Central to effective design is the understanding that someone is going to live with the results after the photos are taken. Advertisements abound with people posed beside stylish furniture clearly too uncomfortable to sit on. All the same, mere functionality rarely engages the senses or the imagination. The challenge is not to compromise, sacrificing one priority in pursuit of another, but to find a way to satisfy all of the needs within a cohesive and coherent space plan.
When V6B designs a display for their showroom, they approach the project with the same mindset as if they were actually designing it for a client in a real home. They start with a concept and imagine who will inhabit it, what their needs will be, and how they will use the space. For their latest showroom addition, V6B brought together formal elegance with the warm sense of home suitable to an active family. The result was this award winning British Colonial great room kitchen display.
About the display
The various paths of family life intersect in the kitchen, and, with two adults, two active youngsters, and one family dog, this family had a lot of paths. To accommodate everything – and everyone, they required an area that was substantial without feeling cold, cavernous, or utilitarian. They needed a space large enough for present and future needs, but warm and inviting enough to serve as family central.
The rich British Colonial motif expressed in the cabinetry with its white “inset style” lends the room a crisp, clean, classical feeling. The first impression: a room of custom-built furniture rather than a fully functioning kitchen – in fact, it is both. To preserve the traditional atmosphere, the colonial face encloses many of the functional elements, including some state-of-the-art technology, and frames others to striking effect.
A family entry cabinet provides a place where everyone can store their “stuff” when they come home. A custom plug-in bar for charging phones, iPods, and BlackBerrys keeps these contemporary must-haves close at hand, but out of sight. Keys, mail, phone books, pens and papers, and a drop down door that doubles as a desktop: the things no family can do without are conveniently stored without becoming an eyesore.
Adjacent to the entry cabinet, the multi-functional storage wall conceals two Sub Zero refrigerators and a Sub Zero freezer. Between the refrigerators is a combination preparation-storage-entertaining area hidden behind retractable bi-fold pocket doors. A flat screen TV/computer provides not only convenient access to the client’s digital recipe collection and a busy family calendar. Visible from the entire room when the doors are open, it also serves as the entertainment centre for those gathered at the island (and of course, those doing the work).
As a visual anchor for the overall layout and focus for the long preparation wall, an oversized hearth area surrounds the 48″ Wolf range, up to the challenge of the most demanding chef. Carrying on the ageless appeal of traditional look are the complementary elements. The warm tones of solid walnut floors, island, wood tops and accent cabinetry contrast the white, while the silver/sage backsplash and break front furniture piece bring an elegant softer tone to the room. The dark painted walls enable the other materials to take center stage. Crisp white inset cabinetry brings elegance, black highlighted walnut brings warmth, and the silver sage hutch and backsplash add elegant color to the pallet. A bench seat at the window adds to the inviting comfort of the room while the “X” shaped leaded glass at the upper section of the range wall adds a transitional touch and a bit of fun.
Stunningly beautiful? Of course, but it still has to work. The large island provides a central focus for the space plan and serves as a central support space for each specific functional space like the prep area on the range wall and storage (and TV) on the back wall. The Island doubles as the cleanup (sink, dishwasher, waste bin) and secondary eating area. Accented at either end with open cabinetry, the intricate detailing in the walnut finishing provides a subtle elegance to an imminently practical component.
White quartz countertops were selected to provide a functional working surface for the long preparation wall. For a touch of elegance and natural beauty, marble countertops were added to the island, the marble accented by soft light reflecting from the chandelier centered in the room.
A complete double set of day to day plates are stored, accessible to the children, in a custom plate rack at counter height and the microwave is well stored for common use at counter height behind a flip-up door. The fine china and special occasion dishes are accessible, but secure, in the adjacent break-front hutch, recessed into the space behind the island.
The cabinetry plan provides expansive working counters and all the storage features necessary to simplify the preparation process. Oil and sauce pullouts; utensil, knife, and spice storage; deep cookware and tupperware drawers; integrated warming drawer (with cutting board storage above); and a “chef’s pantry” provide organized access to the “tools of the trade”. Ample storage for everything else is available in the upper cabinets. Wine, a kitchen necessity for guests and chefs, is always available, with “reds” in the wine rack, “whites” in the fridge, and glasses either side of the TV.
And the furry family member… not forgotten either! A dog bed is featured at the entry cabinet with pullout food and dish storage located nearby in the laundry room.
There you have it: an elegant room that entertains with pride, yet still offers a warm sanctuary for cooking, eating, homework or sharing a TV show… for being a family.
By Dan Tidsbury for V6B Design GroupNext Blog Entry: Artisan finishes and dark hues help rustic kitchen evoke a rich sense of history
