Abstract:
The clients, both organic cooks, wanted a kitchen for their Washington home that nourished their desire to create meals using homegrown ingredients. From a functional point of view, this required more space. Aesthetically, they wanted a look that represented their nature-based perspectives. An avid cook himself, Jonas Carnemark, president of Carnemark Systems & Design, knew that...
Publication Date:
Wed, 2007-01-31 18:00
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| The island's shapes, proportions and materials make it stand out. The shroud features a bamboo pattern, with thin lines, a heady contrast to the contemporary shape of the green glass and stainless steel canopy hood fan. After photos by Maxwell McKenzie |
An avid cook himself, Jonas Carnemark, president of Carnemark Systems & Design, knew that all serious cooks have a place in the kitchen — usually the sink or stove — where they most like to orient themselves. "While most people like to sit at the sink and look out the window, I knew these clients, like a lot of real cooks, spent most of their time at the stove, so I tailored the views to how they orient themselves in the kitchen, to being at an island where you can see the entire back yard," he says.
His design removed all of the mechanics and cabinetry that ran along the kitchen's north wall, and he also reoriented a powder room that was anchored at the northeast corner. The kitchen's north wall then became a series of 2-feet-high windows that evoke a conservatory-type feel, providing a panoramic view of the lush garden. A cooks' island in the center of the kitchen gives the clients a straight-on view of the back yard.
Natural and minimally compromised materials— concrete countertops, cork flooring and maple cabinetry — are used throughout the kitchen to reflect the clients' sensibilities. A furniture approach, whereby none of the wall cabinets touch the ceiling or floor, guides the design of the new cabinetry, giving the clients the space and volume they desired.
This "demi-tall" cabinet height also allowed for more expansive backsplashes and quirky, personalized touches, such as the small window at the northwest corner that gives the homeowners a view of a mature Japanese maple tree that they were unable to see from the original kitchen.
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| The concrete sink for herbs incrementally increases from 2- to 4-inches deep. |
"In design, you want to create spaces with feelings, not just walls," he says. "Shapes like the canopy hood help frame the island and delineate that space — the curvatures of the shroud creates a psychological definition of space. And when you're entertaining, you don't have to do that awkward square dance when you need to get by people. The kitchen is both inviting, but it can also keep people at bay when you're working."
Part of a larger whole-house project, the $190,000, 404-square-foot kitchen represents approximately 25 weeks of work time.
