apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

WOW! Uncle! I give! This is, hands down, my favorite kitchen. I still love my Buddha-licious LA kitchen for my needs, but this one is just... Drop. Dead. Gorgeous. Fantastic job, JP!

Can't tell from these pixs but I assume you have a fridge and oven somewhere in the kitchen? Love the skylight. If you have plenty of counter space what would be the purpose of adding an island? Seating for your guests [to get their drinks out of your way ;-)] or just to define/separate the kitchen space from another living area? I think that's something you really need to decide based on how you use the space.

I look at this and say to myself, "I hate my life."

Don't feel bad, Paul. I'm sure the kitchen takes up the entire apt. Why, the photographer's back was flat against the front door when he took this shot!

Oh my goodness - this kitchen is huge! I'm jealous of all that counter space. It might just be the enormous stove, but this kitchen is quite evocative of all of the restaurants I've worked in - it's like having an entire grill and prep line right there. Very nice.

Wish we could see how it flows with the rest of your apartment, though...

Love it!! Love the color, love the skylight.

So jealous of the space.

The lighting and tiles and colors just make it seem like such relaxing and fun place to cook a meal for friends.

Oh, the parties I would have with that kitchen!

(assuming there will be a "Heavyweight" category in this contest?! This is an obscene amount of space, and presents a completely different range of challenges than all the Bantam-weights so far.)
Beautifully done, though.

i'm with you, other patrick. this is a wholly different breed of kitchen! the challenges presented to others - size, renting, budget, do not seem to be at work with this kitchen. doesn't seem fair to pit this one against the others. that being said, judging this kitchen on it's own merits, this is really a very nice kitchen. i wonder if that yellow ties into anything else? it's such a bright and vivid color, i hope that it doesn't stand alone. i do like the island idea, or maybe make it an eat-in? well done, jp. color me green with envy!

I. Love. This. Kitchen.

I say, go with the big empty middle section. It's working.

Wow, now I am REALLY REALLY baffled regarding the whole warm/cool debate...

There's something kinda sweet about looking at the pictures of this enormous, beautiful kitchen and seeing a tiny little toaster oven sitting on the marble countertop.

Whoa! Totally awsome!

Love the overall look. Best things are the lack of overhead cabinets (except for the yellow ones which look great) which allows for the beatiful marble backsplash to go high without looking over done, the way that the hood, stove and backsplash look like a single integrated unit inserted into the cabinets and soffit above, the skylight detail (cross beams) as well as just the presence of the skylight, the cabinet color - looks like wenge which I love, and the horizontal bar handles that you know I like from Aida's kitchen.

As much as I like Aida's kitchen I love this one in a different way. Seema and Patrick have both said it but it really is in a different league.

As for ideas, how about a massive wooden free standing table with bench seating? I'm thinking of an old, worn woodworking bench look to contrast with the clean modern look.
On the other hand, amd in complete contrast, I also like the idea of a somewhat open framed modern table like the ones in the one of the renderings for the riverlofts (www.riverlofts-tribeca.com)

I'm with Faith, I would love to see how it fits in relation to the rest of the space.

Patrick and zia - that one surprised me too but I think we should move on now.

Mary, I like the way you think and Jimkk, maybe that *is* the oven ;o)

One question JP, does the concrete floor extend throughout the apt/loft?

If I were tasked with filling the middle space, I like jamie pup's suggestion of table versus island, assuming there is not already a table just past the camera's range.

And I think a combination of "massive primitive" with "industrial polish" would really sing here... a big slab of a rustic table (something like Crate & Barrel's Big Sur...

www.crateandbarrel.com/itemgroups/14071_0.asp?cr=5&crp=HomePage&crs=1A

surrounded by the white epoxy version of Starck's Hudson chairs, as an example (plus a low-slung bench on one side of the table, as jamie pup also suggested.)

Another table route-- the Saarinen oval table with white marble top, to bring the marble (and its kitchen finctionality) out into the room. In that case, I'd go with the brushed aluminum version of the Hudson chairs.

Patrick (the other one) - it's back to welcoming and reflecting an individual's personality, not whether something is modern or not.

Jamie Pup - I agree. Let's move on!

gladly

Jamie Pup - The concrete floor is just limited to the kitchen area. The rest of the apt is hardwood flooring. I like your idea of putting a table in the middle. The kitchen area is approx 14' x 15' so I can easily fit a small table in the middle. However, I do have a breakfast bar on the other side of the kitchen along with a built in double wall stove.... I was planning on putting bar stools along the breakfast bar, but I think I would like to further explore your idea of a table in the middle.

Thannks for all the great suggestions!

Incredible! The light, the space are amazing. And I've always dreamed of a stove that big. I too would love to see where the fridge and oven(s) are, as well as how the kitchen fits into the rest of the space. One question - with a grill built into your cooktop, what's that George Forman doing there??

On second thought, I'll "move on" when I feel ready to move on... and I ain't ready.

I just don't get "welcoming" from this kitchen at all (even though I like it, and the surface choices all very very much).

jp--
I know you said you were working on getting to the "welcoming " vibe... my previous comment wasn't meant as criticism to/of you.

It really is an amazing, high style space. What took you to that remarkably clear color of yellow?

This is an amazing kitchen but it does need to be made more welcoming. There's nothing here that reveals anything of the personality of the owner. An extra large poster on the wall above the marble backsplash, fresh flowers, a bowl of lemons, a few cookbooks, something to suggest a real person lives here and that it's not a professional kitchen closed up for the night. Yes, that's green I'm wearing, and not for St. Pat's day. . .

I'm not sure what to make of the yellow rectangles. They really don't fit with the rest of the kitchen. Now I don't have anything against yellow--two of my walls are yellow. It's just that this is a monochrome kitchen except for the aforementioned peculiar rectangles. Other than that, it's gorgeous.

Hmmm, where's the fridge? is it stainless too? the stove is gorgeous! I absolutely love the lemon yellow cupboards, and would really like to see the color idea (not necessarily yellow, but something equally intense, repeated elsewhere in the room. The giant poster over the backsplash is a good idea. Also, the table idea is very good--if the breakfast bar you are planning is against a wall then everything might seem very painted on-the-walls. Maybe a bar that is perpendicular to the wall? what about a vivid rug? iflor toy poodle, set up in rectangles of color? or just a vividly colored table or bar top, to bring the color out into the room...

If you're considering art, (imho) the caliber of this space really demands gallery-quality art, gutsy and high-impact. For specific inspiration for this space (because of the horizontal banding and the color blocking), head to the REALLY amazing space high up in the new MoMA, featuring an outrageous installation of just two HUGE pieces. It's the best space in the whole place (almost church-like, in the good sense) and reminds me very much of your kitchen. I also think this is one of the rare liveable spaces that could use freestanding sculpture really effectively.

Hey, Kate, why does your name link to Shoshana's* email address?

*as in "competitor in this contest Shoshana"