Retractable Skylight Kitchen

A rectractable skylight opens this kitchen ceiling to the outdoors.

When a house wins architectural awards, the kitchen rarely plays a role in its design. But in the case of Elliott House, a four-story contemporary glass and concrete home in London, the kitchen is key due to its location on the top floor and to the retractable skylight in the ceiling. With the roof open [top], the kitchen is instantly transformed into an indoor/outdoor room with “natural” ventilation. Like the rest of the house, the kitchen has poured concrete walls and black granite tile floors. And hewing to the aesthetic of sleek flat, minimalist surfaces, architects Eldridge-Smerin added white lacquer cabinets, stainless steel counters,  and Gaggenau wall ovens  for the owner, travel photographer Richard Elliott.

With the ceiling closed, the kitchen gets an extraordinary amount of natural light over the island and galley while the adjacent dining area, furnished with Eames Vitra Wire chairs and a bespoke Opus Magnum table, has glass walls. In addition to its architectural importance, the house has special significance due to its eccentric location on a slope overlooking Highgate Cemetery, a Victorian London landmark. Needless to say, when the ceiling is open there is no noise to be heard from the neighbors.

(Source: Eldridge-Smerin, yatzer)

You also might like: Glass Ceiling Kitchen, Interior Glass Walls.

Copy and paste link to quick-share this post:  http://bit.ly/18oRDnz