Intersting Alternative : The Non-Kitchen Kitchen

You talk about designing a "room you happen to cook in." How does it differ from traditional kitchens?
It's all about feeling. l like my kitchens to feel more like other rooms in a home— rooms that are comfortable to be in.

How do you achieve this feeling?
We've designed kitchens without upper cabinets; instead, we incorporate open shelves that can be used to display more than dishes- sculpture, perhaps.

What other elements make up the “non-kitchen" kitchen? 
Such a kitchen feels very built-in. In this kitchen, for instance, one wall has a "hearth," which is the hood and windows. Another wall has a built—in Welsh cupboard, but it looks more like freestanding furniture. We always try to make room for seating so that people can literally sit in the kitchen. And most of the appliances are concealed.

How does the non-kitchen approach differ from more traditional approaches?
Rather than selecting a bunch of cabinets and organizing them, we design a room where you want to spend time, then outfit it with the cabinets and caseworks that support both comfort and function.

Sun-Washed Simplisity

Light pours in through tall windows that stretch up from countertop height. Custom cabinetry gives a built-in fridge and freezer a discreet presence, while stainless-steel surfaces downplay other appliances.

The custom Welsh cupboard displays favorite items, enhancing the room's comfortable appeal. An arched pass-through makes it easy to serve those in the adjacent family room/dining area.

        Two active parents and three athletic teenage boys makes for a very hungry and busy-family that wants to make the most of their time together. A big breakfast, cooked by a morn who likes things pared down and put away, is a daily event in this Georgia home. So an accommodating kitchen in a comfort- able, laid-back setting is a must.

         According to architect Peter Block, the room called for Belgian sensibility. "When you look at the things the Belgians do, you notice a clear order," he says. "The kitchen is very clean in its design, but there's a richness to it that comes from the details and quality materials used."

         The shiplap boards, for instance, rise three-quarters up the walls, providing a flexible barrier that blocks any bangs from passing lacrosse sticks. And the rich patina on the boards harkens back to the look of old farmhouse wood suited to the home's English country style. In addition to the shiplap boards, Italian plaster walls contribute soft texture.

         "The pigment in the plaster is actually ground-up limestone dust, and it's color- fast," Block says of the living, breathing surface, which hardens with age. “Old houses were built with plaster. It adds a level of authenticity."

          The kitchen's tall windows bathe the walls in light most of the day, bringing out the plaster's natural coloring. "The effect is luminous? says Beth Webb, the designer on the project. “You walk in and ask yourself why it looks different. It's hard to put your finger on it."

A wood side table with casters, a plank shelf, and hammered nailhead trim provides an extra serving surface where needed.

In keeping with the kitchen's clean lines, cabinet doors and drawers are inset and hush with the face frame. Square knobs are dimpled and easy to grab.

The range is topped with a clean-lined plaster hood that suits the room's neutral but elegant style. 

Stain, glaze, and distressing gives the Welsh cupboard an aged feel, as does dark metal hardware with ring pulls.