Dutcher Creek Kitchen by Nielsen:Schuh Architects

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Matthew Millman

A tall glazing element above the sink frames a view of nearby re… Read More A tall glazing element above the sink frames a view of nearby redwood trees. Its vertical proportions repeat in the plaster-clad range hood and glass-tile backsplash.

Matthew Millman

A bank of storage cabinets separates the living area from the ki… Read More A bank of storage cabinets separates the living area from the kitchen, which is open to the dining room and the broad, sheltering roof above.

Courtesy Nielsen:Schuh Architects

The kitchen's floor plan.

The strength of the Dutcher Creek Residence kitchen lies in creating a coherent sense of place while never losing touch with its surroundings. Open to an adjacent dining area and separated from the living area by only a bank of freestanding cabinets, the space rises to a layered roof structure—exposed steel members topped with Douglas fir purlins and decking—that suggests the shape of the entire house. Architects Amy Nielsen and Richard Schuh oriented the building toward views of a neighboring vineyard and a grove of mature redwoods, locating a roof-high window over the kitchen’s main sink, Schuh points out, “so, as you work in the kitchen, you look up and see the height of these trees.”

project: Dutcher Creek Residence, Cloverdale, Calif.
architect: Nielsen:Schuh Architects, Sonoma, Calif.
builder: Adams & Co. Homebuilders, Sonoma

resources: garbage disposer: KitchenAid; kitchen fittings: KWC Faucets; kitchen fixtures: Franke; lighting fixtures: Juno; oven: Thermador; paints/stains: Benjamin Moore; range: Wolf; refrigerator: Sub-Zero; windows: Blomberg Window Systems