Integrated Kitchen Design Facilitates
Entertaining
by Janice Anne Costa
NEWPORT BEACH, CA
When your clients are named “the Butlers,” you have to expect that
entertaining might be a priority. So when designer Gary White, CID,
CKD, CBD, of the Newport Beach, CA-based Kitchen & Bath Design,
was asked to redesign his clients’ kitchen to make it more cook-
and entertainment-friendly, he knew just where to start.
“Hip contemporary” was the design aesthetic the clients were
looking for, and White’s selection of materials, colors and shapes
reflected this theme, from the uniquely shaped island to the
contemporary-styled Hallmark cabinets with black channels and
custom crown moldings.
Entertaining large groups of people was a priority for the clients,
but they also requested a design that would allow for informal
entertaining that centered around the kitchen. Since the husband
enjoyed cooking, and liked to be able to chat with guests while
preparing meals, the clients needed a layout that would
facilitate a more open traffic flow in the kitchen.
The original kitchen was separated from the family
room by a breakfast room, creating three separate walled
environments, according to White. “Our design called for the
removal of all these walls separating the spaces, to create one
integrated environment for cooking, eating, living and
partying.”
To separate the kitchen from the family room, White installed what
he jokingly dubbed “the Stealth Island,” so named because of its
odd shape, which he says is “reminiscent of a bomber.”
In addition to adding visual interest, the island acts as
“a combination dining table, home office, serving station,
butler’s pantry, bar and party central,” he notes.
The island contains two doorless cabinets designed to showcase the
clients’ wine collection. In addition, a Marvel refrigerated wine
cabinet keeps wine readily accessible for entertaining.
This area also provides storage space for serving utensils, as well
as two “stay-hot” ovens for guests
to help themselves. This allows the clients to more easily prepare
and serve separate dishes, such as vegetarian and non-vegetarian
fare essential to one who likes to entertain a wide variety of
guests.
The island’s two-level design not only provides aesthetic appeal,
but also conceals the necessary tools to make the island functional
as a home office. However, when the clients want to entertain, the
phone and other office items can be readily concealed under the
upper wing, out of sight of guests, White notes.
White believes that the new, more open layout was key to this
design’s success, providing an easy traffic flow that enhances
entertaining, for groups both large and small. “The walls between
the dining area and family room were removed, and the entry was
reworked so that the kitchen transitions to the family room and
entry at an angle, facilitating passage and inviting guests
inside,” he explains.
To make a dramatic visual statement in the kitchen, the
commercial-style Viking range was placed at “center stage,”
surrounded by Hallmark open-base cabinets with Omega door style in
Wilsonart Fusion Maple. The contemporary-styled cabinets feature
black channels and a custom molding with black stripes, for added
visual appeal, while the black interiors set off the custom
stainless steel roll-outs and the clients’ collection of
gourmet cookware.
In addition, four cabinets were done without doors, and feature
black melamine interiors, White notes.
With the openness of the floor plan, coordination was also
key. Accordingly, the audio/visual wall system was done “in a
simple shaker style in natural maple hardwood, with black pulls
that match the custom pulls on the refrigerator and bar cabinets,”
White notes. Rich granite counters and backsplash provide added
elegance.
The kitchen also features a host of time-saving appliances,
including a Bosch dishwasher, G.E. Microwave and Vent-A-Hood
ventilating unit.
The refrigerator, too, adds to the uniqueness of the design.
White selected a Sub-Zero 532 (this was before the 600 series,
White says) that “was customized to accept full cabinet fronts
without backing and no reveals by exchanging parts with the
then-new stainless steel model and wing cutting the doors,
inserting them from the top, which then allowed for the
installation of custom pulls.”
The Kohler sink and Grohe faucet make for fast and
easy clean up, while ceramic tile floor in the family room
features a wool Berber insert.
Lighting was also paramount to the project, according to
White. He explains, “The kitchen ceiling was coffered into the
unused attic above and bounce-lit with the same custom
made T8 Triphospher fluorescents with dimmable ballasts that are
also on top of all the upper cabinets.”
In addition, he notes, mini recessed MR11 halogen lights, along
with suspended low-voltage tracks and pendants, puck lights, xenon
strip lights and fans, complete the complex lighting
design.
The entire lighting design is controlled with a Lutron “Grafik
Eye” scene controller. As White notes, “The touch of one button
changes the entire environment into one of a number of preset
scenes.”
The Butlers’ new “great room” works perfectly in terms of meeting
both their entertainment and aesthetic requirements, according to
White. Best of all, this allows the Butlers to provide their guests
with the kind of high quality entertainment and service that their
surname might suggest.
project highlights
- Since space for entertaining was high on the clients’ wish
list, designer Gary White, CID, CKD, CBD, took down the walls
separating the kitchen, family room and breakfast room, creating
one integrated “great room” environment which promotes easy traffic
flow, and is well suited for entertaining both large parties and
smaller, informal gatherings. - A unique, two-tiered island in the shape of a bomber not only
provides visual pizazz, but also serves multiple functions, acting
as a combination dining table, home office, serving station,
butler’s pantry, storage area, bar and central gathering
area. - A host of high-end appliances provide time-saving convenience
for cooking, storing and clean up of food and wine. The uniquely
customized Sub-Zero 532 refrigerator also adds a unique element to
the design. - The commercial-style Viking range, placed center stage,
provides a visual focal point, while the surrounding Hallmark
open-base cabinets with Omega door style in Wilsonart Fusion Maple
add to the visual appeal. - Elaborate fluorescent and halogen lighting that combines
suspended low-voltage tracks and pendants, puck lights, xenon strip
lights and fans, can be controlled with the touch of a button,
which can change the environment into one of a number of preset
scenes. - Products include: Hallmark cabinetry with Omega door style
in Wilsonart Fusion Maple; Sub-Zero 532 refrigerator; Vent-A-Hood
ventilating hood; Viking range and warming drawers; Bosch
dishwasher; G.E. Microwave; Marvel wine unit; Kohler sink; Grohe
faucet; ceramic tile flooring, and granite counters and
backsplash.