Stein Residence – Kitchen Detail

Posted on: April 23rd, 2009 | 15 Comments
  • Grace

    I’m glad you showed the very last photo, John, because until then I could not imagine why anyone would want a clear shot down the just used kitchen counter while eating in a more or less formal space. I see now that the long view of the back windows is the beautiful reason why. (and it completes the design of that view’s counterpart down the central hall directly to the side window of the dining room). I would raise that bank of drawers somewhat to keep the sink and counter out of sight while still maintaining the view.

    BTW I enjoy seeing your finished work. And I also want to say that, in addition to your astute knowledge of architecture, you are impressive as a teacher!

  • Brad Waters

    I like the way the oven tower/display unit is echoed by the upper cabinet to the east of the sink. The use of colour to help guide your view I think is well done here.

    John – Did the client add a sliding/french door to the east wall directly behind the peninsula? – good idea giving better access directly to the kitchen.

  • John Brown

    Grace,
    A very good suggestion about raising the end cabinet slightly to cut out the view of the dirty dishes.

  • John Brown

    Brad,
    You are correct, although I didn’t show it on the concept plan, we did add new patio doors out onto a new deck in the rear yard to increase the connection between the kitchen and the garden.

  • John Brown

    Brad’s comment brings up an interesting point regarding yesterday’s discussion about the back entry.

    This project was finished several years ago and I have to admit I had forgotten that we had put that door into the back yard when I was preparing the drawings for this exercise.

    What does everyone think of this configuration of two rear doors? My hope was that the back entry would be about “coming in” to the house from the garage while the double doors are about “going out” to the garden. The drawback is that they are side by side and the back hall remains.

    Thoughts?

  • Louis Pereira

    John – Very well done!…

    I love the notion of having the 2 separate entry and exit points at the back – the smaller more utilitarian door for the back entry and the more expansive glass doors beckoning you to garden.

    I never saw an issue or concern as you’ve planned for the storage off the back entry. I only wish i had that much room in mine. The circulation patterns are so very well defined and also helps to unify the somewhat disparate layout of the main floor. i felt this was critical to the success of the plan.

    The client must be so pleased!

    Question: I noticed at least a couple of bulkheads running N+S – one approx. in the middle and the other separating the Dining Room and Kitchen. I presume this is Structural. If so, i’m curious where the bulkhead closest to the Dining terminates. If the bulkheads are not at all structural, then was it simply to define the space?…

  • Louis Pereira

    John – I think i may have answered my own question about the structure after visiting the Stein project page…(attached)

    [img]090423_a.jpg[/img]

  • Paul C

    Louis,
    That picture actually answers the questions I had yesterday regarding the re-structuring that may have resulted from removing the hallway wall.

    Thanks for posting.

  • John Brown

    Louis,
    “Interesting” flooring choice on the stairs is very diplomatic.

    That dark parquet wood floor is original 1970′s and was throughout the entire main floor and up the stairs. It made all of the rooms really dark. We changed out most of it but the stairs remain unchanged until the next phase – the second floor reno.

  • Louis Pereira

    Paul – I attempted to understand how that worked out structurally with an RCP…(attached) Perhaps John can corroborate…

    [img]090423_b.jpg[/img]

  • John Brown

    Louis,
    I believe that is about right.As I said, it has been awhile since we finished the project.

    For everyone else, what Louis is referring to is a Reflected Ceiling Plan (RCP) which is basically a floor plan of the ceiling. It is called a reflected plan because you draw it as if you were looking down at a mirror on the floor. (You are drawing the reflection of the ceiling).

    The drawing is used to indicated any changes in the ceiling heights due to structural beams (as in this case) or for spatial differentiation. A reflected ceiling plan isn’t used very often in concept designs. If is more of a detaled design or working drawing kind of document.

  • Brad Waters

    John – Did structural constraints limit this design?

    It appears that the removal of the corridor wall was a compromised change.

  • John Brown

    Brad,
    I don’t know that the structural issues limited the design but they were certainly a consideration. If you look at the amount of glass on the end walls of the kitchen and dining areas, the pantry wall was structurally significant. In the end, however, we kept those elements because of the back entry more than the structure.

  • James Scott

    I appreciate the way the entire space was opened while still appealing to the owners’ requirements and comfort. Removing a wall between my own dining space and kitchen recently I feel more confident that it was the right decision. Thanks for letting us see how this came together.

    Now seeing the final project and the enlivening colour scheme used to bring everything together I’m willing to take my book and my nap elsewhere. LOL

  • Terri

    I’m commenting rather late on this design. Could tall plants create a division between the back door and the patio doors? I think the new kitchen layout is good; the only problem I can imagine is having to walk all the way across the kitchen for those items that need to be grabbed from the refrigerator because they weren’t put out before everyone sat down to eat. Of course, to put the fridge closer to the dining area (say where oven is now) would necessitate a larger structure be built around it (larger than the oven tower unit that is there now), which would probably be unworkable.