Casey Dunn
This kitchen lies athwart a row house-like floor plan, and its s…
Sometimes a green island is just a green island. Still, one might take the striking granite slab at the heart of this kitchen as more than a coincidence. The house earned the maximum five-star rating from the Austin Energy Green Building program, and its kitchen and bath abound in features that are both sustainable and smart.
Following the slope of the land, the house’s ground floor steps up through four distinct levels. At the highest level—along with a family/dining area—is the kitchen, which plays a subtle game of reveal-and-conceal with its adjacent spaces. “We wanted it to be visually open to the family area,” says architect Hugh Jefferson Randolph, “but not separated by just an island or a peninsula.” Randolph backed up the sink counter with a long, raised serving bar terminated by an oversize pier hollowed out for display shelves. Glass sliding doors open the kitchen to an outdoor cooking and dining area to the west; undercabinet windows offer a peek east.
The flooring throughout is a sustainable laminate of narrow hardwood strips in contrasting shades. Kitchen cabinets are of formaldehyde-free construction faced in European beech veneer. Soapstone counter-tops and a green glass backsplash quietly echo the hues of the island counter, whose distinctive grain spans both a fixed cabinet base and a stainless steel frame that can roll away for serving or dock at the island for preparation.
The master bathroom applies the kitchen’s spare, modernist detailing in a cooler palette of materials: quartz composite for the countertops, frameless glass for the shower stall, and ceramic tile for the floor, backsplash, and tub skirt. Beech cabinet doors and drawer fronts—with a darker stain than the kitchen’s—cut a warm swath through an otherwise grayscale scene, emphasizing the room’s linear layout.
Project Credits
Builder: Risinger Homes, Austin, Texas
Architect: Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects, Austin
Living space: 3,600 square feet
Site: 0.17 acre
Construction cost: $295 per square foot
Photographer: Casey Dunn
Project Resources: Bath fixtures: BainUltra, Kohler Co., TOTO USA; Dishwasher: Miele; Flooring: Ann Sacks Tile & Stone, Junckers Hardwood; Kitchen fixtures: Kohler Co.; Microwave, oven, range, range hood, and warming drawer: Wolf Appliance; Refrigerator: Sub-Zero; Windows: Gerkin Windows & Doors.
