Design the Perfect Kitchen

Client Profile:

Alex and Judy Cielo live in Miami. Together with their children Will (8) and Amanda (5), they live an active, fast-paced life. During the week, simple meals are prepared by one of the adults or brought in from a local restaurant, while over the weekend, the entire family makes cooking a group sport. When extended family and friends are in town, everyone pitches in and makes cooking a part of the party.

The Challenge:

The kitchen in the contemporary home the Cielos fell in love with needed an upgrade. They insist on an aesthetically superior kitchen, but also want a kitchen that can accommodate their hectic weekday schedule. Often, meals need to be prepared quickly, and dinnertime is not always at the same time for everyone.

The Solution:

The Cielo’s new kitchen requires plenty of workspace. Bosch appliances include a speed microwave oven and other features that aid fast, consistent cooking results, and their truly flush design adds a high level of sophistication. The design solution includes a contemporary mix of elegant walnut cabinets and Arizona tile split face tavertine. It’s an uncluttered juxtaposition of old-world and high-tech materials.

Multiple height countertops enhance the comfortable use of the kitchen for a variety of cooks. By using thicker countertops on standard height cabinets, taller individuals can work at perimeter cabinets with ease. The lowered island cabinets (consider 32-34" AFF) allow for shorter cooks and make it easier to look into and attend to tall pots on the cooking surface.

Consider over-cabinet lighting, as well as under-cabinet lighting. Task lighting to brighten the countertop is a must, and lighting above the cabinets provides interesting mood lighting. It is especially beautiful when highlighting tile or a great ceiling treatment.

Positioning the speed oven, single oven and steam oven horizontally puts all ovens at the perfect ergonomic height for users of all ages, heights and abilities. Multiple cooks can access each oven at the same time.

The black walnut countertop on the sitting side of the island is practical, as well as beautiful. It’s warm to the touch for people sitting in conversation, while the stainless countertop on the cooking side is utilitarian and impervious to burns.

Multiple work zones work well for a single chef and allow older visitors a place to sit and help in the kitchen. It’s important to make sure there’s counter space near each oven and refrigerator. This is where the large island with spacious countertops becomes an important part of those work zones.

The recessed wall of ovens gives the family great choices for meal prep, no matter what the need. This kitchen stands up to the demands of a very active family’s lifestyle.

Use two 30" refrigerators with freezers below to get more refrigerator space. It gives more fresh food storage room that’s needed when guests are in town.

Covering the back walls with natural split-face travertine adds textural interest and accents the oven wall and alcove, giving contrast to the smooth cabinet and countertop surfaces. The large-format floor tile, a sintered material that’s impervious to staining or damage, is a practical contemporary tribute to old world stone.