Kitchens with Elegance and Ease

I like to think about kitchens in motion. And in time. I always begin by listening to my clients to learn how they work and then imagine myself taking those same steps and movements. Beyond visualizing how a kitchen can perform best ergonomically.

I’ve always been a strong advocate for the craft of kitchen design and often customize spaces with unanticipated detail. Aesthetically, kitchens can be heavy, so I want to add lightness where it’s least expected. My creative process is ultimately about finding new ways to bring more lightness and ease of use to the hardworking rooms my client’s desire.

In a vignette in our design studio, for example, I added a narrow band of German silver across the underside of a counter. This is not a gratuitous flourish. That slice of gleam is necessary to lift the visual weight of the stone and make the large slab counter appear to float. Every detail needs to support the clarity of how I envision my client and how they want to live in their home.

Here are some of my favorites:

White kitchens, to me, are incredibly successful in achieving that end result. I won’t tire of designing white kitchens any more than a Michelin-star chef would tire of white plates. White space is a counterpoint to emphasis. It allows breathing room for balancing texture and color. The white plankboard walls in my studio appear simple. Take a closer look, however, and you’ll see that they change direction. The planks run vertically on the open range wall to accentuate its height, then turn horizontally to give a sense of expanse near the windows. I like how that graphic shift ever so subtly energizes something that’s otherwise quiet and informal.

The cabinetry in this vignette is also white but manifested by two entirely different materials. Drawer fronts on a side wall and behind the island are in a velvety matte finish reminiscent of low-sheen lacquer, while the island’s front and a tall cabinet are clad in a cross-cut oak that we had milled and whitewashed just lightly enough to allow its wood grains to peek through. It takes time and money to mill and finish wood this way, and not all clients want to invest in details this nuanced at first. But when they do, they ultimately appreciate how much they add to the beauty of the room.

The exhaust hood is another artisanal piece. Its lean shape and low pitch are inspired by a piece displayed at a forging shop in Japan. I love the form’s marriage of elegance and utility and how it offers a broad sweep for catching air without bulking up in height. The hood’s finish is a rarely seen patchwork of hand-cut German silver. I like how this metal’s warmer color and texture add a quiet counterpoint to the cool, machined steel of the appliances. A slim bead of silicon bronze at the hood’s bottom edge adds a subtle echo of the silver’s gleam. Our metal glass- front doors, while suggestive of industrial design, are similarly clad in German silver and thinly piped with bronze to add warmth.

Kitchens need to have staying power, especially considering the monetary investment behind them. But beyond longevity, I want to create a kitchen where my clients can deepen their connection to the space as much as they connect within it. Adaptability is key. Here, I used two sliding backsplash panels of framed tinted glass, one concealing countertop appliances and the other fronting a display of everyday dishes.

Versatility can be built into something even as immutable as a stone backsplash. We hid a rail behind the charcoal-hued limestone on the range wall to hang utensils, as if in midair and outfitted the same rail with LED lighting to veil the source of the wall’s ambient glow. My own lighting collection explores highly-polished metals and minimalist rectangles for the very same reason—I want them to “melt” into a space, their own beauty or ingenuity seemingly an afterthought.

Moving and/or hidden design elements are playful, but I’d never overload a kitchen with “cool” things. Any engineering on my part, is about eliminating distractions and making every design choice more intentional. Even artisanal pieces as rare and lovely as the ancient-looking pounded terracotta mural lining a china cabinet’s interior need to feel inextricably linked to the room’s identity.

Craft is merely my language, not my goal. I never want to impose my taste on a client’s own aesthetic leanings. Instead, I aim to elevate my work to meet my client’s every expectation for a space. I prefer to design for simplicity and let the details reveal themselves over time and through the client’s enjoyment of their kitchen.