Kitchen 1: The Rainbow at the End of the Flood
Natalia Trepchina-Worden’s Tierrasanta kitchen has two faucets: one for drinking water and one with a versatile adjustable head for easier cleaning of dishes, pots and sink. The copper inlay has symbolic meaning for the Worden family
But, like using lemons to make lemonade, Trepchina-Worden used the flood as her trigger to redo her Tierrasanta kitchen.
"The original kitchen was functionally challenged," says the designer. "It had a small U-shaped cooking zone, the layout lacked storage and provided very little counter room, and there was a freestanding table — a table I never liked — that took up unnecessary room."
By replacing that table with a counter-height bar that comfortably seats three, the new kitchen layout gained precious counter room. The designer also exchanged a built-in desk for extended pantry space.
"By continuing the cabinets along the back wall of the kitchen, I not only got additional storage but also a better location for the refrigerator and built-in speed-cook/conventional oven unit."
New strand-woven bamboo flooring provides a lovely background to the cabinetry made of naturally stained walnut and maple. "I like natural wood and love walnut," says Trepchina-Worden, "but it's dark and I wanted to keep the kitchen light so I used two-tone cabinetry. I like to incorporate environmentally friendly materials and used low-VOC paint on the maple in a greenish-gray color as well as formaldehyde-free plywood for the cabinet boxes."
Frosted glass adds dimension to the cabinetry while the brushed-nickel hardware with knobs of river rock provide detail. "I was looking for something that was a jewelry accessory. Although they look uniform, I like that no two knobs are exactly the same."
Custom concrete counters replaced outdated white tile. "I despised the teeny-tiny little white tiles on the original countertop," the designer says. "I was constantly cleaning grout. To keep it light in the kitchen, I went with the lightest, natural concrete in an off-white grayish tone. To give the kitchen more apparent volume, the counter is lighter than the painted cabinetry and the painted cabinetry is lighter than the walnut cabinetry."
Highlighting the kitchen is a back-splash of copper mosaic tiles that visually extends the cabinetry and creates a dramatic backdrop for the stainless-steel Miele hood. All appliances now are stainless steel and energy efficient. "Our old appliances were mismatched. The refrigerator protruded out from the counters, probably almost six inches, and the cooktop had a pancake grill that I never used."
The designer is thrilled with her new Viking fridge, which looks like a built-in and is flush with the cabinetry. The new Dacor cooktop has five burners.
Trepchina-Worden also enjoys the flow of the new kitchen — especially since the sliding glass doors leading out to the patio were moved from the family room to the kitchen. But her lucky charm is the copper inlay she designed on the side of the concrete counter. "The inlay is an abstract symbol of unity and universal harmony with three fish figures representing each member of the family and the flow of life. It's a symbolic token of family unity and a great conversation piece."
Kitchen 2: Center of Attention
Photos by A2 Studios
A dropped ceiling was made level with the family room. A pendant over the bar along with recessed and under-hood/ under-cabinetry lighting replaced a fluorescent light box.
"The kitchen is an essential point of gathering for the house," says designer Esteban Lopez. "We were able to use the kitchen as the nucleus for the house — that was one of the key factors that the clients really wanted."
The home is U-shaped with an open-entry courtyard on the east leading to a series of French doors through which is the centrally located kitchen. On the west, beyond another set of glass doors, is an expansive ipe deck that looks out to the ocean. The kitchen is flanked by the living room on the south, leading to a wing of bedrooms, and the dining room on the north, also leading to a wing of bedrooms.
"The Ekstroms have two young children and do a lot entertaining," says architect Vince Stroop. "They wanted to be able to socialize with guests from any part of the home."
Although the kitchen embraces a modern style with clean, simple lines, the environment is family-friendly and casual. Materials were chosen with the children in mind. The strongest presence in the kitchen is the three-inch-thick charcoal-black custom concrete, poured on site to form the 36-inch-deep farm-style sink, washboard and countertops.
Kitchen 3: Eight's Enough
Photos by Gary Conaughton
The new breakfast nook in this La Jolla kitchen is white Lab Jake’s favorite resting place. Light fixture is hand-blown Italian glass and iron. The Nova suede fabric on the benches is fade and stain resistant, and easily cleans with soap and water.
"During the course of construction," says contractor David Cohen, "half the house was barricaded off. We converted the home office into a temporary kitchen for the homeowners. Even with occasional houseguests popping in and out, they never missed a beat during this significant remodel."
The La Jolla makeover took seven months. Besides the kitchen, the redo included converting storage space above the garage into another bedroom, renovation of two downstairs bedrooms, a dining nook, a garage expansion and a mudroom addition.
The homeowners, who wish to remain anonymous, spent time observing how they lived and what would work for their routines before coming up with a wish list.
"We thought a lot about how we function as a family," says the wife. "We live in our house, we eat dinner together, the doors are always open for guests and the kids' friends, there's homework to do, board games to play — there's always something going on. We wanted a place that we could gravitate to."
The original kitchen was 25 years old, had very little storage, a small pantry and outdated appliances. An L-shaped counter segmented the kitchen. There was no place to put keys, purses — "everything was going on the kitchen counter, so there was always stuff everywhere," says the wife.
The new kitchen combines durability and traditional good looks with a functional floor plan and European style.
"The main premise," says interior designer Lisa Henry, "was to do diligence to the architecture, which has an Italian flavor. Because they are an
active family we designed the kitchen with the concept of stations — a coffee area, cooking area, prepping station, snack station, desk area and a space for entertaining and conversation — and we used materials that would last and not show dirt."
The flooring is a walnut travertine with a chiseled edge — "so that it looks distressed already," says Henry. Granite was chosen for the countertop because it's "easy to clean and maintain," says the wife. "Our life is very chaotic. I can't be worried that if I put a hot pot down I'm going to scorch the counter." Cabinetry is alder "for its reasonable cost," says Henry.
"My husband is a phenomenal cook, so we went with commercial appliances," says the wife. "We entertain so much that it was critical we have two dishwashers, a pot filler and two sink areas.
Now we have two places we can clean up and that makes our life much easier."
The new mudroom also makes life a little easier. "I consider the mudroom an extension of the kitchen for us," says the wife. "It's a transition place between the garage and the house where we have backpack pegs, a bench where we can sit to take our shoes on and off, a shoe rack, a family computer desk and a file drawer for coupons and other things that normally used to get thrown on the countertops. The mudroom gives more space to the kitchen and helps keep the kitchen clutter free."
For ambience, an inviting fireplace heats both the kitchen area and the dining nook where family and friends gather to play backgammon, and chat.
"The kitchen is in the same place it was before," says the wife, "but we reversed it. The sink and cooking used to happen on the west side, so that you only saw the ocean view when you were standing at the sink doing dishes. Now we eat and entertain on the west side."
Another big change that was made was to replace a window with hand-carved double doors that go out into the courtyard.
"Those doors have been the best thing we ever did," says the wife. "They are open all the time. You can hear water flowing from the fountain; you can see the kids on their bikes from there. On the other side we have a Dutch door that's also open.
"With six people in a huge house and no live-in housekeeper, we had to get organized. The new kitchen meets all the things we were looking for."
But a wish list is never finished. The next step, says the wife, is a side door. "We're going to put our outdoor barbecue and eating area off that side of the house."
Photos by A2 Studios
By Eva Ditler | Images by Brady Architectural Photography
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