Kitchen & Bath Design News

JUL 2014

Kitchen & Bath Design News is the industry's leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.

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July 2014 ForResidentialPros.com | 35 eling, the clients "were trying to combine everything they loved about the various de- tails in their prior kitchens to make a 'best of the best' layout," Lee explains. The clients wanted a commercial-style Thermador cooktop with built-in wok feature that was no longer available, so they searched far and wide until they located the model they were seeking across the country and then had it refurbished. To handle the extremely high BTUs created by the built-in wok feature, this ap- pliance requires a powerful venting system that was con- cealed behind a custom stucco style hood and designed to ft perfectly between two exist- ing windows. Lee notes, "The cooktop and hood visually anchor a highly functional cooking zone where ovens, cooktop and wok were all grouped together." To provide storage of spices and cooking oils, the design features customized open cabinets and spice drawers. Since the husband loves to cook while his wife loves to bake, the space features "two separate but complementary" work zones. She notes, "Dual ovens that fank either side of the cook- top create a baking zone anchored by the refrigerator and a cooking zone tying into the sink." Lee continues, "As is com- mon with most chefs, the microwave was a very low priority appliance and was placed on the outskirts of the kitchen out of the main prep area. Being a former caterer with a passion for baking meant having a well- organized and self-contained baking area. This baking cen- ter includes a pop-up mixer stand in the island. Directly across from the mixer, a large pantr y-type cabinet was maximized with tall dividers and square compartments for cookie sheets, cutting boards, baking utensils and canisters." The butler's pantry also ofers serving spaces for en- tertaining, allowing guests to be near the kitchen without being in the way of the chef. Lee explains, "This particu- lar butler's pantry also has an ice maker and doubles as a beverage center as well as a serving locale," which high- lights the homeowners' love of fne wines. Lee continues, "When actively engaged in the art of cooking or baking, the homeowners like to spread out and take over the entire kitchen as their workspace. They value countertop/prep space highly, which elimi- nated the possibility of a second sink in the island, and placed a premium on eliminating countertop clut- ter. The large walk-in pantry includes hidden outlets and houses common small appli- ances, such as toasters and toaster ovens, to minimize countertop clutter. Highly customized cabinet interiors further provide a place for everything, also helping to eliminate potential counter- top clutter and maximizing workspaces." The details can make all the diference: In this kitch- en, even the outlets were recessed into the upper cabi- nets to avoid visual clutter. Finally, Lee focused on making the kitchen storage as functional as possible, concluding that, "Nearly all of the cabinet interiors included organizational features like utensil dividers, tray dividers, customized compartments and roll-out trays." The end result is a kitchen that highlights cooking- and entertainment-friendly fea- tures, superior storage, and plenty of little extras that re- ally do make the clients feel like they have "the best of the best." ROOM TO WORK At Crystal Kitchen Center, Inc. in Crystal, MN, President Jolynn Johnson cites a work- ing kitchen designed in her showroom as a favorite chef- inspired kitchen. She says, "I have had many chefs cook in this kitchen, and they all love the design." In fact, at the showroom's grand opening, she had three diferent chefs working in the space, and "they all had enough room to work, without being in each other's way." The kitchen fea- tures a U-shaped design, 54" of aisle space and three large food prep areas, all with easy access to all appliances. She notes that each cli- ent will have their own way of cooking, and will likely have strong ideas about where they want their work surfaces and what appliance locations work best for them. In the showroom kitchen, "A 36"- to 48"-wide food prep area with easy access to the knives, waste basket, spices and refrigerator is perfect." The design inspires clients because it makes sense to Photo: JH Prterson • At the Crystal Kitchen Center, president Jolynn Johnson favors open- plan designs that provide cooking space for multiple chefs; she also believes that good lighting, abundant, well-located counter space, easily accessed storage and top-quality appliances are essential to creating chef- friendly kitchens, as seen at right and below. • Designed by Leslie Lee at Normandy Remodeling, this kitchen was all about fnding the 'best of the best' for the experienced home chef. KBD_34-37_GourmetKitchens.indd 35 6/16/14 3:39 PM

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