True as Steel
Stainless Elements Contrast with Traditional
New state-of-the-art stainless steel appliances from SubZero and Wolf became the springboard for introducing contemporary elements to an existing traditional West Newton kitchen. When my client’s refrigerator and dishwasher needed replacing, she seized the opportunity to make some transformative changes to her kitchen – adding a 48″ SubZero Pro refrigerator freezer with a glass insert in the door, a Wolf range, steam oven and warming drawer – all with stainless steel fronts to add some fresh, contemporary elements.
My task was to design cabinetry that would house the new appliances and introduce some contemporary lines and materials, but not look out of place with the existing traditional cabinets and fixtures.
My client was inspired by metal cabinets often used by Chicago-area kitchen designer Mick de Giulio. That led to my design for a stainless steel and glass tall cabinet to house pots, pans, mixing bowls and cooking utensils. A drawer at the bottom of the cabinet holds covers and other accessories. Above the new SubZero 48″ Pro we added two glass-fronted, stainless steel awning cabinets. New stainless steel cabinetry was fabricated by Brooks Custom in Mount Kisco, New York. Custom stained cherry cabinetry and moldings encase the new stainless steel pieces – blending the new appliance module with the existing stained cherry island and an existing dark wood antique hutch. The cherry cabinetry was built and installed by cabinet makers Chris Small and Howard Hobson.
Custom Details & Communication and Coordination
Inside the stainless cabinet is where the details really matter. The challenge was to pack in enough space to store existing pots and pans of various sizes but still make them easily accessible to the cook. Two staggered rods with double-sided hooks mean pans can be hung sideways to efficiently use the space. I made a model of how I wanted the hooks to be fabricated using some household items – shower curtain rings and a hose clamp – so I could test whether the shape would work and also to more easily communicate the design I was after to Brass Works in Medford, MA.
Brass Works was able to take my rough model and fabricate the rods and hooks perfectly to fit inside the stainless steel liner by Brooks Custom. This liner slid into the wood cabinetry built by Chris and Howard who also worked with the electrician to insure that the LED light strip around the tall cabinet doors was hidden from view but beautifully illuminated the inside of the tall glass-front cabinet. This project took a great deal of communication and coordination but it all came together smoothly at final install. Whew!
See images below:
