1899 Rising Glen, Los Angeles
Merit, best kitchen in a single-family detached, remodeled home, over 3,000 square feet
By Nigel F. Maynard
It’s hard to believe, but some Southern California houses do not embrace the outdoors-a shame, given the area’s spectacular climate. For the owners of this 1980s post-modern house, architect David Montalba transformed a once-closed-off warren of rooms into a stunning indoor/outdoor sequence. “We just blew everything out,” he says. That meant, among other things, replacing a solid wall with a large slider that provides access to an outdoor living room and movie screening area.
“We wanted a sophisticated space with a high degree of usability,” Montalba says. Material choices reflect these priorities. The kitchen features streamlined Bulthaup cabinets with a dark charcoal-stained wood veneer, and a CaesarStone countertop in a European-style thin profile. French limestone with radiant heating tops the floor. The new light-filled space has enough panache for serious entertaining, but it’s also durable enough for day-to-day family living.
Entrant/Architect: Montalba Architects, Santa Monica; Builder: Sarlan Builders, Beverly Hills, Calif.; Kitchen/Bath Designer: Bulthaup, Los Angeles; Lighting Designer: John Brubaker Architectural Lighting, Los Angeles
- Dishwasher: Miele
- Garbage disposal: Badger by InSinkErator
- Range/oven: Gaggenau
- Range hood: Gaggenau
- Refrigerator: Sub-Zero
- Warming drawer: Dacor
- Plate warmer: Miele
- Cabinetry: Bulthaup
- Countertop: CaesarStone
- Flooring: Hagan Flynn (limestone slab)
- Sink: Franke
- Gas cook top: Gaggenau
- Wok cook top: Gaggenau
- Heated floor: Nuheat
- Windows: Fleetwood
- Lighting/dimmers: Lutron
205 Bayland Kitchen, Houston, Texas
Merit
By Nigel F. Maynard
Creole Design and Allegro Builders restored this 1910 kitchen to its original glory with all the right flourishes. White-painted custom millwork unifies the space, while white oak floors and mahogany counters lend an old-world feel. Instead of stainless appliances, the team opted for a more appropriate black iron, and they even replicated the original windows.
Entrant/Builder: Allegro Builders, Houston; Architect: Creole Design, Houston
- Garbage disposal: InSinkErator
- Microwave: Viking
- Range/oven: Wolf Appliance/Viking
- Refrigerator: Viking
- Cabinetry: Custom by Allegro Builders (mahogany)
- Countertop: Custom by Allegro Builders (mahogany)
- Faucets/fittings: Kallista
- Flooring: honed marble
- Sinks: Kallista
- Wine cellar: Custom (2000 bottle capacity)
- Windows: Custom by Jeld-Wen
- Glass block: Art Glass
- Tile flooring: Master Tile (ceramic)
- Wood flooring: white oak
- Lighting: Baccarat pendants; antique crystal chandeliers
- Paint/stain: Sherwin-Williams
