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Taste of Tuscany Italian-style kitchen

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Tuscan kitchen by Michael Menn

Seen here is the kitchen of the home cabinetry, countertop, cuisine classique, interior design, kitchen, room, brown, white — Seen here is the kitchen of the home designed by architect Michael A Menn of Michael Menn Ltd. This kitchen was designed by Diane Bohstedt of D+B Kitchen Design Concepts. Seen is a bench top, cabinetry and appliances.

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It may be common practice to design a kitchen to be the heart of the home, but it's not what everyone wants.

The owners of this kitchen wanted the exact opposite a kitchen to themselves, where they could work uninterrupted by friends and family.

Architect Michael Menn of Michael Menn Ltd, who worked with Diane Bohstedt of DB Kitchen Design Concepts, says the owners love cooking and entertaining, but they didn't want anyone else in the kitchen.

"This is the antithesis of the social kitchen," Menn says. "It needed to be a space totally dedicated to the owners, with his-and-hers workstations to cater to their specific roles. The husband likes to do all the heavy-duty cooking and clean-up he even makes his own pasta and sauces. The wife does all the prep work and loves to bake."

The architect says the flow through the kitchen was improved by removing a small section of wall and several doors that simply got in the way. In the revised layout, the large butler's pantry and smaller secondary pantry are open to the kitchen.

The existing island was also replaced by a peninsula, which also helped to open up the space and make it more inviting.

"Everything the husband needs for cooking is on one side of the peninsula, close to the rangetop. The wife's main work areas are on the other side of the peninsula and on either side of the sink. Two pop-up shelves in the perimeter cabinets conceal the baking appliances when not in use."

To provide an old-world charm that would complement the 1920s character of the house, knotty alder cabinets were specified. Menn also introduced a brick arch for the cooking center, and a decorative arched niche above the wall ovens.

Small windows in the top of the overhead cabinets and interior lighting also add a decorative touch and help to lighten the look of the cabinets.

Honed granite countertops and a tumbled limestone tile backsplash provide textural finishes in keeping with the traditional Tuscan look. So, too, does the refurbished pot rack that dates back to the '70s.

"From the cooking utensils to the spices, everything the owners require is exactly where it's needed," says Menn.

Credit list

Kitchen designer

Diane Bohstedt,

Builder

Michael Menn Ltd

Countertops

Black Absolute granite from Stoneworks Inc

Cabinet company

Summit Designs, Inc

Cabinets

Knotty alder with brown wash

Backsplash

Cashmere travertine from M&S Imports

Faucets

Perrin & Rowe

Doors and windows

Marvin

Oven and cooktop

Wolf

Refrigeration and wine cooler

Story by: Colleen Hawkes

18 Dec, 2012

Renovation

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