Kelly's Kitchen Sync

Steve Jobs new house has no tubs

Well, it’s kind of a challenge to actually see without the elevations. There might be one in the master, but hard to tell.

In any case, I’m pouring over the plans to see how the Apple CEO and his architectural firm, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, are thinking of the future. Although I mourn the loss of the 14-bedroom 1925 Jacklin mansion that stood on the property, there is much to commend and fascinate here for those of you in architectural forecasting:

• The home is smaller than the existing home on the property – 5 bedrooms and under 5,000 square feet. (Yes, I know, larger than many of you have, but for this area of California, it’ll be a shocker.)
• No tubs.  (This is not a bash of people who like tubs and use them regularly. Hooray – I’ll design you a bathtub any day. This is a sigh of relief that maybe someone will get the hint that the oversized whirlpools used 3 times in 10 years might finally be on the way out. We live in a drought state.)
• Clever merging of the kids’ bathroom – one central double-sink vanity with two separate wet closets.
• Kids' bedrooms separated from parent – I’m assuming kids might be older?

Is the styling a little cool/contemporary for my taste? Sure, but I don’t think Mr. Jobs is going to lose sleep over what I think. I do think that there's a generation ready to embrace some of these ideas with the same fevor as they do their iPhones and iPads.

Anyway, if you'd like to study/ponder/drool/see the basic plans, they're here at Gizmodo.*

 

(*Yes, I wonder a bit how they got ahold of the plans too, but I'm assuming the firm knows.)

About time: Fisher-Paykel's 24" wide pro-range

 

The Fisher-Paykel 24” gas range

 So I was reading Neue, Fisher-Paykel’s shiny new magazine (yes, manufacturers, we really do read your magazines), and came across the 24” range.

Why am I happy to see it?

Because I think what’s lost in the marketing buzz of “bigger-is-better” advertising is a fairly substantial group: those who either don’t have the room for a big range, or don’t really want or need one.

The two might overlap one another, yet both are important. Any cook in a miniscule boat galley or a person in a 17th century Paris apartment will tell you it’s not the quantity that makes for good food, it’s the skill of the cook, and the quality of the food and materials. Take a gander over at The Smitten Kitchen to see what is created in the tiniest of walk-ups in New York.

We’re making way for the next generations, and to say they’re different than Baby Boomers is like saying night is different from day. There’s a sizeable portion of vegans, vegetarians, and raw foodies in the mix, who also want to be environmentally responsible. Many more have dietary allergies to gluten or dairy products, all of which will require specific layouts that don’t follow all the design guidelines of today. And the biggie – many of them use at least one or more pre-prepared dishes in their menus.

Adding to this mix is the growing number of singles of all ages. Maybe they’ve never been married, or divorced with no kids. Perhaps they're retired, or simply like living by themselves. Their successful careers (or daily activities) eat much of their free time, and they’re not prepared for weekend dinners for 20 or 50. Many might have a few friends over for a gourmet get-together. Can they cook? Oh, yes. Furthermore, they both appreciate and are willing to pay for quality.

Now I’m in no way knocking those who have 3’ to 5’ wide pro ranges. Many of my clients who select these have busy families of 4 to 7 people. They have groups of 15-100 on the weekend. They love to cook and have the space for it. If anything, they’re the lucky ones – their demographic is both noticed and catered to by our industry.

But there’s a quiet and growing market in the coming years for the resizing of the North American homes, and that also includes the appliances. I think Fisher-Paykel is on the right track.

Design Help: The 5-foot Rule

Susan Serra of The Kitchen Designer, tweeted this morning some thoughts which spurred this post today:

“The way a kitchen is designed should address social needs in conjunction with workflow needs, accommodating flexible design solutions.”

 

“Sounds obvious (previous tweet) but too often clients get fixated on appliances/maxing out storage. Designers must focus on ‘big picture.’”

 

“That is one of the MOST valuable reasons 4 using a (good) prof designer..we do not lose sight of ALL the elements which must be factored in!”

She designs some pretty intricate kitchens, but she is also talking about a designer’s experience in seeing the big picture. (These days it's getting to be a mountain of details to go through compared to a couple decades ago. I don't blame anyone for being overwhelmed sometimes!)

A well-designed room should be the sum of its elements. What we as designers are striving for is for someone to walk into your room and say, “What a beautiful (kitchen/bathroom)!”  and then notice the individual elements, “Oh, look at the lights, the counter, the backsplash…” etc., etc. (I also like it if people say how the style matches the home or suits the people living in the home for the triple win!)

So how can you make this work for you if you don’t have a designer?

There is at least some point in time when you’ll micro-focus on one item – how the beading on the door looks next to the cabinet knob, or peering up close to the grout. (Note: I’m not saying you shouldn’t do those things, but when you start spending days contemplating? Let's make your life easier.)

When you’re stuck, assemble your materials (if you can, make sure the materials are set on the plane they will be at least once– ie. your backsplash tile should be placed upright, the counter should be horizontal or flat). Make sure the lighting is close to what your lighting will be (ie. if it's a bathroom in the inner part of the house that doesn't have windows or skylights, don't select your products near daylight - colors will be off.)

Now, stand back, approximately 5 feet. (Hence “the 5-foot rule".)  Now look at the pieces. The ornate detailing on the handle should fade as the color works with the rest of the material tones. The beading you were afraid would be too fussy isn’t at all.

It gives you a better sense of the big picture, because after all,this is the only point in time where you’ll be as concerned with the size and shape of a dishwasher door handle because once it’s in the kitchen, it’ll simply be the handle that opens the door.

I thank my designer mother who is also a fantastic painter (oil-colors) who taught me this rule when I knew as much as a tadpole about design. It’s been a lifesaver over the years.

Who has any tips that helped you?

Any Kitchen Regrets?

For those of you who have already finished a new kitchen, I’m curious to discover your regrets – what you’re sorry you choose, and even perhaps what you’re sorry you didn’t choose.

I read somewhere that one of the biggest common regrets was that there wasn’t enough money spent on cabinets, and a wish that there’d been more time spent on how the materials worked for the family lifestyle. (The regret was that there was a) too much cleaning, b) damaged too easy c) too hard d) too soft or e)some other reason that made the respondent sad that they had chosen said material.

What would you have changed?

What are you so glad you chose?

Also, pros, what do you hear? (Not the confidential material, of course  – I’m talking the years of feedback. We all have some.)

Please share!

Don't underestimate regional preferences

Design doesn’t always hang on where you live; it also hinges on the history. Both will affect your styles, colors, and preferences more than you know. If you grew up in the same area, this will make perfect sense. If you moved from another town, or country, it will drive you slightly crazy.

I’ve been fiddling with a post on what defines California design and realized I didn’t have time to write a book – the state is so large and has so many regional differences, it alone could be divided into another dozen states.So I thought I’d write a post on color and regional design, and then as I delved in, it really grew into this – how our regional pasts infuse our present, even if we’re not aware of it.

So, in order to talk about what makes your corner of the world unique and how it influences color and style choices, I should talk about my little corner of the world. Make sense? Because what seems "normal" here is going to seem pretty wild to other places in the world...

 

Welcome to Northern California

Both the climate and the scenery here are similar to Tuscany – I live close to Napa Valley, so the similarities are even more pronounced – warm all year round, a bit of rain for a couple months in the winter, and then summer again. (Except for this year – yuck.)

This area of Alta California was once a province of Spain and then again a territory of Mexico in the 1700s. Less than 200 years ago, this was an area of rancheros with well-to-do Spanish families, Mexicans, native Americans, and very few American pioneers – the wagon trains hadn’t made their collective rush to this area until the early 1800s. The Gold Rush of 1848 – 1855 brought the big rush of immigrants, including Chinese, Russians, and Italians. (As a side-note to understand what that means today, it’s tough finding good German butchers, or French patisseries, but I can always find home-made raviolis like that. *snaps*)

The colors of the land are wheat-yellow and a mixture of greens that are darker than sage, lighter than avocado-skin, and yellow-green like a half-ripened lemon. Cypress trees grow next to pines, olive trees, palms and eucalyptus.

 

So what does that mean for colors that people select?

Because there’s so much light, there’s a strong preference for rich warm woods, for vanillas and creams instead of bright whites, for golds and terracotta tones, and for cool tiles when the temperatures reach over 100 F (38C).

People moving to this area expecting all modern are surprised. (It’s coming. I’m not talking about the new immigrant base of younger people who are used to traveling the world and bringing back what they’re seeing.) We jokingly refer to as California Eccentric – Japanese with Italian, Mexican with Greek.

From the golds, browns, and terracottas of this:

To the grain/peach tones/stainless of this:

And the warm tones of this:

Even our cool choices have a hint of warmth, more red-based than blue or green:

 

Where are you going with this?

Darned if I know. *scratching head* Oh, wait. There was a point:  All these things - history, climate, and tradition hold more power than you think. If you move into an area that you’re only going to be a short time, don't go wild, especially if you're thinking of short term and then resale. It's hard to fight perceived value and "what's always been done."

I once saw a show where the couple had done a stunning contemporary kitchen in their home – DIY, sleek steel gray cabinets, concrete counters, great lighting. The only problem was this was South Carolina. When the homeowners went to sell, the general viewpoint of potential buyers was, “Ewww....” (Perhaps I paraphrased, but not by much.) It would not sell until they remodeled the kitchen.

If you’re going to stay in the home, then make it yours; otherwise, spend some time getting to know the region.

What's in your neck of the woods that we might find exotic or unusual?

Steampunk Sunday: Stunning steampunk cabinet pendants

Yes, so I ran out of alliteration at the end.

In terms of drawing on our Victorian and Edwardian steam-age past, there was a great deal of attention paid to curves and, with steampunk, there's a great deal of attention paid to cogs and gears and turn-of-the-century machinery. So when I found this cabinet pendant that does both, I couldn't wait to show you.

 Richelieu Hexagon Pendant Pull in Spotted Brass

I should note that pendants aren't up to harsh or extremely frequent use -- the actual pendant is held by a pin at the base. If  you have a houseful of family, I might suggest using a couple of these for a glass cabinet or featured area instead. If there's only one or two adults in the home, I don't see any worries (but as with all manufactured cabinet hardware -- get a couple extra in case the line gets discontinued down the road.)

Richelieu Hexagon Pendant Pull in Silver

I’ve had silver finishes before and they’ve tarnished -- I mean, achieved a patina over time *insert rolling eyes here*  -- however in a steampunk home, I think that’d be the look to strive for.

When I first started this series, I had no idea how popular it would become. Who knew there were so many of you out there looking for steampunk home design?

As I’m starting to see mainstream manufacturers jumping on the steampunk bandwagon, I’ve been toying with the idea of assembling a steampunk design book with a bunch of goodies and references. (Between midnight and six, of course.) I know I have a fairly large overseas steampunk audience so offering references that are locally accessible would be a must.  What do you think?

Call for photos!

Do you have a steampunk kitchen or bath?  If so, I’d love to show them off here. Let me know!

 

On designing and hard surfaces

Some of you have emailed me asking for more insight into my life as a designer, so here goes:

One of the great things about our field is that there’s always something to learn – some new surface or material, some new way of installation, new color trends, new ways of building, new techniques and details. Each trade has their own way of doing work, every region has its own quirks, and each generation of clients is different from the one before.

One of the bad things about our field is that there’s always something to learn – some new surface or material, some new way of installation, new color trends, new ways of building, new techniques and details. Each trade has…well, you get the picture.

Now I suppose we can say that of any industry, but I can also honestly say I’ve never been bored. I'm extremely grateful that I’m not a new designer due to the sheer amount we need to know these days, but it’s still a challenge being an experienced one. No matter how much I educate a client, there's still always one more thing to remember.

 

It’s not what you mention, it’s what you start to forget

One of my clients had an old bathroom with carpet that we replaced with tile. Now, carpet is a throwback, and in this neck of the woods, it’s against code (for sanitary purposes) to install it in bathrooms. (The few of you who’d like to argue can be the demolition crew for the next 30-year-old home with generations of toilet training in its history.)

 

Shower area, not yet finished – blue tape is the marking for the grab bar.

Hard surfaces bounce sound

One of the things about design is also thinking about sound, or rather, how the surfaces of your room affect sound. Carpet and soft furnishings – cushions, sofas, hangings – muffle sound. Hard surfaces do not.

So the new bathroom, while beautiful, is loud and echo-y at the moment. The shower enclosure didn’t have the glass shower doors on when I visited, so the 6’ x 4’ shower alcove with its walls of tile also did a lovely job of bouncing the sound.

Now, by the time we add fluffy towels, some decoration, rugs on the floor, plus install the shower doors, a good deal of this will be muffled.

However, bare feet used to the warmth and softness of carpet aren’t prepared for the coolness of the tile, nor how loud shoes are, or how noisy a hairbrush is that drops on the floor.

Fresh off the camera: So new we haven’t even filled holes or painted yet

Will they get used to it? Sure. They weren’t complaining, merely noting the difference. We’d discussed everything from colors to airflow in the shower and how the larger shower would be “cooler” than the old 3’x3’ shower (more room for the steam to escape). I simply forgot to mention the effect of sound against hard surfaces.

Now, the next client and the client after that may never notice or care. However, after a number of years, if you reiterate all details that previous clients and your own experience tells you, you can literally watch people’s eyes drift shut (at least, until it happens to them.)

It’s why designers (and contractors and architects and trades) wake up in the middle of the night, muttering, “That molding isn’t going to work in the corner…” as they dive for the pen and paper by the bed. And why we hate that we forgot to tell you.

Another designer lamented in her blog this week that her key word was “obsessive.” I’m in the wrong business to want everything to go perfectly, but I still beat myself over the head for the things I miss.

Always a new challenge every single day.

A Reader Asks: Range or Cooktop/Wall Ovens?

We are about to start a house build. I'm finding this one decision to be a little troublesome. Cooktop (or "rangetop" from (your previous) post ;P) and double wall ovens or a range with the oven below? Do you have any thoughts on this? I've Googled, posted and read in my forums and can't come to a conclusion as to what would work best. How does one determine what to choose? Is the difference cost-wise very great also? Love your blog!! 

Thanks, Stephanie (New Orleans)

Hi Stephanie,

Congratulations on your new home build! I hope it’s everything you want it to be.

That’s a very good question -- I strongly suspect the reason you might find this a challenge is because you don’t have any strong preferences. Let’s see if I can help.

There is only one sure reason that might prevent anyone from having a cooktop/rangetop and separate wall ovens – not enough kitchen.Double ovens in a tall cabinet effectively remove 30” – 33” of counter space from your kitchen. It was one of the reasons why cooktops were placed next to the wall oven with no room in between in the 1970s. (And why the side of the wall oven looked a tad crispy.)

Once upon a time, I use to say that if a person was watching their budget and selecting standard appliances (and cabinets), it cost an extra $ 1,000.00 – $ 2,000.00 more for the cooktop/single oven over a standard range. 1/2 of the cost was the extra for "splitting" the appliances; the other 1/2 was the cost of the tall oven cabinet to install the oven in. Double ovens ran a bit more than that.

Another point to keep in mind regarding double ovens: our mothers didn’t have the options of multi-rack convection cooking and baking of the new ovens, nor the multi-functions of the grill/convection/microwave ovens. Being able to bake 3 or 4 trays of cookies at once in one oven is sure a lot faster than I remember from childhood, and might make the difference in the decision between 1 or 2 ovens.

If we’re talking custom, cost is all over the board.  I don’t know what the difference is on the professional appliances and custom cabinets because most higher-end clientele don’t often think of savings in that form.

If that’s not the concern, then perhaps you might tackle it from a couple of other angles:

• How do you cook? Are most of your meals prepared on the cooktop, or do you like to bake, make casseroles, etc. on a regular basis?
• Put another way, Asian cooking uses high-heat cook/rangetops, but almost nothing in an oven. French cooking uses both. American cooking is all over the place.
• Also, some people really use their second oven; others use it as extra (much-needed) storage.

• Do you have any health concerns it might be an issue to bend down and remove something heavy from the oven?
• A regular range is at least a couple inches higher off the ground than a wall oven that’s been installed underneath a cooktop.

• How tall is the main cook who will be using the oven?
• I’m 5’4”. Installing a double oven for me means a couple of options – installing the lower oven so low that it no longer does its job as a “wall” oven (so why am I paying the $$?) while installing the lower oven too high means I'll burn the heck out of my arms getting something out of the top oven. Anyone who’s taller has more options for accessibility.
• As a rule of thumb, the safest ergonomic height for a wall oven is to position the racks you use most at elbow height.

• Safety – are there or will there be little ones running through the kitchen? Where will the open appliance doors end up? Unfortunately, one could argue the pros and cons of both options very successfully. The safety issue depends entirely on lifestyle and room layout.

I discussed cooktop/oven/range ergonomics in this post, where I created two imaginary clients and walked them through the decision process. Perhaps that might help.

Let us know what you decide.

Steampunk Sunday: Bar and counter Stools

I have to admit, finding stools at any time is challenging enough – finding stools for a steampunk home gets a bit more challenging, because what we’re looking for (at least in my mind) is any combination of metal, leather-look, or black. (I’m not affiliated with any of the manufacturers below nor is this meant to a recommendation. Think of it as a jumping off point.)

These are all reproductions except for the last one.

From the Ambella Home Design Collection:

  The Conservatory Swivel

 The Mushroom Swivel

The Davis Swivel

From Howard Miller:

The Saranac Bar Stool 

Of course, if you can find old piano stools, or even older factory office stools, like the one below (look a bit steadier than the antique ice cream parlor chairs) – any of these will work very well.

 (via Urban Remains Chicago)

What have you found out there?

Rangetop or Cooktop?

I’m discovering that the process of writing a book really makes you focus on terminology. Even the most innocent of terms becomes a major check to determine if a term is a regional one or national or even country-centric. (I know it’s not a word; bear with me.)

My latest scenario involves how to label a cooktop, which is also called a rangetop. I started wondering if anyone else noticed, thought there was a difference, or even understood what I was talking about.

For whatever reason, I’d assumed that a cooktop is the typical unit that fits into the top of the counter, like so:

While a rangetop is the bigger unit where the controls take the place of the top drawer front, like so:

Well, you might logically ask, “Why do we need to differentiate the two?” to which I reply, “Who out there has been caught by a misunderstanding on exactly what type of ‘cooktop’ we’re talking about?”

Because I’ll guarantee that as long as rangetops have been around, there’s been at least one installer who’s had to redesign a cabinet on the job by cutting out the top drawer and face because everyone on the jobsite misunderstood what type of cooktop was being installed. (I know paperwork should be there, but I’ve also seen projects where the cabinet people had no idea of what the appliances were because the client hadn’t selected them yet. Always run when someone says, “Oh, just make them standard openings.” There’s no such thing anymore.)

So I asked the Twitterverse out there for their answers and there wasn’t a clear answer. I say why not call them by these terms, and save us all the grief? By using the separate terms, it'll make it clear to all parties involved.

Who's with me?  (Or are you already?)