My old house kitchen...
"...yes these are the original brick walls"
Tackling such a small room involved some creative thinking and a little unorthodox space planning.... The all SubZero refrigerator is in the kitchen with chalk board paneled front while the SubZero freezer drawers are in the back hall laundry alcove along with the under counter stainless steel washer and dryer and a second oven with steam!
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| Refrigeration drawers are convenient for beverages. |
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| Original heart pine flooring and new cleft slate countertops |
Of course, all of the brick did pose some challenges...like getting electricity to the hood, tv, microwave and undercabinet lighting above the countertops without destroying the brick. We used beadboard several places - built columns out of it at the sides of the arange that also provides receptacle space. And then there's the new wainscotting to hide wiring and wall switches.
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| I use salvaged square nails tapped into the mortar joints to hang anything on walls that are brick; more out of reverence for the old house than necessity. |
The kitchen was fashioned around an antique section of slate countertop with routed in drainboard and wall faucet riser that I found in an antique shop. To make it functional, I fit it with a huge undermounted stainless steel sink. Although this kitchen is half the size of the one in my previous house, I haven't scaled back entertaining at all and it functions beautifully. Just goes to show, it's not a kitchen's size that matters. Unlike most of the large kitchens I usually do for my clients, I guess my little old house caught someone else's eyes and heart and to my surprize... and it was featured in Better Homes & Gardens' Kitchen & Bath Makeovers this winter. 
Chris Berry, design director brooksBerry