Kitchen Case Study: Old Florida, New Vision

One hundred years ago Addison Mizner brought Spanish style to Florida.  Incidentally, the state's written history begins with the arrival of Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon in 1513. Functionally, the tall open arches, windows and loggias typical to that architecture invite sea breezes within and were the perfect antidote to our hot steamy summers prior to air conditioning.

The range hood picks up rich wood tones of the new floor. Counter tops are quartz by Silestone. Photo by Shanna Morgaine

Mizner subtly adapted his designs to suit Florida and its warm climate. Although inspired by the art of Spain and Italy, his structures bear his own stamp and are a defining feature of what we think of today as Palm Beach style.

Addison Mizner’s design for the Cloister Inn, now the Boca Raton Resort & Club, relied on his signature Mediterranean Revival style.

Photo courtesy of the Boca Raton Historical Society

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Mediterranean Revival style lives on reminding us of Mizner and his contribution to the Palm Beach landscape.

Addison Mizner with his pet monkey, Johnnie Brown 

Courtesy of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County

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I was recently delighted to be a part of a kitchen remodel in one such home located in Boca Raton.  The homeowners were looking for an updated and functional kitchen for their family.  At the same time, they treasure and acknowledge the history of their hundred-year-old home.

Setting the Scene

See a new kitchen I designed in a hundred-year-old Addison Mizner home in Boca Raton. It's a bit of Florida history + updated style! For more about this interesting project visit my blog at ArtfulKitchens.net I would love to help you with your project too!

Design wise I saw my biggest challenge as taking the existing kitchen space plus a butler’s pantry area and making them into one decent sized unified kitchen full of function. At the same time, it had to feel fresh yet look like it belonged in the house.

Challenges of an Older Home

The previous main sink location before we combined the two rooms

Denali Construction Corp, with architect Adriana Finnvold, expertly addressed issues with the foundation which were discovered during demo.  They also were able to remove the wall separating the existing kitchen and butler’s pantry. Since we were removing a hallmark arch we added one on the entry to the dining room as well as one in the hallway.

Design Thoughts

The existing wood floor was in poor shape so it was replaced with a similar but darker wood with slightly wider, more updated planks. We picked up the rich finish with a matching range hood hood, traditional but clean lined.  Floating shelves in the same wood material tied it all together and added a modern touch.

Floating shelves add a touch of modern. Photo by Shanna Morgaine

Function & Flow

In order to really integrate the old butler’s pantry, I decided to locate the main sink and clean up work area there below an existing window looking out on a courtyard garden.

New main sink and clean-up work zone in former butler’s pantry area

The relocated main sink and clean-up zone with a new arch to the dining room. The apron style sink is the iconic IKON Silgranit sink by Blanco. Photo by Shanna Morgaine.

The old kitchen sink became a prep sink, closer to the refrigerator allowing the two separate functions of food prep and clean up to happen simultaneously.  Voilá we now had a two cook kitchen.

We also added some glass doors and took the cabinets up to the ceiling for maximum storage. A peninsula provides additional seating for the breakfast area. Bernier Cabinetry by Devine Design Kitchens & More brought this design to life with their careful planning and expert installation. I always say the best projects are great collaborations.

Some Final Words from a Happy Client

My client dishes on exactly what she loves about her new kitchen! Gloria@artfulkitchens.net 561-254-7736

See more photos of this kitchen here in my portfolio.

Tile Tuesday: In Valencia Art is a Way of Life

Welcome to today's installment of Tile Tuesday!  The second half of my adventure with Tile of Spain took us to Valencia, location of Cevisama the annual trade show held to showcase the latest innovations introduced by the Spanish tile industry.We traveled by train east from Sevilla to Valencia, which is situated on the coast about 300 miles south of Barcelona. At first glance Valencia appears to be very modern with a predominance of what I call “the new Spanish architecture” featuring waves, curves and a visually interesting asymmetry.But there is an older Valencia to explore as well. The heart of the city features structures such as The “Iglesia de San Juan del Hospital” which dates back to the 1200s! The current city grew from this center. What a crazy combination of styles!  You can see Roman, Gothic, Renaissance  and more because different sections were constantly added to the original structure.Again we had a passionate knowledgeable tour guide who did not allow us to leave one inch of Valencia uncovered!  One of my favorite spots was the Mercado de Colón, a beautiful example of the Art Nouveau style. Glass and tile adorn this early twentieth century marketplace, now a gathering place full of interesting bars and restaurants.Hallmarks of the Art Nouveau style include free flowing organic shapes,  rich earth tones and lots of tile! At the turn of the nineteenth century there was no aspect of living that was not touched by the movement.  It was a global trend as well.  In Germany it was known as Jugendstil, in Spain Arté Joven and Secession in Austria.  The American version evolved into the what we know as the Arts and Crafts Movement, a simplified, more linear version.   According to Art Nouveau philosophy,  art should be a way of life. No wonder I'm always intrigued by it!If you're looking to "Nouveau" your kitchen here are somethings you can include:-Rich brown wood stains-Green, green and green 

Traditional Tile by Los Angeles Tile, Stone & Countertops Filmore Clark

-Some curvy shapes (more affordable to do this with your counter top than with cabinets)-Oak wood floors or cabinets -Certain flora and fauna like the dragonfly, the ginko leaf and the thistle are all images often seen in Art Nouveau styling-Ceramic tile backsplashes (preferably with the above motifs)Next Tile Tuesday: More Cevisama and the future of tile. 

5 STEPS TO A MINDFUL KITCHEN REMODEL

One of my favorite magazines, Cooking Light, contains a very interesting article that I love this month.  It’s about something called “mindful eating”.  I agree that we, as a culture, me included, eat way too much because we don’t do it mindfully.  Simply put it just means that if you make yourself 100% present and focused at the task at hand (eating) during mealtime you will enjoy your food more and you won’t feel the need to eat as much.  I happen to believe that you can easily carry this concept over to the kitchen design and remodel process.  These days when we are trying to get the most out of every dollar we want to know that every aspect of the complicated process of remodeling a kitchen has been well thought out.  Here are five ways you can do it.  

On line resources such as houzz.com allow you to research and prepare for your remodel. Contemporary Kitchen design by San Francisco Architect Cathy Schwabe Architecture

 1) Don’t be in a rush-  When you impose a drop dead date such as Thanksgiving or Christmas you will be more likely to rush your choices.  This is a complicated process and it needs to be planned out properly and executed in a certain order.  Collect your thoughts and ideas beforehand.  This should included concept photos, and ideas for products.  In this day of social media there is no excuse not to do the research.  It will allow your professional partners to do an even better job for you.  

This would be an example of a master of  traditional design!

Mediterranean Kitchen design by Phoenix Design-build Fratantoni Luxury Estates

There's a big difference in the details!

Modern Kitchen design by San Francisco Kitchen And Bath European Cabinets & Design Studios

 2)     Work with someone you feel good about-  I don’t care how knowledgeable your designer, or salesperson seems, if they don’t feel right for you, you’ll probably save much aggravation by partnering with someone you feel is your ally and can see your own unique vision.  Many designers are adept at working in a variety of styles.  However, if you love sleek, modern, minimal designs don’t select a designer who’s work is typically very traditional.  They’ll probably be able to help you but it not with the insight, enthusiasm and access to products as someone who specializes in your style.                3) Prepare for the downtime- Always insist on a schedule for your project.  This is NOT to say it won’t have to be tweaked from time to time but it’s always best to have a starting point.  It helps keep all the players on the same page. A big part of this is to plan how you’re going to get by when you’re without a kitchen.  Where are you going to put the refrigerator?  Do you have convenient place to put your microwave?  How close is your temporary set up to a sink?  Keep most used cups and utensils easy to access.                           4)   Pick your battles- Everyone has a budget and  most of us  can’t have it all.  That said, there are usually a couple of areas in which a judicious splurge can make all the difference.  One biggie is springing for a counter depth model refrigerator which is nearly flush with your counter top.  This makes a big difference in a small space. Although they’re more expensive they’re still a lot less than the super high end true built-in models.   5)   Don’t rush to judgement- If you are living on site during your remodel, resist the impulse to go into a seizure over every nick or crooked drawer front.  Again, it’s a process with a million details and steps.  At this point you should be trusting (if you did step 2) your professionals to do what they do.  Typically all doors and drawer fronts will be aligned before your installation is finished.  It is also typical practice for you and your designer to get together on a punch out list so all concerns, including touch ups are addressed before completion.If you have a question about your kitchen design or remodel I’d love to hear from you!

CABINET STYLE 101

One of the myriad decisions you'll have to make when considering new kitchen cabinets is STYLE.  What do you say when your kitchen professional poses the question, what style are you?  There are, of course, many but we can safely narrow it down to three categories.  The first one is known as TRADITIONAL.  Anything Old World, Country, French Country or Tuscan would come under that category.  You know you're traditional when cabinet doors are ornate with lots of finish detail and moulding.  Because of this, a classic or traditional look is usually the most expensive to create.  The second category is CONTEMPORARY.  This style is usually very simple and streamlined with not a lot of detail.  This type of kitchen gets its beauty from the materials used.  For example a beautiful wood grain or color.  If you are careful about the materials used this can by your most inexpensive option.  Remember less can be more.  The third style is TRANSITIONAL.  A lot of us come under this category which could also be described as eclectic. The popular Shaker door is a good example of this.  It can be either modern or traditional looking depending on the hardware you select and the rest of the finishes in the kitchen.  If you're interested in resale value this is the way to go as it will appeal to the majority. Now can you identify the style of kitchen in these three photos from Holiday Kitchens?