Getting our coffee this morning, we were inspired by the stainless cabinets that the cafe used behind the counter. Super efficient, easy to clean, durable and cool in a retro way, we thought this would be really nice in a home kitchen...
The entire counter was built in, BTW. From the sink on the far left all the way down to the long fridge on the far right, it was all one seamless production. Very nice. We're bookmarking it for our next (dream) home.
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Comments (20)
Easy to clean?! Please let me in on the secret to smudge free stainless!
Method sells a cleaner specifically for stainless steel. I love the look of it, but I too hate the fingerprints all over the place. Brushed nickel is a great alternative, but I imagine it would be really expensive.
Easy to clean. Hard to keep clean.
Stainless steel is the avocado and gold harvest of the future.
*are*
No, *is*. It would be "avocado and gold *are*."
Most cabinets not specifically designed for residential kitchens (like file cabinets or office furniture) are not deep enough. You can use them, but an applicance will stick out further than them. IKEA does sell stainless cabinet drawerfronts, though they aren't widely displayed.
I can't help but think that this reminds me of the high school cafeteria kitchen.
A stainless counter top might be ok but the entire kitchen? I just think it would look too much like... a cafe. :)
I like the floors. (random yes, but I'm putting in plywood floors myself in a few weeks)
Very funny, SleepyDweller. I've been thinking the same thing myself for a couple of years now. Imagine the future buyer of your house in 2037 going "Gah! Must tear out all this stainless steel!"
Funny, I'm so over stainless steel appliances, and have been for a while, but I like the idea of a free-standing cabinet like this -- say, in a rustic cabin kitchen -- alongside vintage appliances.
I still love the look of a working kitchen (a restaurant, say) with industrial stainless. It's authentic. I think what has been boring for several years now (actually) is the tarted-up over-priced stainless fridges for regular kitchens. That's where stainless is the same as harvest gold.
I absolutely HATE these cabinets. I'd take the avocado green or harvest gold first. I prefer nice, clean white appliances and neutral cabinets.
Many people don't realize that appliance companies have taken advantage of the public by marketing appliances as stainless steel when in reality they are not.
I always bring this up during posts concerning stainless in the kitchen because this is somewhat fudged up. Professional kitchens are stainless steel they are not plastic with a microthin layer of stainless steel film.
Thanks to the condo boom as well for the misconception. It has now been ingrained into buyer's minds that a home with "stainless steel appliances and hardwood throughout" is extra posh. But that's not the case because it's really not stainless steel and it's really not hardwood.
Stainless steel is a beautiful metal and in the hands of expert craftsmen it can be worked into beautiful forms for the kitchen. It can have a delicate brushed appearance, it can be bent and embossed.
Stainless for the kitchen shouldn't be looked at as a status symbol. It should be considered for its functionality and its beauty. By the way, I'm not the tidiest person (according to my wife) and I cook all the time and I think I've polished our 7' stainless steel island and refrigerator less than 5 times in 6 months. Why? Because I use a cutting board on the island and I use the handle on the refrigerator.
Oh yeah,
and it all depends on your space. Every kitchen design is different.
We looked at having a commercial company come in and do seamless, welded, stainless for our small galley kitchen and the first estimate was $22K so we kinda said "uh, no thanks" and moved on. It all has to be custom fabricated on site.
You might luck out and find something that fits from a restaurant that is going out of business.
"You might luck out and find something that fits from a restaurant that is going out of business."
Yep. Friends of mine did that, and managed to score an amazing one-piece restaurant countertop-and-sink unit on Craigslist.
art's point about the crappy faux-restaurant appliances is exactly what I was referring to when I said that I've had it with the stainless trend. REAL steel, thoughtfully used, can look great and it's practical, to boot, so long as you're not anal about fingerprints. :)
Ahhhh!!! Gorgeous! You pretty much found my dream (delicious, industrial, shiny) kitchen.
Cleaning stainless steel is pretty easy -- slightly damp microfibre cloth, takes all finger prints, etc., off.
If you live in Montreal, you might be interested in this:
http://montreal.craigslist.org/fur/399488507.html