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Finding a way to remodel your kitchenin a modernist style while retaining a friendly, relaxed ambiance can be tricky. It can be done, though – one option is to choose materials and shapes that soften sharp lines and metallic tones. That was the approach taken by Michael Tauber, the architect commissioned to design this kitchen and adjacent study and dining room.
The first job was to restructure the room: the kitchen was small, lacked storage space, and hadn't been remodeled since the early ‘70s. The owners, both enthusiastic cooks, wanted to create a space where they could entertain friends while keeping an eye on their children in the study. They also wanted a kitchen that linked visually and spatially to the rest of their 1940s ranch-style home.
A wall dividing the kitchen from the dining room was removed, as was an awkward lobby area leading from the kitchen to a side yard. Removing the wall and lobby immediately opened up and enlarged the kitchen area, and improved the visual connection with the rest of the house, says Tauber.
The kitchen's position was also addressed. A re-orientation to the north and south allowed for prevailing east-west breezes to flow through the windows – especially useful as the kitchen has no air conditioning. The new orientation draws in the local mountain views, which are now clearly visible to anyone sitting at the kitchen island or working at the sink. Finally, a large skylight was installed in the center of the kitchen, directly above the island.
"In a spot that is often the darkest part of the room, the light coming through the skylight draws you in, a bit like the light at the end of a tunnel," says Tauber. "It's really a zone within a zone."
The kitchen needed to function better, with more space to work in, and more storage capacity. Opening up the space helped, but Tauber also created an effective work triangle by planning where each appliance needed to go.
The owner was looking for an energy-efficient kitchen, so a 50-year-old furnace was replaced with a high-performance furnace and water heater. Dual-pane windows, fitted with an internal film to increase thermal efficiency, were chosen, along with floors made of sustainable bamboo.
With the functional and structural elements addressed, Tauber could focus on developing a mood of warm modernism.
"I was looking to design a space that was open and light but still approachable, so that people would want to spend time there," he says.
To create a comfortable feel, warm colors with a similar tonal value were selected for the wood and paintwork, and then repeated in the study and dining room to create a cohesive suite of rooms.
The blue paint, with its eggshell finish, was chosen to complement the red hues of the cherry wood cabinetry and the vibrant green of the kitchen's exterior paintwork.
The cherry wood was chosen by the owner; Tauber then sourced wood with a quartered cut. "This produces a consistent, vertical grain more suited to a modernist look, as opposed to the more usual plain slice cut, which has a larger, more irregular grain for a rustic look," he says.
And in a space dominated by straight lines and rectangles, the curves of the range hood, island, bar stools and cabinet hardware all provide a softening counterpoint. Extensive use of glass creates constantly shifting patterns of light and shade that lighten the mood, says Tauber.
"Throughout the day, the quality of light changes in the kitchen and dining room as the weather and position of the sun changes," he says. "It's as though the space itself is a sundial."

Architect : Michael Tauber, Michael Tauber Architecture (San Francisco, CA)

Interior designer : Michael Tauber Architecture

Main contractor : Fontana Construction

Range : Viking dual fuel 4 burner

Range hood : Stainless steel, Zephyre Milano-S island hood

Sink : Stainless steel double bowl undermount – Elkay ELUH-312-R

Faucet : KWC Suprimo

Dishwasher : Miele Incognito C863 SCVI with integral stainless steel front

Refrigerator : Amana AFD 2535 DE with ice maker

Cabinetry : Cherry wood custom cabinets with roll out drawers by Hanlon Custom Cabinets

Cabinetry hardware : Hafele

Countertops and backsplashes : New Blue Eyes – granite, from All Architectural Stone

Bar top : Back-painted glass from Bendheim with stainless steel edging

Doors : Custom wood with translucent glass

Door stops : Elmes brushed dull chrome plated and resin gray