In the March issue of Bon Appetit magazine, there is a short interview with kitchen designer extraordinaire, Mick De Giulio. I still find myself pondering one of his responses a week or so after I initially read it, so I thought I'd see if anyone else has the same reaction.
The article is below, but first here are some images of his genius at work.
Kitchen of the Month Dec/Jan 2010 House Beautiful
There is so much to love about this kitchen. Notice there are no upper cabinets! Think of all the extra storage that's created if the empty space between countertops and upper cabinets was utilized. Also, I bet there are some big drawers on the stove side of the island. Isn't it so much easier to access items from a drawer - like freezer drawers on the bottom of the refrigerator vs. the old way?
My first thought when it comes to remodeling, is always how to DIY, probably because that's how Geno and I fixed up our first two homes. In our first little kitchen in our DC condo, I would have copied this idea by buying an IKEA armoire, putting crown molding around it and the ceiling, and knocking out those ugly upper cabinets separating the kitchen from the eating area.
One of De Giulio's trademarks is his creativity with storage solutions.
Notice the marble slab behind the stove...
photo: Simplified Bee
It slides open to reveal storage for spices and cooking oils.
photo: Simplified Bee
Photos: House Beautiful
An entire pantry and cooking/baking prep area are hidden neatly behind the cabinet doors.
So, here is the interview. Those planning a kitchen make-over will love his response to the last question!
So, what do you think about the splurge item being the refrigerator? We chose a GE refrigerator for our last house. I was sort of hoping the appliance salesman would give us a reason to splurge on a Sub-Zero (almost double what the GE cost) like, it self cleans or it restocks itself. Instead, he said it could keep a head of lettuce fresh for 6 weeks!
Thoughts?
