{ KITCHEN: SOURCES }

1.    Williams Sonoma: Stainless-Steel Mixing Bowls with Lids, Set of 3
       Williams Sonoma: Stainless-Steel Prep Bowls with Lids, Set of 4
2.    Calphalon: Commercial Hard-Anodized 13-pc.Cookware Set, courtesy of Leslie's parents.
3.    Ikea: Grundtal Stainless Steel Shelf Wall
4.    Sand & Feather: Woven Bowl
5.    Crate & Barrel: Wüsthof Classic Ikon 8" Chef's Knife
6.    General Hotel & Restaurant Supply Store: Wüsthof Professional 10" Chef's Knife
7.    Fab: 10-Piece Knife Set Black
8.    Broan: Range Wall-Mounted Hood, available at  Lowes
9.    West Elm: Large Raw Wood Boards
10.  Anthropologie - Milk Bottle Measuring Cups, courtesy of our friends, the very talented Moniomi
11.  West Elm: Serving Bowls
12.  Animali Elephant Bottle Opener – Found this little gem at Su Casa while in Baltimore, but its also available at Nova68
13.  Journal and Books: Archie Grand: Chefs I’ve Met and Liked
        WestElm
14.  Crate & Barrel: Acacia Salt Cellar
15.  Ikea: Kryddig Spice Mill
16.  Ikea: Plates
17.  West Elm: Labeled Kitchen Storage Canister
18.  Ikea: Ekby Mossby Stainless Steel Shelf

        Ikea: Ekby Bjarnum Bracket Aluminum

19.  West Elm: Hanging Spice Rack courtesy of our friends, the Wintersess. We created the labels inspired by this awesome template.

20.  Target: Cake Stand
21.  GE: Café Range
22.  Ikea: Blankett Handle

23.  Etsy: Vintage Beef, Pork, and Lamb Butcher Charts
24.  Vigo: Stainless Steel Pull-Down Spray Kitchen Faucet
25.  Dax International: Undermount Stainless Steel Sink
26.  GE: Café Refrigerator
27.  GE: Monogram Built-In Oven
28.  GE: Profile Custom Panel Dishwasher

Unless otherwise stated, products and stores featured on this blog are not freebies or sponsors. While some are gifts from our friends and family; for the most part, we’ve bought these products and feature them because we love them. However, we are testing them along with you and are not responsible for their quality or durability.

{ KITCHEN: AFTER }

 

 

 

{ KITCHEN: PROGRESS 1 }

{ KITCHEN: DESIGN: FINISHES }

 

Resources:

 

Cabinets: Walnut

Cabinets: High Gloss White
Countertop: Compac Quartz Luna 
Tile: Atlas Concorde Studio White 
Appliances: Stainless Steel - GE Café and Monogram 
Backsplash: Back-Painted Glass 
Wall: Chalkboard Paint

For local resources, please contact us.

{ KITCHEN: DESIGN: LAYOUT }

…we love to cook …well, Manny loves to cook, I love to do some of the prep work, prepare cold dishes and appetizers, plate, and stand around with a glass of wine while he does the cooking... so, we spend a lot of time in the kitchen. aside from needing a major make-over, the kitchen layout was not conducive to that. therefore, the goal was not only to update the kitchen, but to reconfigure the layout to make it work for us. in order to do this, the new design needed to:

·  “feel bigger,” as it is a small kitchen (120 SF);
·  be efficient;
·  provide more counter space and distinct prep areas;
·  provide more storage area;
·  provide functional storage areas;

…and last but, definitely not least, this one is difficult:

·  have the right balance between form and function

…redesigning the kitchen entailed:

·  inverting the location of the refrigerator and range. the previous layout felt small because every wall plane was broken up. this change creates an unobstructed wall, opening up the space; inverting these appliances also creates a better flow or “work triangle;”

·  removing the unnecessary soffit. the result of this was instantaneous; immediately it felt as though the volume had grown;

·  extending the partition wall to create additional counter area. creating a separate prep area, outside the triangle, eliminates  path conflicts and unintentional toe-stepping. as it turns out, there was no actual net gain in counter area [I had to do the math twice]; however, increasing their functionality, creates the illusion that counter area was added;

·  using every inch of space by designing floor-to-ceiling custom cabinets;

·  using open shelving in lieu of upper cabinets to maintain the “openness.” In spite of eliminating upper cabinets, the usable storage area increased by 40%;

·  shifting the location of the sink. in order to maximize storage areas, the dishwasher had to be moved to the exterior wall; in order for it to fit on that wall, the sink had to shift from its location (centered on the window). …and no, it doesn’t bother us that it is off-center. symmetry is overrated;

·  removing the ceiling fan. it had to be done; and

·  installing recessed light fixtures. the lighting placement was perfected by our light-savvy friend, Hector, whose only direction was “It needs to be bright and Manny does not want to see his own shadow as he is chopping away on the counter.” not only did he accomplish this, but he also successfully used lighting to emphasize design elements.

…take a look:

...existing plan:

...proposed plan (roll over the image):

...interior elevations:

 

{ RESIDENCE FOR MR. DEAN CLAUSSEN BY MANFRED M. UNGARO, ARCHITECT. JUNE 13, 1951 }

Shortly after placing the offer on the house—crossing my fingers and positively deciding it would be ours—I set out to find whatever I could in public records… and among electrical permits from the 70s, there they were:  The original drawings of our house.  Well, very bad scans of the original drawings of our house.  Even then, way more than I expected to find; two sheets containing floor, foundation, and roof plans, elevations, and typical wall sections.  Two sheets sufficed to build a house in 1951.

I studied every line—found some discrepancies, minor alterations over the years.  Then I noticed the title block:  Residence for Mr. Dean Claussen by Manfred M. Ungaro, Architect.  Yay!  [Insert warm fuzzy feeling].  This meant that our house was not a model or spec home.  It meant that someone—Mr. Dean Claussen—had decided to build his residence to his liking and had commissioned an architect to do it.  It meant that every wall, beam, and window location had been thought about and debated.  An architect—Manfred M. Ungaro—had designed our house!  And then, it hit me: “Wait, who is Manfred M. Ungaro?” Having never heard of him, I started my research.  Now, (thanks to Google) I know that:

The September, 1946 Bulletin of the Florida Association of Architects lists him as a member; one of 656 registered architects.

“The large apartment buildings… designed by architect Manfred M. Ungaro in 1952, are an excellent expression of Vernacular MiMo.”

 “…other significant architects who frequently designed Post War Modern style apartment buildings in North Beach were… and Manfred M. Ungaro.”

“…and Manfred Ungaro were also quite influential. Together, these architects defined a new direction of mid-century modern design in Miami Beach.  Their buildings, conditioned to the environmental forces of a hot and humid climate as well as to the need to distinguish buildings within a competitive environment, led to a daring and unexpected expression of modern themes.”

..and that, according to the drawings, his office was located at 816 Olympia Building (aka Gusman Center Building), which I could see from my desk at work.   

Since nothing could be found about him personally, I’ve chosen to liken him to one of his contemporaries; someone like Rufus Nims or Alfred Browning Parker.  Just as willful and passionate about architecture.  I have imagined Mr. Claussen and Mr. Ungaro bent over the drawings of our [their] house, endlessly debating lifestyle preferences, where bedrooms should be located, and what the light would look like in the morning.  

I hope that Mr. Claussen was pleased with Mr. Ungaro’s work and that he was truly happy in his [our] house. 

{ THERE ARE DOORS, AND THEN, THERE ARE DOORS }

…the east elevation of the Baptistery in Florence is adorned by grand bronze doors.  twenty-seven years-in-the-making, the doors consist of ten panels sculpted in great detail to brilliantly depict scenes from the Old Testament.  they have withstood the test of time, natural catastrophes, vandalism, and war.  they are a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, which Michelangelo dubbed the “gates of paradise”… 

…six thousand, two-hundred, and fifty-five miles from there, in a non-descript street of the Tacubaya neighborhood in Mexico City there is large wooden door which conceals an architectural masterpiece.  mounted on an off-set pivot, the door opens to reveal a unique arrangement of spaces, colors, and light, designed to evoke an explosion of the senses and simultaneously poetic serenity and reverence…

…and not far from here, there is a door made of a single coral block weighing nine tons.  at 80 inches wide, 92 inches tall, and 21 inches thick, the door’s balance is so perfect, it pivots with the light touch of a finger.  designed and constructed single-handedly by a man in love, the door is a marvel of modern engineering…

…our door is not like those doors.  it’s not biblical, magical, or mysterious.  It’s not even red [not yet].  our door is better than those doors; simply because it’s ours.  it will safeguard our hopes and dreams, hide our fears, hear us laugh and cry, and witness unforgettable moments.  because of this, it is the true protagonist of this blog.  welcome to our [soon to be] red door...