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A Timeless Classic Lynden, Washington By Lauren Fritzen and Helen Solem Photography by Oona Copperhill |
 Marilyn
McCoy is a collector of old treasures. She considers this, along with
her reluctance to throw things away, a hereditary trait and a matter of
family pride, passed down through generations of the Boerhave family of
Lynden. Her turn-of-the-century Victorian home is part of this legacy,
having been built by her great-uncle, Nicholas Boerhave. Marilyn
purchased the home from Uncle Nick’s children in 1984, and along with
husband Patrick Jones, has been lovingly reestablishing and enriching
it’s beauty ever since. Along with the house, Marilyn and Patrick acquired a basement full of family possessions, many of which now adorn the various rooms, including the kitchen. However, this is not a musty, mothball-smelling museum of a house. When you step into Marilyn’s cheerful green and white kitchen, you are enchanted by its charming and timeless character. The kitchen was added on to the house in the 1930’s, and everything about it is classically Art Deco, including designs developed with an eye to comfort, style and functionality. Marilyn’s great-uncle obviously had a firm grasp of these concepts when he built this kitchen. The galley-style work area is compact but well laid out, with wall cabinets, base cupboards and sink along one wall, and refrigerator, stove and more cabinets on the opposite wall. The extensive cupboards are beautifully crafted, and not an inch of space is wasted. 
A built-in arched cabinet next to the stove houses Marilyn’s collection
of deco-period McCoy pottery. The cupboard below not only holds canned
goods, but also is a working dumbwaiter with a hand crank in the
basement. A small peninsula with classic Deco rounded shelving on the
end separates the work area from the eating space. The home’s original
wood table and chairs occupy a sunny location between two large
mullioned windows, and provides a cozy spot to relax with a cup of tea
or chat with the cook. A beautiful corner hutch with an elliptical glass
door holds an antique glassware collection. Behind the windows’ lace
curtains are the original venetian blinds, which Marilyn found in a heap
in the basement. Instead of throwing them away, she had them cleaned,
repaired and re-hung.
The practicalities of cooking for four children have sometimes
outweighed her preference for old things, and over the years, she has
upgraded her appliances, adding a dishwasher and microwave. But she has
felt no need to change the basic layout, “This kitchen is very
comfortable and very functional.” A fold-down secretary desk built into
a nook in the hallway; a fold-out ironing board hidden behind a wall
cabinet; a laundry chute to the basement; all these amenities were on
the cutting edge of kitchen design in the 1930’s, and still maintain a
pragmatic purpose in Marilyn and Patrick’s home.
Marilyn’s sense of vintage style and reluctance to “modernize” an
already well-designed kitchen has resulted in the preservation of an
endearing classic. The flooring is the original linoleum, and its
hand-cut, in-laid squares of green, gold and orange are still bright and
stylish today. Marilyn believes these squares of color were added in the
late 30’s to coordinate with her aunt’s newly purchased set of
Fiestaware. The only spot on the floor which shows significant wear is
near the back door. “When people tell me that I need to replace the
floor here, I just tell them that it’s 70-plus years of family and
friends coming to the back door.” And it’s no wonder, for this is a
kitchen that draws you in and keeps you coming back.
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