Three years ago Hakarl and his partner Jili decided to conceive and raise a child with a lesbian couple. The child actually turned out to be a set of twins, and the two couples decided to form a family of their own making. Both couples bought apartments in the same building in Wiliamsburg, Brooklyn, and the two girls now spend time in each of the homes. This burgeoning family, according to Hakarl, necessitated a few kitchen tweaks. First on the list: an oversized table that could easily fit eight people.
Being a parent still seems a bit of a shock to both Hakarl and Jili, even though they planned out the idea of having children for years prior to its implementation! As a concession to their life before children, they decided to remain in the neighborhood they love, to always keep a couple of bottles of Champagne in the fridge, and to continue to design to their standards.
The kitchen is no exception. Other than putting a set of china in the basement storage unit, Hakarl is comfortable with beautiful pieces being part of everyday living. Getting an oversized dining table represented the "transition from party space to family space." The table is large and round, and gently nudged into a small square dining area.
10 Questions for Hakarl (and His Kitchen)
What inspires your kitchen and your cooking?
I grew up surrounded by stacks of off-white dinner plates and stainless kitchen counters: my family owned a small hotel in Germany. Now, 30 years later, I'm still trying to recreate my mom's kitchen by mixing personal items with industrial kitchen supplies, a serving cart and tons of off-white dishes.
What is your favorite kitchen tool or element?
It's the dishwasher for making me a more relaxed party host. No more hunting down a guest's wineglasses for refills — I just take a new one.
What's the most memorable meal you've ever cooked in this kitchen?
A Thanksgiving dinner for 20 people.
Biggest challenge in your kitchen?
All the appliances are very close together — cooking with two people is a pretty tight squeeze.
Biggest indulgence or splurge in the kitchen?
The oversized table: Jili and I both grew up in large families, and a table that can easily fit eight people says home to me.
Is there anything you hope to add or improve in your kitchen?
Eventually, we'll have to upgrade to a commercial kitchen cart. Our current one is from Ikea and way too wobbly for rolling out cookie dough or chopping vegetables.
How would you describe your cooking style?
Wish i could say spontaneous, but i'm more the recipe and shopping list kinda guy. Jili always makes fun of my test runs before a dinner party.
Best cooking advice or tip you ever received:
A friend gave me this stainless steel egg to get rid of onion and garlic odors from my hands — it works!
What is your favorite cookbook?
I always go back to the Food & Wine annual cookbooks.
What are you cooking this week?
A hearty onion soup.
Featured Resources
• Dishwasher — eBay
• Off-white dishes — Fishs Eddy
• Glassware — The Conran Shop
• Serving cart w/ chopping block — Ikea
• Pots and pans — Broadway Panhandler / The Whisk (Williamsburg)
• Rug — Jonathan Adler
• Lampshade — Gracious Home
• Pantry door — covered in chalkboard cloth ordered on Amazon.com
• Kitchen Tour Archive: Check out past kitchen tours here
We're always looking for real kitchens from real cooks.
Show us your kitchen here!
(Images: Jill Slater)
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you guys have amazing taste. removing the island really opened the space up, and the addition of the cart really gives it an industrial yet classic feel.
i also enjoy the carnation in the fridge... nice touch!
Tell me where that wall came from/how it was created, please oh please! I'm so in love!
Thanks guys! Mavoo16 -- i stenciled the wall. It took some planning and if you look closely, you see some parts are a little crooked. My advise for stenciling such a big area is to splurge and get the biggest mask available (stencilease.com) and make sure to wipe the paint off the film frequently to keep the lines crisp.
Love the knife idea! Love those knives. I have that vase, a quick trip to the dollar store will get me enough sewers (is that what you used?) and my scary drawer full of knives is history! Was looking for a way to get them out of harm's way and I hate traditional knife posts/rack.... and have nowhere for a magnet board to hold them
Beautiful! I love the crisp warmth of the space.
It's delicious! Impeccable tase - l love everything about your space. What a difference removing that island made, and I adore the stainless cart stacked with the off white bowls and plates. Everything looks lovely yet unstaged, and that is the mark of great design for me! Bravo!
I always love seeing a kitchen before and after that doesn't involve a major remodel. The before looks so builder boring and blah, but now it looks very warm and inviting. I especially love the rug.
This isn't about the space, but the family. Your story warmed my heart. I came from a big, conventional Catholic family full of unhappiness and dysfunction, and we all ended up not liking one another very much as adults. Raising children together -- sharing parenthood with another loving couple -- in two households where they are equally welcome and loved, is a lovely form of extended family.
This is just beautiful—a great blend of natural textures and industrial, and the light fixture and teal stenciled wall are fabulous touches.
And I'm sure that the dishes are from Fishs Eddy, not "Fisher's Eddy"—important to see a long-running local business get the credit for their great work!
@prolix Thanks for noting my fave cookware store.
http://www.fishseddy.com/
Beautiful! Where are those semi opaque glass subway tiles from?