets?

Yes. And it's real leaded glass, done the old-fashioned way, with each pane individually cut. The house, which we built from the ground up, is English Tudor, and I wanted leaded-glass windows. But it's a lost art, and it was like pulling teeth to get someone to do it. I don't have a problem with it on the cabinets but we had to redo certain windows. When you have rain hitting it…

Well, it may not be practical, but it sure looks romantic.

And it's great here. Everyone says this is their favorite room in the house. I worked with Alexa Hampton on the whole project, but I took over the kitchen because I knew exactly what I wanted — the tile, the tin ceiling. I'm like a frustrated decorator. I studied art history in college and fell in love with all those Flemish tapestries and old master paintings. The romance and drama of that old-world look is very special to me, and I think it comes out in this kitchen.

Why did you choose marble countertops?

I wanted that black-and-white marble like you see in a French patisserie. You know the kind — as it ages, it gets even better. Then my builder showed me this Calacatta gold, with brown and gold veins that make it feel a little warmer. And it picks up the color of the wood on the island.

All the cabinetry is painted white, except the island. How come?

I like the way the dark wood looks with the white marble on top. And it blends in with the old Russian oak floor and contrasts nicely with the white cabinets. They were painted in a beigey bone and then antiqued. The finish is very forgiving, which is good since we have five kids in here every day.

So that's why you have two refrigerators.

Big house, big family. We really use this kitchen. The kids come in and sit after school. And everything has held up so far.

How do you reach those cabinets above the refrigerators?

You know what? We don't use them. I don't even know if they open. You have to understand, the ceiling in here is so high — it's like 12 feet.

Is that why you did the pressed tin between the coffers, to make it feel more intimate?

Actually, the pressed tin is all part of that patisserie feeling. It's silvery and unexpected, and it works with the nickel sink. It all blends. And then we mixed up our own shade of French blue for the walls. Very fresh, and yet it has a certain depth because of that bit of gray in it. It makes me feel as if I'm back in France.

By Christine Pittel