It was a push-me-pull-you exercise in balancing modernization and architectural heritage. The subject: a house designed in 1951 by and for Architect William Landsberg who worked for Marcel Breuer and later established his own Bauhaus-inspired practice.

The architect’s challenge was to take this beautiful piece of mid-century modern architecture and to respectfully, but creatively, integrate the design elements of a contemporary Japanese-American lifestyle. The centerpiece of the renovation was the reconfiguration of the kitchen in the middle of the house. Henrybuilt collaborated with SMA and the clients to create a contemporary kitchen in the spirit of Landsberg’s original design, while updating it for modern-day performance and the clients Japanese-style cooking and serving.

“It was clear, that while we loved its aesthetic, the existing kitchen needed modernizing. It was also clear to us that Henrybuilt recognized the importance of preservation and could create something extremely usable while retaining the soul of the place.”

The flexibility of Henrybuilt’s system kept the spirit of Landsberg’s designs alive - from the mango-colored laminate to the custom wood pull Henrybuilt crafted based on a Landsberg-designed original. At the same time, it met the client’s modern day needs. Most notably their desire to have everything in reach – when and where they needed it – within a space configured as a cook’s stage. A place where the cook is always facing their ‘audience’ to maximize social interaction and the views. It’s a rare combination of aesthetics, refined function, and craft quality that brings a new level of pleasure to their daily life.