How a retired chef created a super-smart design with great storage and two amazing sinks.
When a serious cook set out to create the kitchen of her dreams in a 80′s house in the California wine country, she thought about all the “crappy kitchens” she’d had to put up with over the years. “Function was my primary goal,” Care Morgenstern says. “I hoped that it would look nice but I really wanted it to work the way I wanted.” As a retired, self-taught personal chef, her needs were basic but not simple.
In this house, she had struggled against a kitchen with a peninsula that created a logjam. And like many kitchenistas, she craved a six-burner range plus double ovens even though the working space is a modest 15- by 16-feet. Reality bit when two different contractors explained the ovens wouldn’t fit and the budget proved to be an issue as well.
Many good kitchens have such a story — a path to beauty and success that required a detour. In this case, it was question of accepting what could be done “without knocking down walls and making do with the space I actually had. I really thought about the kitchen and the end result is much better than my original design,” she says.
A cousin who is an interior designer came to her aid on the aesthetics and helped communicate what she wanted to the father-and-son contractor and cabinet maker who dispatched the remodeling job in just six weeks. The result is a highly original open kitchen with a unique island, customized dining area, and top appliances that function superbly for someone willing to make intelligent renovation trade offs.
The keys to this cook’s kitchen are two big sinks. On the kitchen’s perimeter in front of the new bay window is the custom M. Teixeira Barocca soapstone farm sink used exclusively for clean up. The drain and disposer are located in the top right-hand corner so they are “not covered up when there are a lot of dishes,” Care says.
A Miele Optima dishwasher sits on the left of the sink. The faucet of choice is the large Kohler Vinnata pull-down. Nearby [right] is a Miele speed oven — “it heats up quickly and is the right size for cooking for two” — microwave and Sub-Zero BI-36. Perimeter base cabinet drawers are contrast painted with pale green-gray, Dunn-Edwards Serene Thought.
The second sink – used exclusively for prep — takes up one end of the 9-foot-long island which replaced the peninsula and opened up the kitchen to the dining area.
It is a 33-inch stainless steel Kohler Stages – the small version of the best and most functional sink on the market right now. “I knew it was perfect for me,” she says. “I had originally planned a 6-burner range in the island and a 18 to 20-inch prep sink. So I gave up the two extra burners for the Stages. I haven’t regretted that decision at all since I spend so much more time at the prep sink and I rarely need that extra burner.”
The Stages features an interior rim and a stepped down integral ledge which helps keep things off the counter. Two inserts – a utensil tray and natural wood cutting board – slide across the top or stow away in a rack under the sink. A smaller Vinnata faucet keeps the counter styles consistent.
“When I have company, I cover the sink with the cutting boards and use it as a countertop. It’s perfect.”
The island also houses a 30-inch, black-green Blue Star range, retrofitted with “Signal Orange” custom knobs. Orange is the favorite accent color for the kitchen which is painted in Dunn-Edwards Pearl White. The 36-inch island hood from FuturoFuturo “does a great job with smells,” Care says, though she adds it’s a bit noisy when cranked all the way up for wok cooking, as most hoods are.
To make every inch of the island count, two narrow spaces became condiment and spice pullouts fitted with Rev-a-Shelf inserts – one on the range end and the other nearer the prep sink.
There’s even a surprise corner cabinet on the non-working length of the island as well as a special edge on the soapstone.
The chiseled edge of the island is “very subtle,” Care explains. “Most people don’t see it right away but when they do they go “Oh!” And they always want to touch it.”
To create a congenial dining area, one set of French doors was replaced by a pair of windows and a 6-foot long banquette. Existing cabinets flanking the new built-in seating were reworked and hardware was replaced. Even with all the great details, the room isn’t completely done. “We really need to replace the dining room table and chairs,” says Care. “So if you find or think of something that might work, please let me know.”
I just love that kitchen! I have never seen a range built into an island like that. The dining area is superb too! Thanks for sharing this one!
Wow, great kitchen! Love the “surprise” corner on the island. Very cool!
What a fabulous kitchen!! That farm sink is amazing!!!
Great Kitchen. That banquette flanked with closed in bookshelves is exactly what I would love to do in my kitchen. Sooo jealous!
Very impressive! I love the spice rack and have begging for years to have something similar in my own home.
I would be honored to have you add it to my blog party
Amaze Me Monday Blog Party
What a fabulous kitchen – it has so many great features! It’s not only very practical, it is absolutely gorgeous. Enjoy!
Such interesting features through the kitchen! It looks like she has a two toned kitchen with the inset doors/drawers one colour and the fascia in another colour (what are the colours btw?).
Love the live edge on the counters also.
I really like her layout – it is compact but with ample (not excessive) space for anything. One can see being very efficient in that space.
(Must confess the thing I find most appealing and heart warming in the pics above is the dog’s bowl in the corner of the dining area. We have this in our otherwise shiny, updated house also and it is always a bit embarassing – so nice to see that other people also have these little annoying realities to contend with!)
Mindstorm,
I had to laugh. My husband took the pictures for this article and he had just said that he was sorry that he hadn’t removed the bowls. I told him not to worry because lots of people have those same issues and they like to see what others have done. And then I read your comment.
I spent hours trying to find a spot for the dog bowls but when the cost was going to be in the thousands to keep them out of the way the decision was a simple one. We did put the china cabinet up on the legs so that we could open the doors and not hit the bowls.
The white in the kitchen is Dunn-Edwards Pearl White and the base cabinets are all in Dunn-Edwards Serene Thought. Serene Thought is very subtle and doesn’t photograph as well so it’s hard to see the color of the base cabinets except where we did the contrast with the drawers and the fascia (I learned a new word!).
Ooops! I hope that was a good laugh not an annoyed one.
Please tell your husband that he has made one home-cum-pet-owner pleased as punch with his remission
You’re exactly right – it is much nicer to see what others have done.
Plus you made the right decision. i too tried to find something clever to do with the pet feeding spots. However, when I started musing that perhaps we would need to expand the house to support a dedicated pet feeding site, *my* DH put his foot down. Old fussbudget! So we too just share our kitchen spaces with the quadrupeds.
Thanks for sharing the paint shades. Serene Thought may be subtle but I tend to think that the more subtle interconnections make for the more pleasing whole. And your kitchen is the last word in aesthetically pleasing.
Well, the paint colours + the layout render it so.
Congratulations on a really lovely remodel.
Are the top cabinets all in the D&E Pearl White?
Lanne,
Yes, all of the top cabinets are in Pearl White.
I’m in awe! What a beautiful and functional kitchen. Wow! I’d love to have this kind of set up.
Enjoy!!
Wow love this kitchen, they thought of everything. Always love a great design that utilizes space , every inch of it , well!
Linda
Wow! Gorgeous.. not one detail missed. hugs ~lynne~
I love the sink with the drain in the top right corner. It is my pet pieve when dishes pile up over the drain. Love the color combination, classic! Thanks for sharing.
Love the kitchen! So well thought out, comfortable and looks like a delightful space to be in. Care, your Blue Star looks great and helped me make the decision to get mine. Thanks!
So glad you all liked Care’s kitchen as much as we did. There are so many which are beautiful but few which also excel in terms of ideas. What a pleasure!
P.S. to Mindstorm: I knew you would love that gray-green. It’s almost like that DK color in the can you sent me LOL!
Also want to add that I have serious, serious, serious Kohler Stages envy. It didn’t exist when I did my first kitchen and it wouldn’t fit in the second. Makes me want to move!!
I’ve wondered about putting a range in an island as our kitchen has a similar set up. Glad to see it can be done. It’s beautiful!
Inspiring kitchen- also ordered a Futuro Galaxy hood.
Fabulous kitchen, Care! I LOVE it!
Wondering how large your gorgeous farm sink is?
Jane, I’ve also been obsessed with the Stages sinks and haven’t given up yet on attempting to fit one in my tiny kitchen (11″ x 11″) reno (though I should.)
Hi Jenny1963,
I went with a “standard” size for a custom soapstone sink. The company had about 5 sizes that they offered. It’s 30″ x 18 1/2″ x 9 3/4″. Because of the thickness of the sides the interior is about 27″ x 17″. The sink is made from slabs of the soapstone that I ordered. Hope that helps.
Hi Care,
I was floored when I saw your kitchen because not only is it inspiring, it has almost exactly the same layout that we are planning on having in our new townhouse. In ours, we won’t have a window and on the island the locations of the cooktop and sink are switched. May I ask some questions about it? First off, our island will only be 8 ft long (with a 30″ induction cooktop). Do you think this will be too small to have a Stages sink in it? If not, where would you give up the 1 ft of space? I’m thinking about putting the sink right next to the cooktop so the faucet can be a pot filler too. I’m also thinking about just getting a smaller sink or splurging for a custom sink/countertop. What would you recommend? Thank you so much!
Hi Lillian,
Thanks for the lovely compliment. When I was researching info for my kitchen it was always great to see something similar to what I had planned. I always got great ideas that way.
I love my Stages sink and I worked really hard to fit it into my island which is 9 ft long. I just don’t see a good way to fit it into an 8 ft. island along with the 30″ induction cooktop. The only measurements that would work would be 12″ on one side of the cooktop and 18″ on the other side. 33″ of Kohler and then 3″ between the kohler and the edge of the countertop. The adds up to 8ft but I have a real hard time with only 18″ workspace next to the cooktop. I have almost 29″ and it’s just barely enough even with using the Stage’s sink as a workspace.
I don’t know how much you cook but bowls, food processor, ingredients, and all that stuff take up quite a bit of space. When I’m at the stove, I want all of that right at hand. More than anything else you always need workspace. So my personal opinion is that you need to find a different sink. You didn’t say if this was going to just be a prep sink or if it will be used as a main sink for dishes too. That would affect what you should choose.
And because of the workspace issue I wouldn’t put the sink right next to the cooktop. Once again, I always need that space for ingredients, hot pans, stirring utensils…all kinds of things. I think that pot fillers are a nice idea but they are way down the list when compared to work space. And even if you fill the pot when it’s on the stove, you still have to pick it up to pour the water out. I wouldn’t give up my workspace for that. But if it is important to you, try to find a sink faucet that would be long enough to reach a pot without compromising your working area.
I hope that I haven’t dashed your dream but I know that there’s lots of great stuff out there that will work for you.
Hi Care,
Thanks so much for this feedback. It would only be a prep sink, as I would have a clean up sink across the aisle like yours. I guess I thought the Stages sink with the cutting boards in it would function as a flexible workspace. What I’m trying to achieve is something that functions like thegalleysink.com, where you put cutting boards in and they slide back and forth, and you have a “counter” or a sink depending on what your needs are at the moment. But, it sounds like, in your experience, the Stages sink really doesn’t work that way. Correct? The smarter sink at rachiele.com is also like the Stages but the ledge moves back and forth. Maybe just a small prep sink at the end of the island is best for me, or a combo cleanup/prep with two faucets against the wall. I’d be happy to hear what you think.
Kohler has 2 other sinks which are similar to the Stages ranges, the 8-degree and the Poise, but unfortunately, all seem to be 33″ wide.
@Jane, Just when you think you’ve seen all the sinks…
@Care, I had one more idea. What if I put the stages sink on the end of the island, going across the 3′ side? Then I would have about 34″ of uninterrupted counter space between sink and cooktop. I do cook a fair amount, mostly simple things, but I do want to cook more in the future. I agree it’s great to have a big width of uninterrupted space; for me 4′ would be nice. But, I really want to fit a sink on my island.
Lillian,
Wow! I hadn’t been paying any attention to sinks and such for awhile since I’ve completed my kitchen. That galley sink is cool.
I didn’t mean to give the wrong impression. The Kohler does work as an additional surface. I usually leave the wood board in and use it for cutting vegetables and such. It does move and I use the higher stainless steel ledge for cleaning seafood, peeling tomatoes, etc. Still that 29″ in between the sink and the stove gets used a lot for the cusinart or mixer or bowls of already prepped foods even with the Kohler board. It works but even with that space I would love some more.
Your idea of placing the sink along the 3′ section could work. I like the idea of the extra workspace it would give you. I do have some concerns about it though. None of them are deal busters but they’re things that I think you may want to consider.
One problem I find with the 3-4″ to right of the sink is that occasionally if I’m not careful with the faucet the countertop/and or floor get sprayed. With a 3 foot space and a 33″ sink that gives you even less wiggle room on the sides for things that fall on the floor or for water spraying.
Because of where I needed to be facing placing the sink at the edge wouldn’t have worked in my kitchen but it might work in yours. If you placed the sink at the edge, what would your back be facing and what would you be looking at? You have to think about that.
Also, I like having the prep space close enough to the range top so that I can do prep and keep an eye on things at the stove. I just have to move over a foot or so to give something a stir or change the heat. If the sink is at the edge, that’s a bit of an extra walk. It’s not much but it could make it less convenient. Currently when I’m at the sink my back is almost to the trash can. I can gather up trash, turn around and dump it (in the can, of course). Think about where your trash will be. It’s not fun to walk too far with dripping things.
One of the best things to do is to imagine yourself cooking maybe even with a mock layout to see if it works for you. Only you know how you like to have things set up when you cook.
Hope this helps.
Best,
Care
Oh, I forgot to add. You can have decent size prep-sink on your island with the 8 feet. Something 18″ would work fine. That’s just a bit smaller than the size of the sink itself on the Stages. I was totally prepared to do that if I couldn’t get the Stages to fit and I think that it would have worked fine.
Hi Care,
Thanks for this great feedback. You bring up a very important point. If I put the sink on the short end, on the plus side, I’d have the best view of the house, looking over the cooktop to the backyard. But, my back would be to the refrigerator. Even with french doors and a 42″ aisle, that sounds like a bad idea. I could move the fridge over, which would still work overall, but like you said, I’m not sure I’ll like having to go around a corner to get to the rest of the counter or cooktop. I might be better off just getting a smaller sink. So, thanks so much for your advice on that. You’ve been a big help.
Yes the galley sink is cool. I love the functionality, but I think it is just too big for my needs — and $1000/foot sounds like an awful lot too.
Best,
Lilian
Oh, Care, I forgot. One more thing — when you say 18″ sink, do you mean the interior width of the sink? –Lilian
Hi Lillian,
Glad that I could be of help. I was just saying an 18 x 18 inch sink. That may be a bit smaller on the interior. I did a very cursory check online and Kohler does have an 18 x 18 Poise sink that comes with a bamboo cutting board that looks like it will fit over the sink completely . I would do more research if I were you because there are so many cool sinks these days. You need to find a style that will go your needs and your kitchen. Good Luck with everything!
Hi Care,
It’s me again! I hope your holidays are going great. After doing some mock-up cooking, I realized as a right-hander, I should really have my prep sink on my right side. Did you plan to have your prep sink on the right and range on your left? Did you have a preference? Do you mind having the range between the fridge and prep area? In our current layout, the prep sink is where your range is so it’s closer to the fridge, but it feels awkward to me to prep with the sink on my left, so now I’m thinking I should maybe lay it out like yours.
ps. I have been researching sinks, and yes there’s an amazing array of sinks nowadays.
Have a great new years!
Cheers,
Lilian
Hi Lillian,
Happy New Year! I don’t know whether being right-handed makes a difference. Here are the two criteria that I used for the sink placement. First of all, I had had a cooktop in the spot where I was going to put the new one. That way I didn’t have to move gas lines. Less money spent. Second, I put the sink on the right because I wanted to have a clear view of the Family Room TV while I was doing prep. Simple as that.
While I don’t mind having the range in between the cooktop and the sink, there is a small advantage to having the sink closer. It saves a few steps when getting things from the frig for prep. But the current placement hasn’t been an issue for me. As you can see, my reasons for placement had less to do with the actual cooking than with other factors. Hope that helps.