Obviously, such an important room demands attention to detail. And Liederbach, working with project architect Erica Crispin Weeder and interior designer Alan Boyd, created a room worthy of most-favored status. Nowhere is this more clearly stated than in the fit and finish of the cabinets. Consulting with the Lehmans, Liederbach designed all of the kitchen cabinets as if they were pieces of furniture. Turned legs, complicated moldings, and compound edges on the German limestone countertops are as fine as any you would find in the other living areas. In fact, the cabinet holding the refrigerator was designed to look like a free-standing armoire with a clock built into the pediment—an idea Peggy borrowed after seeing a refrigerator that was set inside an antique armoire in the home of fashion designer Jessica McClintock.

Boyd developed the palette of creamy colors and finishes, and Weeder figured out how to accomplish those finishes—three to four coats of hand-rubbed painting—and then taught the artisans how to do it. Wood-beam ceilings, which run into the breakfast room, help keep the area intimate and visually connect the two spaces. Likewise, antique terra-cotta roof tiles from France are used on the floor throughout the kitchen area to tie kitchen, breakfast room, and family room together. And radiant heat makes the floor a welcome source of warmth.