Kitchen Design
Kitchen Recipes: 3 Real Cooks’ Kitchens
These families share the ingredients that went into their beloved kitchens and what they like to whip up in them
Plenty of kitchens are pretty and functional, but it takes a pinch of something extra to make one a home cook’s personalized paradise. In July, we asked readers to share the reasons why they love their kitchens, and they delivered a fridgeful of stories and photos of their sacred cooking spaces. Now we’re taking a closer look at three of those kitchens and the components that their owners mixed together just right.
Construction story. The home was built by Log Homes Canada in British Columbia, and then deconstructed and shipped to the Mays. Two representatives from the company arrived in Bavaria in 2013 and reconstructed the cabin in only four days. The Mays moved in during October that same year.
Style. “My goal was a casual cottage look,” Sheryl says. “But as always, the end result was more traditional and matchy. Oh well! I still love it.”
Inspiration. Sheryl owned a home remodeling business in Indiana for 20 years and knew exactly what she wanted for her kitchen. The tricky part would be finding those things in Germany, where home interiors tend to be sleek and modern. “Lots of white and chrome. That would definitely not do in a rustic log home,” she says.
Instead, the Mays had the cabinets, chairs, tables and bench custom-made. The Falcon range came from England. The island and chandelier were mail-ordered from Mirabeau in Tuscany, Italy. After scouring photos on Houzz, Sheryl decided that the cabinets needed some color to keep them from blending in to the log walls. They went with a warm sage green that Sheryl mixed herself.
“I also knew I wanted the kitchen to reflect my personality and not to have a masculine lodge look,” she says. “Togetherness is very important to us, so we designed our kitchen and living area so we could be together and carry on a conversation even if only one of us was cooking.”
Inspiration. Sheryl owned a home remodeling business in Indiana for 20 years and knew exactly what she wanted for her kitchen. The tricky part would be finding those things in Germany, where home interiors tend to be sleek and modern. “Lots of white and chrome. That would definitely not do in a rustic log home,” she says.
Instead, the Mays had the cabinets, chairs, tables and bench custom-made. The Falcon range came from England. The island and chandelier were mail-ordered from Mirabeau in Tuscany, Italy. After scouring photos on Houzz, Sheryl decided that the cabinets needed some color to keep them from blending in to the log walls. They went with a warm sage green that Sheryl mixed herself.
“I also knew I wanted the kitchen to reflect my personality and not to have a masculine lodge look,” she says. “Togetherness is very important to us, so we designed our kitchen and living area so we could be together and carry on a conversation even if only one of us was cooking.”
Cabinets. The Mays’ German cabinetmaker referred to the cabinet door style Sheryl had sketched out as Landhaus, or a sort of country farmhouse style. Hesitant to mask the natural wood grain with paint, the couple opted for a green stain, though because they were still learning the language at the time, the cabinetmaker thought they had requested paint.
After Sheryl saw the painted sample door her cabinetmaker had created and realized their misunderstanding, she asked for some wood scraps and made her own stain using a small amount of green paint mixed with a good amount of colorless water-based polyurethane. Both the couple and the cabinetmaker were thrilled with the result.
After Sheryl saw the painted sample door her cabinetmaker had created and realized their misunderstanding, she asked for some wood scraps and made her own stain using a small amount of green paint mixed with a good amount of colorless water-based polyurethane. Both the couple and the cabinetmaker were thrilled with the result.
Wall color. None
Countertops. Matte black granite
Flooring. Oiled rustic oak planks
Countertops. Matte black granite
Flooring. Oiled rustic oak planks
Favorite feature. The coffee bar with an extra sink. “When I designed it, we joked that we were too lazy to walk, but I was only thinking of filling it with water,” Sheryl says. “Now I’m glad I don’t have to walk the length of the kitchen to empty the messy drip tray. It’s also very convenient for a refill from the breakfast table.”
Pros who helped. Cabinetmaker Heinz Faust of Grosswallstadt, Germany, and Holger Wenzel, his in-house kitchen designer. “Heinz is so proud of how my kitchen turned out that he still stops by from time to time to visit it and has a cup of coffee while he sits and smiles at his work,” Sheryl says.
On the menu. Ron grills year-round in the couple’s outdoor kitchen, leaving this one largely dedicated to Sheryl’s baking. “That’s why the double oven was a must,” she says. “We cook American food and lots of our own creations.”
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2. Nifty Custom Kitchen in Central Iowa
Who cooks here. Architect Mark Clipsham, wife Joan and daughter Maia when she’s in town
Who cooks here. Architect Mark Clipsham, wife Joan and daughter Maia when she’s in town
Size. Kitchen is 177 square feet (16 square meters); about 13½ by 13 feet. Additional space for the pantry, shown here, extends into the front hall.
Construction story. The space was totally remodeled in 2007 and 2008. Clipsham saved the old cabinets and countertops and used them to build an outdoor kitchen for summer or during holidays.
Construction story. The space was totally remodeled in 2007 and 2008. Clipsham saved the old cabinets and countertops and used them to build an outdoor kitchen for summer or during holidays.
Style. Clipsham sees the space as a mashup of sorts. When asked to describe its style, Clipsham couldn’t quite decide: “Modern Craftsman?” he posited.
Inspiration. A cross between a sailboat interior and a laboratory, Clipsham says. “A place for everything and everything in its place,” he says.
Cabinets. A mix of African mahogany slab (half overlay) and glass-front doors. The natural wood grain, Clipsham says, is so full of character that if he looks hard enough, he can make out shapes and faces, including a zebra next to the doorway, an alien and a dragon.
Wall color: A creamy green for the walls and a creamy yellow for the ceiling, both custom-mixed by Clipsham. The backsplash is mostly natural bamboo with some cork accents.
Countertops: Zodiaq Quartz in Cinnamon Spice by DuPont
Flooring: Natural bamboo bordered by carbonized bamboo
Inspiration. A cross between a sailboat interior and a laboratory, Clipsham says. “A place for everything and everything in its place,” he says.
Cabinets. A mix of African mahogany slab (half overlay) and glass-front doors. The natural wood grain, Clipsham says, is so full of character that if he looks hard enough, he can make out shapes and faces, including a zebra next to the doorway, an alien and a dragon.
Wall color: A creamy green for the walls and a creamy yellow for the ceiling, both custom-mixed by Clipsham. The backsplash is mostly natural bamboo with some cork accents.
Countertops: Zodiaq Quartz in Cinnamon Spice by DuPont
Flooring: Natural bamboo bordered by carbonized bamboo
Favorite feature. Clipsham has a few. In addition to the warm feeling of so much wood, he loves the lighted cookbook stand over the prep area, shown here; the music station (“Can’t cook without good music,” he says); the little window they keep stocked with mementos from close friends in Chile; and the semipermeable nature of the glass-front cabinets. “It says, ‘Yes, I want to talk to you while I’m cooking but don’t necessarily want you in here with me,’” Clipsham says.
Another unique and practical detail is the recycled commercial dry-cleaning window, shown here, that they converted into a chute for getting recyclable trash directly into the bin in the garage.
Pros who helped. Clipsham worked with Tom Richards on cabinetry and the late Steve Wailes on several other projects.
On the menu. A lot of Asian-influenced dishes, including spicy green beans, dumplings, tofu skins and basmati rice with vegetables, plus Clipsham’s own take on gazpacho
Pros who helped. Clipsham worked with Tom Richards on cabinetry and the late Steve Wailes on several other projects.
On the menu. A lot of Asian-influenced dishes, including spicy green beans, dumplings, tofu skins and basmati rice with vegetables, plus Clipsham’s own take on gazpacho
3. Shaker With a Splash of Color in Atlanta
Who cooks here. Mary and Doug Miller, with their Australian cattle dog, Lilly, and occasionally their 25-year-old daughter, Maggie, there keeping them company
Size. 270 square feet (25 square meters); 10 by 27 feet
Construction story. Work on the Millers’ kitchen remodel was underway from January through March 2018.
Who cooks here. Mary and Doug Miller, with their Australian cattle dog, Lilly, and occasionally their 25-year-old daughter, Maggie, there keeping them company
Size. 270 square feet (25 square meters); 10 by 27 feet
Construction story. Work on the Millers’ kitchen remodel was underway from January through March 2018.
Style. A blend of Mary’s traditional, eclectic, farmhouse taste and Doug’s more contemporary aesthetic
Inspiration. The self-proclaimed and then-recent empty nesters bought their house in 2014 when they relocated to Atlanta from Buffalo, New York, for Doug’s job. They wanted to downsize, Mary says.
“We loved everything about this house except for the kitchen, which wasn’t very functional or aesthetically pleasing,” she says. “The cabinets were cheap builder-grade with minimal storage and counter space, the backsplash was an ugly green tile, the walls were painted a metallic orange, there was an unusable pantry, and the kitchen had a built-in desk that was never used. The kitchen is open to the dining and living areas, so the kitchen aesthetic had to blend with those rooms.”
Cabinets: Custom Shaker cabinets with a bead edge in Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace
Inspiration. The self-proclaimed and then-recent empty nesters bought their house in 2014 when they relocated to Atlanta from Buffalo, New York, for Doug’s job. They wanted to downsize, Mary says.
“We loved everything about this house except for the kitchen, which wasn’t very functional or aesthetically pleasing,” she says. “The cabinets were cheap builder-grade with minimal storage and counter space, the backsplash was an ugly green tile, the walls were painted a metallic orange, there was an unusable pantry, and the kitchen had a built-in desk that was never used. The kitchen is open to the dining and living areas, so the kitchen aesthetic had to blend with those rooms.”
Cabinets: Custom Shaker cabinets with a bead edge in Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace
Wall color. In addition to bold Sherwin-Williams’ Torchlight in the reading nook, the walls are decked in Britannia Dark limestone subway tile.
Countertops. Caesarstone quartz in Raven
Flooring. The existing oak floors got an upgrade with a clear satin water-based stain.
Countertops. Caesarstone quartz in Raven
Flooring. The existing oak floors got an upgrade with a clear satin water-based stain.
Favorite feature. The Millers love the Arts and Crafts-style dragonfly pendant lights, a nod to their time in Buffalo. The tongue-and-groove ceiling and the reading nook are other highlights.
Pros who helped. General contractor Innovative Construction and architect Cynthia Karegeannes helped the family envision their new space and bring it to life.
On the menu. Mary likes to cook risottos, stews and pastas. Doug loves to grill, so he gets his prep work done in the kitchen.
Tell us: What are your favorite kitchen details? Share your stories in the Comments.
More
See more readers’ kitchens
Working the Room: What’s Popular in Kitchens Now
Photo Flip: Behold These Bold Kitchen Backsplashes
Find what you need for your kitchen
Tell us: What are your favorite kitchen details? Share your stories in the Comments.
More
See more readers’ kitchens
Working the Room: What’s Popular in Kitchens Now
Photo Flip: Behold These Bold Kitchen Backsplashes
Find what you need for your kitchen
Who cooks here. Indiana transplants Sheryl and Ron May, accompanied by their German shepherd mix, Missy
“My husband and I are empty nesters and both enjoy cooking both here and in our outdoor kitchen,” Sheryl says.
Size. 169 square feet (16 square meters); 13 by 13 feet