Center Court

Blending the physical, spatial, and organizational demands of an active family (three young kids, parents who recently moved the family from New York to the Pacific Northwest, and involved grandparents in the mix) with a sophisticated and minimal design sensibility required careful consideration.

The partnership of Architect Matt Wittman and Landscape Architect Jody Estes created a cohesive house and landscape design that worked as one livable space.

The ground level serves as the primary venue for family life. Its layout, expanding from indoors to out, supportive of the active family’s lifestyle.

The kitchen sits at center court. A deliberate move giving it several roles: clubhouse, coach’s box, and courtside seat.

A search for enduring design, performance, and products led the clients and architects to Henrybuilt for that critical space.

"The clients shared the same values of quality, simplicity, and doing things well that Henrybuilt embodies", says Wittman. "They literally felt the value of the product and design. The materials. The action. Something that lasts and outlasts trends."

The choreography of daily family activity required traffic engineering on a microscale. Movement patterns were well considered.

While the kitchen sits in the middle of the action, the working side is protected from the main field of play.

The island is a critical piece. It had to be right-sized. Generous enough to support meal-making and gathering, while also leaving enough open space for the kids making plays all day long.


PRIMARY OBJECTS: STAND ALONE ISLANDS

Inside the island is a surprising level of technical sophistication and operational excellence. Like a perfect stroke, something only achieved with practice. A system of flexible products that make it feel comfortable and intuitive to use. Where your knife lives in relation to its doubles partner, the cutting board. How the drawers close. Something you don’t have to think about.

"The thoughtfulness of the functional details that arrive at a level of resolution that Henrybuilt has built-in was surprising," said Wittman. "It feels easy and natural and you fully understand that when you make a meal."

In the midst of all the activity there was a desire for calmness. A cloak of quiet achieved with a minimalist design that retained a feeling of the handcrafted without sacrificing the activity surrounding (durability) and the activity on the inside.

Tailored for seamless integration into the architecture, the kitchen quietly folds in, creating unity and harmony between architecture and the objects within the space. A team player.

Ornament was kept to a minimum without sacrificing impeccable use. The lifetime guarantee of the Henrybuilt product and workmanship set the clients’ minds at ease.


HENRYBUILT'S APPROACH TO QUALITY

Made with purpose. Marked by quality. Designed with timeless style. Game. Set. Match.