KBB - April 2011 - (Page 44)

A 20-year-old kitchen would seem a prime candidate for a complete overhaul. And that was certainly the intent when a couple in Florida hired designer Joan DesCombes, ckd, of Joan DesCombes Kitchen Design, to give their kitchen a much-needed update. There was, however, one hiccup: “The only changes they wanted to make were cosmetic,” she noted.“They had become so used to their kitchen and where everything was located” that the principal challenge in the project became persuading her clients to “let go.” This she did—gently and skillfully—and the result is a light and airy environment with clean, classic good looks and a solid aptitude for cooking, entertaining and modern living. In function, the new kitchen improves considerably upon its predecessor, which “really wasn’t set up the way the wife needed it to be,” observed DesCombes. Disjointed and inefficient, its layout lacked the large work surfaces required to cook, bake, serve and plate with ease yet comprised amenities that either saw infrequent use, such as a modest home office area and its triangular desk, or were just unattractive. In addition, the existing cabinets, though abundant, were equipped with outdated storage accessories and, to boot, had been painted green, which did little to embrace and enhance the room’s architecture. The remodel, by contrast, lends a sense of unity to the space, as well as an understated elegance. It incorporates a series of niches to visually organize the kitchen’s various functions and employs a palette of soft, earthy finishes to complement the wife’s fair coloring.“People should look good in their kitchens,” said DesCombes, a former executive in the fashion and cosmetics industry.“Because the wife is blonde and slender, I stayed with an overall palette of soft, light colors with dark, dramatic accents.” Similarly, ornamentation is kept to a minimum, and the aesthetic is spare without being stark. In the cooking area, for example, where heavy upper cabinets once dominated and landing room was scarce, twin wall units in a warm-white matte-lacquered finish now flank a white hood and are set against a backsplash of pale gold Jerusalem stone to create a simple yet effective focal point. All are neatly contained within a shallow niche that is articulated on top by a soffit and a dark walnut beam. Both were added “to provide a visual stopping point for the hood,” said DesCombes, and help integrate an existing 15-ft.-high wood-paneled ceiling that previously seemed disconnected from the rest of the kitchen. On either side of the range, counter space is plentiful, while tucked into the sides of the niche are walnut shelves for storing spices and condiments. To the left of the cooking station, an Asian-inspired armoire, recessed into the wall and also formed of walnut wood, conceals a refrigerator and a freezer. A request from the wife, its inclusion necessitated a bathroom on the opposite side of the wall be replumbed and reconfigured to accommodate its depth, which, noted DesCombes, helped ease the clients into allowing more changes. Anchoring the opposite end of the range area, another niche, lined in walnut and outfitted with shelves, sits above a pair of wall ovens to strike a kind of visual balance. In the cooking area, a niche frames two wall units and a simple hood set against a backdrop of rough-hewn gold Jerusalem stone tiles. A horizontal wood beam delineates the top of the niche and provides a visual link to the wood-paneled ceiling. Other wood elements include a wenge island counter (below), a walnut refrigeration armoire, a panel with rails for hanging a clock, a chalkboard and the wife’s apron, as well as the interior of a wall cabinet in the buffet/bar station (opposite). 44 + K BB April 2011 / www.kbbonline.com / The Official Sponsor of KBIS www.kbis.com http://www.kbbonline.com http://www.kbis.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of KBB - April 2011

KBB - April 2011
Table of Contents
Online Contents
Online News
Editorial
Focus
Trends
Products
Profile
Abroad
Blonde Ambition
Serenity Now
Education
Ad Index
Favorites

KBB - April 2011