The owner of this atelier-ish apartment wanted a kitchen that was top-of-the-line, latest technology, fully functional... but that was as unobtrusive as possible. The architects originally proposed a small island with additional storage space but their design was rejected.
Back to the drawing board, the architects learned that their client wasn't kidding when he expressed the desire for a kitchen with a small footprint. The result is a gorgeous, sleek alcove of a kitchen that does everything it needs to do and more.
The size of the kitchen belies the owner's interest in cooking. The client may not eat a home-cooked meal each night, but he certainly likes to bake and is more than capable of whipping up a small dinner party on little notice! In case you still have your doubts, the open shelves alongside the kitchen are lined with a treasure trove of glorious cookbooks.
At the top of a five-floor walk up in a very old-fashioned building, this apartment and kitchen — once you notice it — feel incredibly refreshing. The simplicity and starkness are liberating. The dutch oven and sparkling silver kitchen aid stand out almost as much as the incredible art on the walls. Unlike many a home in New York City, this one-bedroom's kitchen was built to use. It's powerful but understated. It knows its potential and is confident enough to whisper rather than scream what it has to offer.
Response to the Kitchn Survey
What's your cooking style? Sporadic but gourmet when I cook.
What inspires your kitchen? A fetishistic level of efficiency, simplicity, and modern convenience.
What is your favorite kitchen tool or element? My Artisan by Kitchen Aid
Best cooking advice or tip you ever received: Don't hold back.
Biggest challenge in your kitchen: Lack of noticeable pantry.
Biggest indulgence: The Gaggenau oven with automatic lowering racks.
Dream tool or splurge: This kitchen is already my splurge.
What are you cooking this week? Baked cookies.
What cookbook has inspired you the most? The encyclopedia of Italian Cooking
What's the most memorable meal you've ever cooked in this kitchen? Dinner for six!
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(Images: Jill Slater)
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Comments (36)
i love this space. i'm a huge fan of small spaces and have a slight obsession with efficiency :)
i would have chosen a different oven but it's not my kitchen.
this is well done and i think that it's a wonderful way to showcase the difference between want and need.
Wow!!
Looks very cool. Is the counter/kitchen sink on the other side of the apartment? I was confused about the layout of it.
It's beautiful to look at, and having lived in studios with tiny corner kitchens, I really admire the craftsmanship and ship-like efficency. But I'm surprised there wasn't a way/scheme to add more counterspace -- though I assume one uses the table top for that purpose. I also would have considered a door or some way to close off the kitchen entirely, so as to enjoy the illusion that it's another room somewhere else in the apt.! I do like that oven -- very cool, if one can say that about an oven!!!
Now THAT'S a rich man! He has everything he needs right in that little kitchen. Brilliant!
Stunning. I love the whole place, and that kitchen is super-clever.
Does anyone know which magazines those are? The ones that are stacked.
Also, where does he prepare his food? I suppose it can be done on the dining table, but... why?!
who makes that shelf system for the books and the stand mixer? i like how the support arms are very rectangular!
Also, I'm a little puzzled that there's only 1 chair with the dining table.
I'm curious about his 'lack of noticeable pantry' comment. Does that mean he has a pantry or not? That's the one thing I see missing here--where does he store his dry goods? Also, no freezer. The only scenario I can come up with is that he buys only what he needs, when he needs it. Which has a very appealing, old school European vibe to it but it's not the way I cook.
love the dining table!!
this is truly stunning. i have friends who reside in those teeny tiny walkup studios who would be able to use this as a template for remodel. not sure if they will though since renting...
The stylist/photographer should have taken her coat and canvas bag off the wetbar ;-)
Jamalian: the stacked magazines are back issues of Gourmet. (RIP.)
This is super sleek and efficient looking, but I think that kitchen would seriously drive me crazy if I ever tried to actually use it. There's like a $1000 worth of small appliances on that shelf and nowhere to use them. Also, I am confused about the location of the sink - is it on the other side of the apartment? That's not a great location, in my opinion. Kudos for super style, though - I could look at that apartment all day.
WHOA talk about quality over quantity! I think i could happily cook in there... all the more space for the guests. That oven is a revelation, and he still managed a DW. Love.
The sink in the island is the "before" kitchen. The new layout is stunning and efficient. It's an asset to instead of an intrusion in the living space. WOW!
Like what he's done but if he's a serious cook, the utensils look too new. :-)
That oven is ingenious.
In this case, doing what he's done was a sound choice due to its location in the room, although I'd want a bit of an island or something to augment the kitchen when need be but it does not need to be permanent however.
In the fantasy where this is my kitchen, I would have created a pivoted shelf below one of the bookshelf shelves that could swing out and act as an additional counter / prep space when needed, like an island that would be parallel to the kitchen, and perpendicular to the bookshelf wall.
I also wonder if it is possible to put something in / out of the oven when there are puts on the stove that are taller than a saucepan or pan.
other than that, I love the obsessiveness and simplicity of it.
Really beautiful... However I never understand the need for four burners in such a tiny space... I would much rather have two burners and an additional 10-12 inches of counter space.
I am in the process of buying a co-op right now and it needs a completely new kitchen... I plan to use all 68 inches very carefully.
This is stunning and inspiring. I didn't know about an "atelier-ish" style before, but that's precisely my style! I'd love to see more of that.
I would love to know where the pendant light over the dining table is from. I am looking for something simple - not too modern and not too vintage-looking for my kitchen and something like this might work perfectly. Thank you for your help.
Again - great work!!!
Natalia-
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90197610
or
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50378900
Yeah, does anyone have information on the shelving system?
I'm also desperate to get some more information on the shelving system. That's three of us? Anyone?
Wow. Just wow.
I think the shelving system is either Rakks or ISS. ??
rakks.com
issdesigns.com
hey teeze, you could always move a tall pot off the stove to empty the oven. i can see how it would be annoying as all hell, but not impossible. i would have opted for only two burners if it would have given me a little more counter space. can't imagine ever really needing all four...
but overall, i LOVE LOVE LOVE this kitchen. amazed he had room for a dishwasher!!!
Thank you teeze, they are exactly what I am looking for, except that I am afraid 75W max isn't enough light for a kitchen. But these are great suggestions I will keep in mind.
that is lovely! i am inspired to remodel the slightly larger kitchen in the studio i own. my tenant would love me. it's ideal for somebody who cooks sporadically, and knows exactly what kind of cooking he likes to do. and it looks neat and tidy enough to be open to the rest of the apartment. love it.
thank you, cremaster!
Lovely, but confusing. As far as I can tell, there is zero counter space. Where does one actually cook? I guess on the table, but it seems awkward. I would feel the need to at least put up a shelf that could be folded against the wall when not in use.
This looks awesome! Is there a freezer hidden somewhere in there? (Or elsewhere in the apartment?)
Need...workspace. Cannot...work...without...workspace. Idea of trying to come up with even breakfast there gives me hives, but it really IS great-looking.
I'm in love with this kitchen (and the whole apartment).
I lived in a place smaller than this, with an ancient and tiny alcove of a kitchen, three gas burners without a pilot light so they were lit with a match, and a shoebox size kitchen sink. It was wonderful. The kitchen table does get used! Everything from chopping vegetables to soaking large pots must happen on the table. This place is brilliant, and I love it. I want to know where the KITCHEN TRASH is kept. I know it's a mundane sort of question, and I'm sure the efficient solution is equally mundane, but trash goes somewhere in this little pad, and I doubt if many special trips are made for the sole purpose of emptying trash when there are five flights of stairs to contend with ... Is someone PAID to haul LAUNDRY? Or has that been incorporated into an exercise regimen?
i greatly admire anyone that can literally cook in this kitchen - glad it is not me. But the equipment is beautiful.
Totally love it, but, I would have used bottom area of shelves for a pull out counter and trash storage underneath. Otherwise, totally awesome!