Wowzers - we have quite a kitchen renovation to show you today! It's from a recent San Francisco house tour, and AT:SF editor Leslie thought you might enjoy seeing it. We agreed, so take a look at Rebecca and Roger's remodeled kitchen.
• The kitchen BEFORE the renovation. Rebecca says that their kitchen was dismantled to the studs (and all the floors throughout the flat were refinished) while they lived under a tarp for two months!
• The before and after floorplans. Notice that this is a major renovation; they're moving the sink and the stove, which probably means moving water and power lines. Rebecca said that It was great being able to design the layout and the details to better suit the way they use and move within the space.
• A before/after of the kitchen, with an action shot of how the pantry drawer slides out. We love the streamlined look of the new fridge and storage unit, combined with vintage and repurposed details in the kitchen.
• The kitchen post-renovation, with an old antique rug from the owner's grandfather, an antique rug dealer. Wow - a rug in the kitchen?
• The beautiful backsplash is wallpaper behind a glass plate. Also, this a vintage Chinese teakettle from the owner's grandmother.
• Moving the sink seems to have been worth it! Look at all the light shining in over the sink.
• A deep sink with a grate that can fit over it and double as a dish rack. Very clever. Also, the owners customized a cutting board so it could fit in and slide along the sink opening.
• One more look at the kitchen. Very lovely!
• See the whole house tour here: House Tour: Rebecca and Roger's Flux-Redux
Related: Kitchen Tour: Devesh and Tara's Spice Pantry
(Images: Rebecca Szeto)
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Very cool - love the rug in the kitchen! Looked that the previous post and can't find what kind of countertops they used. Does anyone know?
What a beautiful and unique look!
How did you fasten the glass as a protective backsplash?
Gorgeous! I love the wallpaper backsplash! Not such a fan of the rug in the kitchen though. It doesn't seem very practical, or at least not for me!
Hey guys,
The countertops are Caesarstone (color: Lagos Blue). Love them. Since putting them in though, I've found another solid surface (that looks more natural) called Okite out of Italy, sold through Walker Zanger.
The glass is wedged in and held by silicon bikini straps on each edge. I opted out of using bolts because it would interfere with my wallpaper pattern. (in my design world mind everything floats, but the reality is . . . something's got to secure it from gravity) Had I done it over, I would have had the carpenter construct a channel of sorts at the bottom of the upper cabs to slide the glass into, for that "look ma, no hardwares" effect with just a noodle of silicon where the counter meets the splash and corner verticals.
So funny that the rug in the kitchen has become so controversial?! For us the rug is actually safer from spillage in the kitchen than the other rooms (dining room mainly) even though we cook like mad. 9 months in and only 3 drops of coffee have gotten on the rug. Also it was a conscious effort to make the kitchen look less kitcheny as it's the first room you see as you enter the flat. Since we have no foyer (just a narrow hallway perpendicular to the entry), the kitchen ostensibly becomes the visual "landing pad".
Very inspiring. I have been looking for good examples of combining modern with vintage, or what I have been calling "vintage hollywood glam."
We've had a rug in our kitchen always. Our is as patterned as the one in this beautiful kitchen....so it never shows whatever spills.
We have a U-shaped kitchen so the big rug completely fills the space, and eliminates the need for a little mat by the sink, a little mat by the stove, a little mat by the main counter workspace. As anyone who sells rugs will tell you, the tradition of rugs is that they were moved all over with nomadic tribes, set down on bare dirt and then moved again.
It's really nice to use beautiful things but not treat them in such a precious, fearful way...
Beautiful kitchen. REally love the backsplash too.
Always have a persian rug in the kitchen...make everything so much more civilized....
Sensible renovation and beautiful too! I like the new kitchen divided up into stations (dishwashing, fridge/pantry, food prep/cooking). It's a great use of space and still forms the cook's triangle of utility. The backsplash is brilliant! I never thought about wallpaper under glass plate. A great way to add pizzazz to your kitchen.
I'm confused, wouldn't paper over the electrical plug be a bad thing if there was a short? I only ask because I'm thinking of this but am so worried because I live in an older apartment.
sureferartchick: GFI plugs (in bath and kitchens) shut down automatically when the circuit shorts. Besides the paper is over the cover, not the actual plug outlet, or maybe we just like to tempt fate?
I love your kitchen. I have a sink similar to yours, where did you find the sink rack? Thanks
Beautiful kitchen!
I love the Bertazzoni range. I'm shopping for a new range and like to know if you recommend it?
Also would like to know the brand of the refrigerator .
Thanks.
Carmendelia - The sink and accessories are Elkay.
Vierka - I love smeg brand for its delicate (european petite) design and non-industrial sized knobs, unlike the ones so popular in the "Bigger is Better Americas". But up until this year it wasn't sold in the States. So, at the time I opted for something that looked like Smeg. Turns out.... Smeg is made by Bertazzoni! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smeg_(appliances)
To answer your question, I personally really like it and recommend it. Love my central "wok" burner. Like the sealed burners for cleaning, the low simmer burner. My only complaint is that the oven, while it works well, doesn't have precision temperature settings. Rather, it goes in increments of 50 degrees. So if you bake a lot (which I don't) it could be slightly annoying. I compensate by having a small thermometer in the oven to give me the exact heat. Other design friends don't feel it's weighty/hefty (solid) enough, but it's all personal preference.
All in all, I'm very happy with my purchase. (though the decision was a slightly nostalgic one, as it reminds me of when I lived in Italy, and the fact that I had to be budget and resale conscious, as we don't intend to grow old in this house. For the record, I would likely buy Miele if I wanted to set up deep roots.
Fridge is JennAir (minus all the annoying logos). Hidden hinges...the next best thing to built-in!
Thanks for your reply.
I also like your white cabinets. Where did you purchase them?
Like the glass uppers.
I just love your kitchen!
I love the pot rack! It would work so well in my new tiny kitchen! Where did you find it?
The pot rack (in the green wall photo?.... just standard Ikea grundtal S hooks)
Sandra: The wallpaper is behind glass. It's as durable and easy to clean as glass tile...without the grout lines. But likely not as durable as ceramic. Unprotected wallpaper would be a nightmare.
What a gorgeous renovation! Thanks for sharing this.
BTW, that "vintage Chinese teakettle" looks like your basic, traditional Chinese clay medicine pot, unchanged for eons and still widely available. I can smell the dark, bitter medicine boiling just looking at the thing.
wow. a knockout!
i created a login just to post this!
please please tell about the vintage range and that GREAT wallpaper!!
or rather, where did the vintage range go? :(
I was kind of sad to see the vintage range gone too. I own a Chambers stove, which has been the reason for my kitchen renovation.
The old stove definitely had charm, but it found a great home with a friend who restores old victorian houses (and had the patience and resources to restore the stove to its former glory).
Wallpaper is from Cole & Son: Malabar. Lots of fabu colors.
Our kitchen is featured in the Fall edition/ Oct/Nov 09 issue of Better Home and Gardens' kitchen/bath remodel mag.