Gonzales Residence – Kitchen Millwork Detail

December 31st, 2009 | 9 Comments

During the holidays Slow Home will be re-running archived content, we will return in 2010 with new episodes.

Louis Pereira

John – I noticed the eating counter from the Adams Fleming House by Levitt Goodman Architects. It is a similar thought i had for your layout of Gonzales’ kitchen posted yesterday.

I also wanted to post these precedent images to illustrate the intent of the Kitchen design from one of the option i posted this week. Your comment was that, ‘the peninsula..seems to make the space right in front of the door to the terrace feel a little left over’, but i think these precedents demonstrate how that ‘left over’ space can work using these techniques

[img]090416A.jpg[/img]
Paul C

Hi John,
Attached is an alternate or refinement to the master bedroom. I liked the floating bed concept as it gets the bed off the window. This approach does tend to consume more floor space however. I also like the idea of a dressing area.

I’m proposing eliminating the doors from the closet and adding surface mounted sliding doors to the back side of the bed wall. Millwork could also be on this bed wall. Maybe the bed wall does not go to the ceiling either such that the ceiling plane continues past. The detailing of the sliding doors in relation to the millwork would be an interesting opportunity. Then by relocating the master bath door down the wall, the closet/dressing area becomes a larger defined space. The repositioned bath door improves the space in front of the vanity/shower door area and “softens” the bathroom’s internal hallway that exists between the wc and vanity. The wall directly opposite the master bath door (back of front hall closet) would be a detail opportunity as well.

[img]altbedroom.jpg[/img]
Louis Pereira

I like that idea Paul and think it would work well. I proposed something similar for a design renovation project here in Edmonton…

[img]090416B.JPG[/img]
John Brown

Louis,
Thanks for the images clarifying the peninsula idea by the door. My apprehension may have been misplaced.
John Brown

Paul,
That bedroom is so long I think it can accommodate the larger dressing area you are suggesting. I also think that your addition of sliding doors is a good idea.

Although I really like the formality of entering the master bath in line with the blank wall (a great opportunity for a piece of art) I worry about the functionality of having the door so close to the side of the bed. If you were fortunate enough to sleep in but your partner had to get up, I think the bathroom light shining in your eyes would be annoying.
Uno

I wanted to bring this detail to everyone’s attention. I like the idea of sitting on a stool in front of the window. It also looks to me like the counter actually goes through the wall. John, is that possible?

[img]AdamsFleming1small.jpg[/img]
John Brown

Uno,
Good idea for details.

This is similar to the Evergreen Gardens kitchen by Drew Mandell isn’t it. In terms of the extension to the outside, the counter and side wall certainly do seem to extend into the garden, although I doubt very much that this is actually the case. It would be too difficult to detail the wall that way.

However, having an element “appear” to pass through a wall like this is a common architectural detail. It is used to accentuate the importance of the element and to reinforce the idea that the interior and exterior spaces are connected together.
Rhonda

I noticed that the cabinets at the back of this kitchen are designed in the same way as the front piece that John talked about in his video. I wonder what is behind it – a mudroom or pantry perhaps?

[img]AdamsFleming2small.jpg[/img]
John Brown

Well Done Rhonda. I had not noticed that.

As you have pointed out with your circle, the reading of the cabinetry as a piece of furniture is reinforced because the cabinetry does not go all the way to the ceiling in this taller section of the room. It looks like it has been slid under the dropped ceiling on the right.

Given the door on that back wall I would bet that there is a mudroom behind the cabinetry.