Supporting Actor: A Careful Kitchen Renovation in a Landmark Walter Thomas Brooks Home

The kitchen sits at center stage. It needed to better reflect the architecture, both in form and touch, and catch-up with the storage and functional needs of current day-to-day living. The clients turned to Henrybuilt as the unifier of the architecture and their real lives.

Understanding the Big Idea - and how the kitchen integrates with and highlights that idea - was vital. This project is about subtle movement and low lines emphasized by the ceiling structure and paneling.

The Henrybuilt system was designed to reinforce the feeling of long, low lines. From the layout of the horizonal drawer storage that minimizes linear interruption, to the addition of a horizontal plane on the top of the back-of-island door storage that elongates and ties-in the island.

“We wanted minimal intervention with the existing architecture but also didn’t want the renovated space to feel like a wilting flower,” says the client. “Henrybuilt's system provided an amazing balancing act between statement-making and disciplined restraint.”

Materiality mattered. The previous culinary space was a glossy European lacquer kitchen system from the 1990’s. The new design incorporated black stained walnut to help the kitchen slide-in and feel quiet, while providing the material heft to hold its own.

The black tone and natural material accentuates the abundance of the old-growth redwood in the space. Honed black granite countertops - along with brass and leather pulls - bring in texture and contrast.

It wasn’t just the architecture that drove the design. ”While I wanted the kitchen to feel like it had always belonged to the house, making it more livable was essential,” explained the client. “I was dealing with one undercounter dorm-sized refrigerator and a small footprint. We needed to maximize our limited workspace.”

Deep drawers offer an abundance of storage for large and heavy pieces. The adjustable rail system creates even more capacity and holds items - pot lids, trays, or a row of cooking oils - in place.

“The biggest surprise was the increase in storage despite no increase in footprint,” says the client. “It sounds contradictory, but it is both less crowded and holds much more than it used to. It’s like a magic trick.”

The Vertical Bar Block creates a visual pause between the appliances in the island. It’s also a sliver of functionality - a perfect place for oven tools.

Henrybuilt’s interior drawer organization system maximizes space, flexibility and ease. A virtual ‘no-look’ drawer makes it easy to retrieve and put away tools so the client can focus on socializing, not searching.

The design was sensitive to the kitchen being at the epicenter of the home. Much attention was paid to the detailing of the island that served as a transition between cooking and living. Furniture-like details – such as soft leather pulls – were used on the relaxing and entertaining side of the piece.

Select pieces from Henrybuilt’s stand-alone line of furniture – Primary Objects - were also incorporated to create connection without monotony.