I know this kitchen has been around on the interwebs for a while now, but I just came across it again recently. And it makes me sad. If you could afford to build a stunning home in Malibu, with ocean and mountain views from just about every room, why oh why would you put such a boring kitchen in it?
It’s no good trying to fool me with that burnt orange table. Yes it’s nice enough, but it’s going to take more than that to save this kitchen from terminal drabness. That glum face on the wall seems completely appropriate to the mood:
Gotta love that table
It’s just such an unfriendly room – there is one nice rounded form, but it’s underneath an ugly rectangle of an island. I can feel those sharp corners just waiting to jump out and catch me when I walk by. I guess pets and toddlers will be able to appreciate the beauty of that pedestal (if they manage to avoid fatal injuries to their heads from the corners); no-one else will get the chance:
No competition for the view
That balcony looks terrifying, doesn’t it? What’s wrong with a good old-fashioned balustrade, or even just a railing? Then we have the classic stool that doesn’t fit anywhere because no-one thought of allowing a little knee-space. I’m also very suspicious of those wall cabinets. Those must be doors that bi-fold upwards – but what about that handle position? I can see you could reach it and give the doors a yank to open them, if you are quick to move your arm out of the way as they swing out and up it might work – but good luck reaching it to pull the doors back down when you are done.
Well, I suppose the view is the point here – at least there’s no danger of anything in this room distracting your attention from it. A room for looking out from, rather than a room for living in – no wonder all those hipsters are so unhappy.
Related Posts:
This article in Great Homes and Destinations at the New York Times caught my eye today. It features a contemporary home near Salzburg in Austria, with 6 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, yours for a mere 890,000 euros, approximately $1.3 million dollars.
The house near Salzburg
The house was designed according to the principles of Feng Shui – so should be harmonious with its surroundings. If you check out the slide show you will see how light and views from all those unusual openings really add something to the interior. I do wonder how that partially flat roof with no overhang deals with heavy snow, compared to the more traditional styles in the surrounding homes? But that’s off subject – I don’t know about Austria, but even where I live 1.3 million dollars is still quite a lot of money. With six bedrooms, and 3.5 bathrooms, I would expect to see a gorgeous, contemporary, European kitchen in this home. Here are the two kitchen pictures from the article:
Kitchen island
It is contemporary, and it is European, but gorgeous – not so much. Is it even finished, I wonder? So they have a nice wall of storage behind translucent doors, that’s OK. But what about some counter space? I know Feng Shui and its concern with fire and water means you can’t put the sink and the cook-top directly facing one another. But does that mean you have to jam them side-by-side with no landing space for either? And how the microwave? Not exactly convenient on top of that cabinet, is it?
Now to be fair, that is only the prep sink. Here’s the main sink. This time it’s jammed right next to the oven cabinet – at least there is probably landing space on the other side.
Kitchen sink crammed up to oven
I do like the windows in place of a backsplash – a nice touch. But I don’t like those counter-tops flush with the cabinet fronts. I know, it’s a clean and uncluttered look, but with no overhang at all, any drips have nowhere to go but onto the doors or drawer fronts, not a good thing for their longevity. Though perhaps, with this kitchen, nobody cares much about longevity?
I feel that more than one calamity from the same article on the same day would just be greedy – so I’ll leave this master bath to you:
The master bath
Let me know what you think!
Related Posts:
I came across this this rustic kitchen in Spain the other day – quite frightening, isn’t it?
Yikes
Okay, I know, diagonals make a space more dynamic. I think it’s working - I’d be in no danger at all of falling asleep in there. (via)
I understand, different strokes for different folks, but this is in Andalucia – home of some of the most awesome tile in the world. Just to redress the balance, here are a couple of examples from the Alhambra Palace in Granada:
Mosaic from the Alhambra
I like these diagonals
Gorgeous, right? I feel better now.
Related Posts:
This kitchen in an L.A. Craftsman home was posted on The Kitchn this week, from one of Apartment Therapy’s house tours,
via the kitchn
accompanied, of course, by the requisite oohs and aahs about the great kitchen. Hmm. Now I really do like that they kept the craftsman cabinets, and especially the cream, pink and gray color scheme. I even like the carrara, although I’m wondering how much of it there can be left in the world.
Great Paint
Of course, it’s easy to pass judgment based on photographs, without really knowing what went into the design process. But really, that range wall – it’s a huge range, but were oh where is the landing space? Those wire racks don’t cut it for me (nor for several other commentators at the kitchn) – they don’t look sturdy, and they’re not even the same height as the range-top. This is a kitchen that needs an island, or at least a work table, if there ever was one. And what it needs for a focal point is of course some kind of vent hood, either traditional or coolly contemporary, but something!
Nice Range
I worked on a layout for an uncannily similar Craftsman kitchen earlier this year – we planned to remove one of the doors either side of the range, allowing more counter space and eliminating one of those pathways through the work area – a huge improvement. I really hope this is just a temporary solution for the homeowners – it certainly looks like one.
Related Posts:
This is one frightening kitchen, and no, not because of the color. It’s that cooktop that scares me:
Red Kitchen
What is it, 2 inches from the end of the peninsula, and 0 inches from the back? Yikes! And set in a specially lowered counter, too. Even if it’s induction, so cool to the touch, the contents of the pots would still be hot, wouldn’t they? They clearly don’t intend to have any children, frail people, hurried people, busy people, anywhere near this kitchen. (via)
Related Posts:
If there’s anything worse than the microwave over the range, it has to be the microwave almost over the range.
Kitchen remodel in progress via flickr
Sometimes I’m amazed at the half-baked design people are willing to put up with. I’m not going to name the source, in order to protect the guilty.
Related Posts:
livingetc
OK, it’s a bit harsh to call this a calamity, but it always bothers me when the backsplash tile just stops, with no real boundary to give it a reason to stop. I know the top of the backsplash above is designed to end at the bottom of the hood – but wouldn’t it have been so much better if it had gone all the way up to the ceiling?
via Paula Grace Designs
via kitcheni
Ok, I know what you’re thinking now – What about when the cabinets stop short of the ceiling? What if the ceiling is really tall?”
via philadelphiarealestatehub.com
In that case, you could go for drama, and take the backsplash all the way to the ceiling, if the extra material is in the budget… (photo Paul Barbera)
Paul Barbera via dwellingsanddecor
or, by all means, stop the backsplash level with the top of the cabinets, but I say always give it a reason for stopping there – perhaps a piece of trim, or, my personal favorite, a shelf. Isn’t that better?
photo and design Sarah Lloyd
via canadianhouseandhome.com
Related Posts:
Hidden Kitchens
More kitchens with open shelves
Cook's chairs