Curvaceous Custom Island Wows in a Sleek White Kitchen
Corian is heated and bent to create an integrated island-table in this modern space
When you land a good rental in New York City, it can pay to upgrade your apartment. The renter of this 13th-floor apartment in a 1970s building in Brooklyn decided that a kitchen renovation was worth doing. With the help of Carl Solander, a designer who specializes in thermoforming Corian, a new custom island with an integrated table was added to provide form and function to this minimalist space.
The thermoformed Corian table and island are dynamically juxtaposed with flat-panel cabinetry. The range is separated from the dining table by a lip of curved Corian. The island stools and table chairs are Series 7 by Arne Jacobsen. The floor is a porcelain tile with the look of concrete, and it runs from the kitchen across the front entry to the bath. An existing service column is clad in blue-green glass tile, Lucian by Ann Sacks, with a hint of shimmer.
“The high-gloss cabinets and glass tile pick up the light from the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side of the room,” Solander says.
“The high-gloss cabinets and glass tile pick up the light from the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side of the room,” Solander says.
Solander also designed a perforated-metal cover for the radiator, seen on the lower left of the photo. Appliances were inserted into the cabinetry “to keep them integrated and flat,” he says. The refrigerator is part of a closet with large doors, “so it fits with other design elements at a larger scale.” The soffit above the kitchen is another sculptural piece “that brings the geometry of the counters up to the ceiling plane,” Solander says. The recessed lighting can be dimmed or brightened as the mood demands.
Behind the Franke faucet and above the Corian counter is a textured porcelain tile: Mutina’s Bas-Relief by Patricia Urquiola. The Kohler undermount sink has built-in drying racks, cutting boards and washbowls — all of which can be stored neatly within the sink to keep the kitchen well organized. On both sides of the sink are an 18-inch Miele dishwasher and a pullout trash cabinet.
Solander designed a credenza of white oak and white-lacquered medium-density fiberboard to float on the wall in front of the entry. Its form complements the curved counters of the kitchen. “I wanted to design a floating piece of furniture that would work with the bent Corian in the kitchen, but also bring in oak accents used in the bedrooms,” Solander says.
The formerly tired dark kitchen is now a highly functional, shimmering contemporary composition for a woman who loves to cook and entertain.
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional woman
Size: About 150 square feet (13.9 square meters)
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Designer: Carl Solander of Reverse Architecture
The once-dark galley kitchen now is open and bright. The shape of the island bar and table emerged from the designer’s interest in thermoforming Corian. The countertop material can be heated and bent, Solander says. “It’s a very uniform material. So making sculptural forms from it works well.”
A change in ceiling height adds to the composition. The dark brown bamboo flooring contrasts with the light, glossy finishes of the kitchen cabinets and work surfaces. The curved Corian counter and tabletop, blue-gray lacquered cabinets, and glass and porcelain tile give the kitchen a light and airy feel.