Accessibility Is Served

Suzi Kaitz and Jonathan Katz had no intention of leaving the beloved 19th-century Victorian in Newton Centre where they had lived since 1984. But in the mid-1990s, Katz, an actor and comedian best known for his Emmy-winning role in the Comedy Central cartoon Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Four years ago, as he began struggling with his mobility, the Victorian, with four floors, became impractical, and the couple and their two daughters, now 15 and 23, moved across town to a 1950s ranch-style house that offered living space on one level – and far less character. "It's like somebody sat on our house," says Katz.

A renovation was in order. "Suzi wanted much more of a craftsman quality to the house," says architect Michael Kim, who worked on the project.

The kitchen, with its handcrafted fir ceiling that resembles the hull of a boat, achieved that goal. Phil Cote of Graham Contracting sanded the wood for three weeks to give it a furniturelike finish.

The arched ceiling replaces the old roof and leaky skylights. Kim designed a light well in the center of the roof that allows daylight into the room through transoms high on an interior wall. "It's not having more light," Kim says, "it's having the right amount of light in the right place." Kaitz, who is general manager of National Lumber's four Kitchen Views showrooms and enjoys home entertaining, had her colleague Barbara Baratz help with the layout, in which many of the appliances are behind cherry cabinets. Granite countertops have a pattern reminiscent of washed sand, the backsplash behind the cooktop resembles sea glass, and the room seems to float on a floor of dark-stained cork tiles.

As for the accessibility of the room, "It was just problem-solving," Kaitz says. In the event that Katz someday needs a wheelchair, the center island includes easy-to-reach refrigerator drawers and a pull-out cutting board that a seated person can use. Knobs are large, entryways wide, and thresholds flush. These are things that anyone looking ahead to aging and the possibility of restricted mobility should consider. "People don't want to talk about it," says Kaitz, "but if you want to stay in a house . . . you have to think about it." Emily Shartin is a freelance writer. E-mail her at emilyshartin@yahoo.com.