In 1910 Andrew Carnegie built a library in Mill Valley, California, one of 2,500 libraries he would build throughout his lifetime. Fifty years later it was converted into a private home, and since then has been remodeled dozens of times. But the latest reinvention may have gotten it just right: one of the rooms is now this stunning modern kitchen! How gorgeous is the slate grey paired with all that wood and brick? See more photos below:
Designed by Bay Area designer Matt Bear in collaboration with The Last Inch, the team worked to create a "big and bold interior that would encourage creativity." How do you get the look? Try a 16-foot island with Richlite countertops, black walnut cabinets, a hot-rolled steel refrigerator door, and a modular cooktop by Gaggenau Vario.
The contractor also worked with the existing roof to build a large skylight in the shape of the island below, with large black linen pendant lights that draw attention to the high ceilings.
Beautiful! But is the layout practical for cooking? Give us your thoughts below.
Read More: Kitchen of the Week: A Onetime Carnegie Library Gets Cooking | Houzza
Related: All About: Paper Composite Countertops
(Images: Matt Bear for Union Studio via Houzz)
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Beautiful, but the layout is atrocious though. Stove on the wall side of the island, sink facing cabinets, fridge on end of freestanding cabinets. Heck, even the wall ovens are NOT in a good spot, they sit just behind the fridge, facing the sink!
No triangle layout was considered here, though I do like how they treated the refrigerator doors.
And does the stove have down venting? If not, those linen shades, while they look great will look icky with grease and stuff in no time, if the kitchen as actually used for, you know, cooking.
Now, I can take this design and use the styling of it as a springboard, and rethink the layout/lighting to better serve for it's real purpose, for actual cooking.
I agree on the look...it's great, especially the skylight. However, the layout...does this design team know anything about actual food prep? I'm a food pro, and I can't even picture this layout with a catering team.
Hate to pile on, but I have to agree with the previous two posts. No one who has actually worked in a kitchen would design one this badly. "Oh, I need another 1/2 cup of water to thin the soup. Just wait while a do a lap around the island to get to the sink." And the trend of hard benches without backs as a place to eat anything besides a quick picnic has got to go!
To answer one of your questions, the link at the bottom says the stove is indeed downdraft.
Lovely kitchen, but agreed....poorly planned eye candy. I'd suggest the designer hold onto his day job. So much form, so little function.
Beautiful materials. The unfeasibly long island creates a galley kitchen, with none of the conveniences or charm of a galley kitchen. The massive, solid pendants somehow counteract the lightness and airiness created by the skylight, and the dining area is depressing.
No, the cooktop in on the wrong side of the island for this to be considered a galley. The very FIRST time I walked from the fridge to the cooktop, I'd be takin a sledgehammer to that lovely island. Never will I belive the designer is a cook.
Agreed the visually heavy pendants destroy the aesthetics of this non-functional space and the dining area leaves much to be desired. Eye candy to be sure as well as a perfect example of what NOT to do.