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Kitchen designed to integrate seamlessly into apartment interior

Lightly stained white oak kitchen cabinetry extends into adjacent living areas in this New York City loft.

When the owner bought this classic New York ceiling, interior design, living room, real estate, orange, white
When the owner bought this classic New York City loft in Soho, he called on Andrew Wilkinson Architect to gut and totally redo the interior. While the position of the kitchen in new interior was to some extent pre-determined by the existing services, it needed to integrate with adjacent interior spaces such as the dining area and the sunken living.

With an integrated kitchen, appliances such as the fridge and dishwasher are fitted with cabinetry panels rather than their own doors, so allowing the kitchen to have a more furniture-like look rather than a purely functional one.

But in these days of open-plan design, there’s another way of looking at the term ‘integrated’ – the way the kitchen fits into the whole interior rather than making its mark as a separate element.

That was the approach architect Andrew Wilkinson took in the design of the kitchen in a classic New York loft he was asked to completely renovate.

“The owners wanted the new interior to be very social, so the kitchen needed to be designed to communicate openly with other spaces in the apartment, such as the sunken living room and adjacent dining area,” says Wilkinson.

The siting of the kitchen in the reworked interior was largely determined by the position of the existing services.


The kitchen sits off to one side of ceiling, countertop, floor, flooring, interior design, kitchen, wood flooring, gray
The kitchen sits off to one side of the interior space of this renovated loft, preserving a sight line along the axis from the front of the building through to the hallway leading to the guest rooms, seen beyond the kitchen in this image.

“It’s not a big component in the space, and sits off to the side because the owner wanted to maintain a clear sight line from one end of the apartment to the other.”

It also needed to be very utilitarian, with plenty of concealed storage. The island is primarily used for preparation and serving, with the main cooking activity all taking place on the back wall.

While these factors help give the kitchen a low key presence, it’s really the selection of materials that integrates the kitchen into the overall space.

Wilkinson says that the wide plank walnut flooring specified throughout the apartment played a large part in determining the kitchen materials.

“We wanted another wood that would  offer contrast and not be dark,” he says.

White oak used for the cabinetry has a light white stain applied, keeping it simple and neutral and making it suitable to carry through to other cabinetry in the interior.

“Wrapping material round in this way integrates the kitchen into the entire space,” says Wilkinson. “It reinforces a singular loft space, with the kitchen being a part of it.”

Credit list

Architect and kitchen designer
Andrew Wilkinson Architect
Cabinetry
Quarter sawn white oak with light white stain, custom made by Structure NYC
Splashback
Caesarstone
Faucet
KWC
Cooktop
Bosch
Microwave
Wolf
Dishwasher
Miele
Builder
Structure NYC
Benchtop
Island – Calacatta by ABC Stone; perimeter – Caesarstone
Sink
Blanco
Oven
Wolf
Ventilation
Miele
Refrigeration and wine cooler
Sub-Zero
Flooring
Wide plank walnut by Premium Flooring

Story by: Paul Taylor

Photography by: Garrett Rowland

09 Aug, 2018

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