Kitchen of the Week: A Modern Kitchen With Japanese Style
A chopped-up space becomes a social cook’s dream kitchen
Sachiyo Itabashi is a long way from her former home in Japan. So when she and her husband, Shuhei, bought their house in Los Angeles, they decided to bring in some of their culture. They started in the kitchen, where cooking and the ceremony of food preparation and presentation are important aspects of Japanese life. The result is a new kitchen that’s much more than a food prep space. It’s a modern, stylized extension of their living area.
BEFORE: The old kitchen’s main flaw was the lack of flow and the appliance placement, says homeowner Sachiyo Itabashi, who cooks every day. It had a small island that made the space feel choppy and didn’t provide much utility as a workspace.
BEFORE: The refrigerator was next to the stove, there wasn’t proper ventilation and there was no social space where the cook could interact with guests.
AFTER: To remedy this, Bunch Design Principal Architect Hisako Ichiki connected the island to the back wall of the kitchen, creating a U-shaped workspace that’s easier to navigate. An upgraded range hood provides better ventilation. The refrigerator was moved into what was once a laundry room and is now an open pantry, to give the couple more prep area.
Here’s a look inside the former laundry room, now a pantry with open shelving where Sachiyo can display her large collection of serving bowls and plates.
“It was a good way for everything to be visible but not for it to be too much up front. It can get busy,” Ichiki says.
“It was a good way for everything to be visible but not for it to be too much up front. It can get busy,” Ichiki says.
Moving food items and dish storage out of the main kitchen space allowed them to do without upper cabinets.
“I didn’t want a lot of upper cabinets to obstruct the view of the dining space,” Ichiki says. “We prefer to do pantries … and dedicate this space for storage.”
The only upper cabinet is a custom white oak decorative piece inspired by Japanese design.
“We try to make the cabinetry a piece of furniture. We want it to be a part of the design and an art piece in itself,” says Bo Sandius, Ichiki’s partner at Bunch Design.
The small cabinet with sliding doors holds cooking staples such as tea and sugar.
The rod is for displaying Sachiyo’s collection of Japanese cooking tools, beautiful instruments that are meant to be seen and not just used.
To keep with the natural elements of the design, the drawer pulls are birch.
The custom cabinets are painted a marine blue to give the space some lightness and personality and to contrast with the dark ceiling and concrete floors, Ichiki says.
The marble countertops have almost no overhang, to give passageways more room, Ichiki says.
The Right Edge for Your Countertop
“I didn’t want a lot of upper cabinets to obstruct the view of the dining space,” Ichiki says. “We prefer to do pantries … and dedicate this space for storage.”
The only upper cabinet is a custom white oak decorative piece inspired by Japanese design.
“We try to make the cabinetry a piece of furniture. We want it to be a part of the design and an art piece in itself,” says Bo Sandius, Ichiki’s partner at Bunch Design.
The small cabinet with sliding doors holds cooking staples such as tea and sugar.
The rod is for displaying Sachiyo’s collection of Japanese cooking tools, beautiful instruments that are meant to be seen and not just used.
To keep with the natural elements of the design, the drawer pulls are birch.
The custom cabinets are painted a marine blue to give the space some lightness and personality and to contrast with the dark ceiling and concrete floors, Ichiki says.
The marble countertops have almost no overhang, to give passageways more room, Ichiki says.
The Right Edge for Your Countertop
Sachiyo and husband Shuhei wanted a social space where the cook could interact with guests and family while preparing a meal. They added a peninsula that accommodates barstools and even has a place for the dog.
“The dog is always around us and likes to sit in the middle of everyone, and when I started talking about how the dog acts, Ichiki suggested this,” Sachiyo says.
The island is wrapped in strips of painted MDF.
The island is wrapped in strips of painted MDF.
There was a small area in the dining room adjacent to the kitchen that they weren’t sure how to handle. Sachiyo decided to make it an art area for her kids.
The Itabashis feel the space is near-perfect now. “We weren’t trying to make it like life in Japan,” Sachiyo says, “but a mixture.”
How does your home reflect your past? Tell us about it in the Comments.
Browse more Kitchens of the Week
The Itabashis feel the space is near-perfect now. “We weren’t trying to make it like life in Japan,” Sachiyo says, “but a mixture.”
How does your home reflect your past? Tell us about it in the Comments.
Browse more Kitchens of the Week
Who lives here: Sachiyo and Shuhei Itabashi and their two children
Location: Los Angeles
Size: 525 square feet (49 square meters)
Designer: Hisako Ichiki and Bo Sandius, principals at Bunch Design