THE KITCHEN: A NEW HISTORY IN AN OLD SPACE
Our team recently remodeled the kitchen of a 1910 brownstone in Harlem. The homeowners were cooking enthusiasts, and we worked closely to establish their desires for workflow, family gatherings, and entertaining within the space.
The Brief
Vestibulum posuere pharetra massa, in scelerisque orci pulvinar in. Suspendisse tristique vehicula ante. Nam consequat nibh justo, non sollicitudin sem placerat vitae. Praesent dignissim sem a auctor scelerisque. Duis placerat dui ac tortor tincidunt, pulvinar condimentum ex euismod. Vivamus ultrices vitae tortor ut rutrum. Integer sed pharetra neque, ut commodo tortor. Maecenas vehicula semper tortor, ut auctor diam ornare ut. Pellentesque et ex et dolor tempor suscipit. Phasellus vel orci vel orci tincidunt interdum. Nunc quis viverra metus. In cursus tempor purus et tincidunt.
Gurri specializes in the renovation of what is arguably the home’s most intense design challenge: the kitchen. And according to Kelmendi, the tallest order has only gained stature, as this space has now become truly central. “The kitchen has replaced the living room as the focal gathering place of the home,” he says. “Cooking, dining, doing homework, entertaining, sharing the details of one’s day—it all happens in the kitchen.” He goes on to identify “socially sympathetic” appliances, which function in near-silence, as essential to this new way of using the kitchen. In the search for such appliances, Kelmendi recommends utilizing ‘Quiet Mark,’ a program that certifies brands and products based on their level of noise reduction.
Modernizing this 1910 Brownstone kitchen maintained the integrity of the architecture while requiring multi-work areas to be created for a family of chefs who also wanted an abundance of storage space. Replacement of an outdated HVAC system for better airflow venting and direct access to the backyard patio was created from the dining area which allowed more light into the room.
The wow factor is created with a custom-built nine-foot by four-foot center kitchen island with an Imperial Danby marble countertop from ABC Worldwide Stone. The island hides two-Bosch dishwashers and has a sink with a polished chrome Kallista faucet and a Franke cold water filter dispenser. The butler’s pantry takes traffic off the kitchen’s main work area with a bar sink, Thermador refrigerated beverage drawers, an ice maker, a Bosch microwave, an expresso machine, and additional pantry storage. Two stainless steel Wolf ovens–a convection steam oven (good for baking) and a conventional oven with 10 cooking modes, a six-burner Wolf cooktop, and a range hood with heating lamps are just some of this kitchen’s high-end appliances.
Customized cabinets were built-to-order with top quality interior functionality, ‘a place for everything, everything in its place,’ fulfills these homeowners’ vision for functionality and style, with maximum convenience that creates a “Kitchen as Social Space.”
