Here's The Drill February Newsletter 2011

Located high in the clouds on the 18th floor, in a Mad Men-style building, this kitchen space boasts striking panoramic views and bright natural light. The new design infuses a material lightness and transparency that works well with the qualities of the existing space. Features to be incorporated include 15 feet of ribbon windows, four passage doors, a thru space circulation route, and a new seating banquette.

The toughest design challenge was to provide adequate tall storage, refrigeration and seating while keeping the kitchen open and spacious. To increase storage depth, the refrigerator, tall storage and a wall oven are grouped to blend with big cabinets. This move allowed the other parts of the kitchen to be long, linear, low, and open to the views.

Additional features include concealed beverage drawers, a flush electric cooktop and two glass plane backsplashes that define the working area of the kitchen yet maintain a feeling of transparency. A lone wall cabinet with glass doors hangs over the windows and provides critical storage while still allowing light to permeate into the space.

View some of our other kitchen projects here.

The kitchen is not just a space for cooking meals; it’s the heart of the household where family and friends spend a great deal of time together. Naturally, because of its importance, people want to design and own a kitchen that offers both comfort and attractive design. Often our clients are able to find these qualities in products designed with a modern European style. Incorporating features that range from clean, contemporary lines to warm, terra cotta colors, modern European kitchen designs are becoming wildly popular.

European kitchen manufacturers have moved beyond traditional design and repeatedly set milestones in looks and functional design. The recent “LivingKitchen” international kitchen show in Cologne (January 2011) offered a look at some of the most unique and innovative products in development. For example, Poggenpohl unveiled a new front for its Porsche Design kitchen. The new look uses ultra-light carbon, familiar from motor racing, to style the fronts of its cabinets. The material is laminated and applied to a glass panel, giving emphasis to the carbon’s three-dimensional quality.

Moving beyond appearances of materials, however, Poggenpohl also embraced the concept of the kitchen as the heart of the home with a fascinating introduction of a new design concept called Artesio. This concept melds the architectural details of the room’s walls, floor, and ceiling with the furniture. The “starchitect” Hadi Teherani designed an innovative function arch that creates a collaboration of architecture and kitchen design. The Artesio concept has already received several design awards and international acclaim.

We have seen interest in these designs growing by leaps and bounds right here in Massachusetts. European kitchens are well regarded in the industry for their quality, longevity and aesthetic appeal. The recent trends seen at the “LivingKitchen” show prove that modern design can be warm, with trends toward glass, earth tones and architectural details. Since we believe the kitchen is truly the hub of a house, we admire these design ideas and hope to incorporate more of them in our work.

Check out our current Poggenpohl collection or contact us today to find out more about our exclusive partnership with Poggenpohl.

We have developed an expanded social media presence. Get social with us and follow the latest home building trends, our new projects and little bits of advice for you.

Visit our new website at www.leekimball.com