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Back to the future
Back to the future from Kitchen Trends volume 2502
Houses in historic neighbourhoods are always subject to local bylaws. And while these are intended to retain the character of a city, they can make a renovation project more challenging.
This house, on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco, is one of the oldest houses on one of the smallest sites in the city. And although it had been extended and modified over the years, the dining room and kitchen on the first floor were not conducive to entertaining, says architect Michael Tauber.
"These spaces were a vestige of the original Victorian-era design," he says. "They felt small, cramped and disconnected from the rest of the house. But providing another extension to the house was simply not possible."
Rethinking their plans, Tauber and the owner decided to insert a modern, open, single room into the shell of the house, integrating the new and the old. To this end, the kitchen and dining room were opened up to create one large informal space.
"The house already had entertainment spaces on the upper floor and roof deck," says Tauber. "Providing this new informal kitchen and dining space enhanced the flow between all the floors."
The focal point of the new space is a split island. At one end is a raised granite benchtop for cooking and food preparation, and at the other a solid walnut dining table, which is anchored by matching wood bookshelves.
"Parallel walls of walnut cabinetry, and bamboo flooring help to emphasise the linearity of the space, while making it appear longer and therefore larger," says Tauber. "The cabinet wall finishes just below the ceiling line to provide space for cove lighting, which also makes the space feel taller."
The main cabinetry houses customised storage and integrated refrigeration. A separate walnut cabinet has a bar area and file drawers, and can double as a home office.
The kitchen features parallel walls of walnut cabinetry, and an island with integrated dining table.
Built in the 1860s, this historic house in Telegraph Hill, San Francisco, has been substantially altered over the years. The most recent renovation saw the first floor gutted, and the insertion of a modern open-plan kitchen-dining space.
New bamboo flooring helps to emphasize the linearity of the space.
Blue Louise granite benchtops are complemented by an Ann Sacks glass-tiled splashback, which is illuminated by under-cabinet lighting. The island cabinet has drawers dedicated to sharp knife storage, ladles positioned close to the cooking area, storage for trays, and roll-out shelves for pots and pans.
This before plan shows how the kitchen and dining (1 and 2) used to be separate spaces.
This plan of the remodelled layout shows how the kitchen and the dining have been combined to create one large open-plan room that spans the entire width of the house.
Credit List
Architect
:
Michael Tauber, Michael Tauber Architecture (San Francisco, California)
General contractor
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Fontana Construction
Cabinetry
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Quartered walnut veneer; white lacquer by Hanlon Complete Cabinet Service
Benchtops
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Blue Louise granite from Integrated Resources
Splashback
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Ann Sacks Metro Delphinium glass tiles
Wall paints
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Dunn Edwards
Lighting
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Halo recessed; Alko underbench; Pinnicle cove lighting; LBL pendants
Chairs
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Montis Ivy from Limn
Ovens, coffee maker and dishwasher
:
Miele
Story by Colleen Hawkes
Photography by JD Peterson
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