Kitchen of the Week: Warehouse Roots Inspire a Manhattan Loft
Clean and sleek with a hidden pantry, this urban kitchen offers graphic drama with high-contrast industrial-style finishes
Chemically aged steel, hewn oak and a fiberglass backsplash add the look of history to this loft in New York's Tribeca neighborhood. Architect Steve Schappacher and his team used these simple materials to play off the loft's warehouse origins. The owners of the loft — it was originally two lofts, now combined — wanted a space that felt open and clean but still suited all their needs. A hidden pantry, seamless layout and wet bar gave them the look and function they wanted.
A door around the corner opens up into the pantry, which spans the entire 18-foot length of the kitchen. The windows not only let in more light but also allude to windows that a more traditional kitchen might have.
Sconces: custom; pantry shelving: Metro Shelving
Sconces: custom; pantry shelving: Metro Shelving
Having an open, combined living space was important to the family, but they also wanted their new home to respect its origins as a New York warehouse. Steel and hewn oak pay tribute to the original materials, while the vaulted ceiling and open layout maintain the loft ambience. The fiberglass on the kitchen backsplash brings to mind fireproof windows in old lofts, while all of the exterior windows in the loft are original to the structure.
Around the corner a wet bar helps take some of the entertaining load off the kitchen. Most of the same materials were used for cohesiveness — including the slate counters and ash cabinetry — but Schappacher used crackled subway tile from Artistic Tile for the new backsplash. Charcoal-colored grout highlights the cracks in each tile.
A wall treatment Schappacher calls "liquid metal" ties in with the rest of the warehouse-inspired materials — including the custom iron capitals and bases on the columns. Schappacher had a custom metal fabricator use hot-rolled sheets of steel and chemically age them for this unique look.
Although the family wanted more storage, they also wanted their new kitchen to have a clean look, so Schappacher and his team put in a pantry right behind the kitchen. The left and right end panels on the backsplash have pivoting windows that open up into the hidden pantry space, allowing the family to pass items back and forth.
Bar stools: Restoration Hardware; side table: clients' own; oven: Miele; range: Viking