Custom home owners are more dedicated to fine cooking than ever before. Many no longer think of preparing a meal as a chore, but as a luxury to which they devote considerable time and money. And to create beautiful, great-tasting food, they need well-planned, personalized kitchens, like the ones on the following pages. As these kitchens demonstrate, builders, architects, designers, and their clients are researching exotic woods to find one-of-a-kind textures and colors. They're borrowing ideas from restaurant kitchens and designating specialized prep centers and stations. They're coming up with clever ways to create storage, often designing caterers' kitchens and butler's pantries. They're using metal in interesting ways, most frequently as countertops and backsplashes. And, as always, they're placing top priority on making the kitchen open to the rest of the house and the outdoors.
Remodeling a historic residence takes a lot of soul searching. At some point the project needs to either follow the stylistic template set by the original building, or break away and follow its own path. The owners of this grand 1920s Chicago condominium decided on the latter, with harmonious results. Their apartment featured a small, cramped kitchen that felt cut off from the rooms around it. They asked Wheeler Kearns Architects to open up the kitchen to the dining and sitting areas, allowing light and views to flow unimpeded through the space. "They wanted to make those rooms a contrast to the front of the unit," says project architect Joy Meek. ** So Meek and principal in charge Dan Wheeler abandoned the elaborate molding that characterizes the rest of the apartment for a sleeker look--stainless steel counters, cherry cabinetry, poured concrete floors, and new contemporary windows. The stainless-steel cased beam running above the island conceals mechanicals, and it provides a handy place for down- and up-lighting. The extra illumination is necessary, since the space isn't just for socializing. The island's hard-working north side contains a dishwasher, wine refrigerator, microwave, and warming drawer, all of which supplement the refrigerator, range, and oven on the same side of the room. One person preparing a meat can converse with guests or family members sitting on the opposite side of the island without compromising his or her work space. And the kitchen segues straight into the dining room on one end and sitting area on the other--a very modern idea indeed.Ultimate ExpressionThe new plan replaces the opening between the kitchen and dining room with a sweep of floor-to-ceiling translucent pocket doors. Bloomberg centered a large window and sink on the opening to share light between the rooms. "The doors tie the two sides together," Bloomberg says. "We also used very warm materials, which help to carry through the palette of an older house." Stylistic differences are neutralized with cherry cabinets that complement the house's pine floors, Italian slate flooring with rich color variations, and a concrete countertop.Eastern ElementsBalinese buildings and Japanese tansu chests served as design motifs for this remodeled Del Mar, Calif., kitchen. Architect Wendy Von Kalinowski and builder Brian Beesan worked closely with the owners to incorporate lush, exotic woods like Hawaiian koa and rosewood. Wrought-iron fittings continue the Indonesian/Asian influence, while honed black granite counters complement the rich woods. According to the clients' wishes, Von Kalinowski created a plan that facilitates cooking and entertaining, with a long mahogany table that slides out from under the island when more space is needed. A wood-burning masonry fireplace adds to the relaxed ambience, while three skylights let in plenty of natural light. ** Because of all the ventilation in the kitchen--pocket doors, large operable windows over the sink, a ceiling fan, and a ceiling vent--the clients and Von Kalinowski decided to leave out the range hood they'd originally planned. "The hood would have detracted from the other elements," says Von Kalinowski. "The clients wanted to be able to see out the big window over the sink." Now they have their choice of views--the palm trees outside that window, or the shady oasis of the courtyard.A cooking area to the left as you enter the kitchen now occupies the former powder room, which was moved to the stair landing. At the far end is a square bar sink and compact computer space with a fiat-screen monitor mounted beneath wall cabinets. And an existing 4-foot-by-4-foot pantry is hidden behind a full-height cabinetry door. "We wanted to keep everything very flush to make it look neat and clean, which is what the clients wanted," Bloomberg says. The result is an unabashedly 21st-century work space, one with enough texture and warmth to span two time periods.--Cheryl WeberInterior designer Elizabeth Rosensteel's clients for this Phoenix kitchen have five teenage children. That alone constitutes a fairly large group to feed, but when you factor in the probability of each child bringing friends over, the number of people in the space at any one time gets even bigger. "The kitchen is the family center," says Rosensteel. "There had to be workability for feeding the masses." ** So she designed three eating areas into the room--a custom dining table that seats eight, and two peninsulas with three seats apiece. A commercial-style walk-in refrigerator/freezer holds the quantity of perishables a family this size requires. "We found we could accommodate the insulation better by going from the refrigerator directly into the freezer," says Rosensteel. Another refrigerator in the main kitchen space supplements the walk-in, holding items the family uses every day. Two ovens occupy separate areas so that different cooking and baking projects can take place at the same time. ** With so many people using the kitchen, the owners didn't want to have to spend all their time cleaning it up. Many of the surfaces are coated with an automotive-like paint that doesn't show fingerprints easily, and multi-hued granite counters were chosen for the same reason.Project Credits: Builder: Crown Construction, Chicago; Architect: Wheeler Kearns Architects, Chicago; Project size: 600 square feet (includes dining room and sitting room); Construction cost: Withheld; Photographer: Alan Shortall Photography. ** Resources: Cooktop: Thermador, Circle 482; Dishwasher: Miele, Circle 483; Disposal: Kitchen Aid, Circle 484; Oven: Dacor, Circle 485; Vent: Thermador, Circle 486; Wine refrigerator: Kitchen Aid, Circle 487.* Details Laboratory-like vitrines of steel and glass top the island, supplying extra storage space as well as blocking noise. "When caterers are in the kitchen, you don't hear them in the dining room" says project architect Joy Meek.Crowd ControlProject Credits: Builder: Brian Beesan Construction, Solana Beach, Calif.; Architect: Von Kalinowski Design & Associates, La Jolla, Calif.; Project size: 560 square feet; Construction cost: Withheld; Photographer: Hewitt/Garrison Photography. ** Resources: Bar sink: Elkay, Circle 450; Dishwasher/range/refrigerator: Viking, Circle 451; Faucet: Grohe, Circle 452; Refrigerator drawers: Sub-Zero, Circle 453; Warming drawers: Dacor, Circle 454.Past and Present
Interior designer Elizabeth Rosensteel's clients for this Phoenix kitchen have five teenage children. That alone constitutes a fairly large group to feed, but when you factor in the probability of each child bringing friends over, the number of people in the space at any one time gets even bigger. "The kitchen is the family center," says Rosensteel. "There had to be workability for feeding the masses." ** So she designed three eating areas into the room--a custom dining table that seats eight, and two peninsulas with three seats apiece. A commercial-style walk-in refrigerator/freezer holds the quantity of perishables a family this size requires. "We found we could accommodate the insulation better by going from the refrigerator directly into the freezer," says Rosensteel. Another refrigerator in the main kitchen space supplements the walk-in, holding items the family uses every day. Two ovens occupy separate areas so that different cooking and baking projects can take place at the same time. ** With so many people using the kitchen, the owners didn't want to have to spend all their time cleaning it up. Many of the surfaces are coated with an automotive-like paint that doesn't show fingerprints easily, and multi-hued granite counters were chosen for the same reason.
Author: Meghan Drueding
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