Specialty Kitchens

From gourmet cooking spaces to eco-friendly designs, these four kitchen designs showcase extraordinary ingenuity and personalized touches that set them apart.

BEST USE OUTSIDE THE KITCHEN – Peyton EdwardsKDW Home Richmond, VA, USA

Peyton Edwards, Principal of KDW Home, in Richmond, Virginia, transformed a client’s pass-through room into an inviting social space perfect for hosting gatherings. This Best Use Outside the Kitchen winning design incorporates retractable doors and paneled Sub-Zero appliances to create an elegant entertaining hub.

A concealed bar balances function and visual appeal and maintains an uncluttered, elegant aesthetic. The space also needed to serve as an effortless transition between the private family areas and formal rooms.

Richmond native Edwards has long been passionate about design and strives to create thoughtful spaces for each client, such as this cohesive multi-purpose space. The architectural details, carefully curated hardware, appealing light fixtures, and soothing color palette create the perfect place for gathering, wine tasting, and socializing.

DESIGN RESOURCES

• 18” Designer Wine Storage

FIRST TIME ENTRANT - Mike Shivley
En Masse Architecture and Design Chicago, IL, USA

Mike Shively, Founding Partner, and Lucas Goldbach, Partner + Design Director of En Masse Architecture and Design, in Chicago, Illinois, were tasked by clients to recreate the essence of the mountains on Chicago’s North Shore. The homeowners were empty-nesters seeking to instill the same tranquility and welcoming spirit of their beloved Telluride, Colorado, vacation home into their new build near the windy city.

The result was a sophisticated kitchen that blends the warmth of mountain living with suburban function and elegance. The refined space melds serenity with stylish drama by utilizing maximum natural light and a white oak finish. This winning combination netted Shively and Goldbach the First-Time Entrant award.

“We love designing kitchens,” says Goldbach, who believes those spaces are the hardest working rooms in a home, requiring the most from designers and architects. He also senses that the process will become even more customized. “It’s exciting that people are craving authenticity in kitchen design.”

DESIGN RESOURCES

• 18” Designer Column Freezer with Ice Maker

• 36" Designer Column Refrigerator

• 30" Designer Column Refrigerator

• 24" Designer Column Refrigerator

• 30" M Series Contemporary Convection Steam Oven

• 24" E Series Transitional Built-In Single Oven

• 30" Warming Drawer

• 48" Sealed Burner Rangetop

SMALL SPACES - Doug Durbin
nuHaus, Chicago, IL, USA

The relationship between Doug Durbin of nuHaus and Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove goes back decades. The Chicago company was founded in 1988 by Durbin and his brother John, both master cabinetmakers, and the pair have been imagining, designing, and building fine cabinetry, millwork, and furniture ever since. “It has been an incredible journey for me in the world of design, and Sub-Zero has been a massive influence in that,” says Durbin, a current winner for Small Space Kitchen and a past winner and former judge at the KDC.

The bite-sized kitchen he designed for a diminutive two-bedroom residence in one of Texas’s fastest-growing tech markets skillfully maximized versatility and functional storage. Choosing quality small-space appliances from Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove appeals to the target demographic: executives or small families seeking a polished home with high-performance products, streamlined aesthetics, and adaptable usage options.

“I think that the younger generation of designers are using today’s technologies to add to their fantastic talents,” says Durbin. “Things are getting better and sharper.”

DESIGN RESOURCES

• 30" Designer Column Refrigerator

• 30" Designer Freezer Drawers

• 36" Contemporary Electric Cooktop

• 30" M Series Contemporary Built-In Single Oven

• 24" E Series Transitional Coffee System

• 30" M Series Contemporary Handleless Convection Steam Oven

STUDENT ENTRANT - Alexander Drozdovitch
Montgomery College Gaithersberg, MD, USA

It might feel daunting to be a student among professionals, but Alexander Drozdovitch’s rendered kitchen concept for a hypothetical client displayed thoughtful design and sophisticated planning, earning him the Student Winner award.

As a degreed graphic designer and current interior design major at Maryland’s Montgomery College Rockville campus, Drozdovitch created a schematic of a transitional kitchen for would-be suburban homeowners desiring a functional yet sophisticated family hub that evolves with their lifestyle and family needs. The scenario the young designer responded to included building a welcoming space to enhance their daily routines and foster communication and relaxation when their adult daughter returned home during school breaks.

“I am interested in kitchens and baths because there is so much that can be done in those rooms,” says Drozdovitch, who aims to apply the fundamentals of graphic design to real-world living spaces. He is working toward graduation and will eventually seek the National Kitchen + Bath Association (NKBA) certification.

DESIGN RESOURCES

• 24" Designer Column Refrigerator

• 36" Designer Refrigerator

• 24" Designer Wine Storage

• 15" Ice Maker

• 24" M Series Contemporary Stainless Steel Handleless Convection Steam Oven

• 24" Vacuum Seal Drawer

• 36" Contemporary Cooktop

• 36" Downdraft

• 24" Transitional Drawer Microwave

• 24" E Series Transitional Coffee System