Contemporary Condo

Project Photos

“Before” Photos

Story

I first met the owners of this impeccable penthouse condo at a workshop I was teaching about how to create kitchens that promote healthful living. We chatted a bit together and decided it’d be worth a meeting to discuss changes to their beautiful home. 

He is an avid cook, and a food and wine critic for major publications, and she is a commercial interior designer. So, no pressure AT ALL! 

Although the home was beautiful, it still had some of the spoil spots of mass housing construction, ie: poorly constructed kitchen, not well thought out lighting, and a few other aggravations that were enough to spur a change. The homeowner’s intention was twofold: 1) create cohesion in the mostly open floorplan and 2) have a beautiful, quality, well-designed kitchen that could withstand the fervor of cooking and entertaining. 

We got to work. We realized we wouldn’t need to deconstruct the whole kitchen; instead we refaced what was savable, built additional where needed, and removed the silly big-box-store style island in favor of a large, custom island complete with some serious chef-organization. The crowning jewel was the spectacular marble (yes, marble…I said I’d never do it again!) that covered countertops, backsplash, and waterfalled the island. A beautiful and functional hood ventilation, a new lighting plan, loads of details later, and the kitchen was complete!

We then went to the work of bringing cohesion to the entire space. The main tool was paint. (and a little bit of kitchen marble on the fireplace). We landed on a single steely blue to wrap the living room, kitchen, eating nook and sitting areas. The color blended so well with the window frames that it allowed the viewer to focus on the stunning views of the city and forested hills beyond. Sometimes a small thing, applied correctly, transforms everything. 

Wellness and Sustainability elements: 

• Dimmable LED lighting  (dimmable lighting is important for our Circadian rhythms, and helps reduce sensory issues with glare)
• Low VOC paint
• Touchless kitchen faucet 
• Consistent paint color to create less sensory distraction 

Some of my favorite features: 

• Deep into construction, my well-balanced clients shared their mental well-being plan: only one of them at a time could lose it! (Living in a construction zone is HARD…no matter how well you plan and execute!) 
• LOVE the paint color that pulled it all together! (Benjamin Moore Stillwater 1650)
• The quality of the cabinetry, and how the frameless cabinetry allowed the doors to be tight to one another. 
• I do have to admit that the marble is stunning. (I still don’t want to do it again!)
• At the end of it all, sitting at the island with my lovely clients, enjoying a private wine lesson, and basking in the beauty and satisfaction of a job well done.