Name: Enrique
Location: Los Angeles, CA
*(right in the heart of Hollywood, off the Sunset Strip)
Favorite Kitchen Stores
I can't really fake the funk here. I'm lucky if I cook a real meal once a week because of my business travel and nights out. So, I'm not the best source for high-end kitchen supply stores.
Although I did once go to a restaurant supply store in Culver City to purchase a muddler (for mojitos), most of my cooking needs have been well-served by chain-stores The Great Indoors, Target, and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Hey, you can't knock their convenience and competitive-pricing!
Pitch:
I love my kitchen because it's a loving update of a 1962 modernist apartment. It respects the original open floor plan, existing architecture and overall feel of the era, but has all the amenities of a contemporary kitchen with an efficient use of space. (more after jump)
3 Compelling kitchen cooking/design tips:
- Always keep your work spaces clear. Wash and dry your dishes after use (or at least throw them in the dishwasher). Even if the kitchen space is just for you; excessive clutter is not very zen.
- Keep only the essentials out in the open... (more after jump)
The Pitch - Cont'd
Although the ceilings are 9 feet tall in the rest of the apartment, the ceiling drops down in the entryway and kitchen area to accomodate the HVAC. As you can see from picture #2, the ceiling heights in these areas are staggered, with the lowest ceiling painted a contrasting silver grey and a recessed cut-out in the kitchen ceiling to accomodate the track lighting...
Its openness to the living/dining area make socializing and food-prep that much more relaxed. The floor in the kitchen is the same bamboo flooring that is in the rest of the apartment.
What I love about the kitchen is that it shows that good design can be had at a reasonable price: all of the lacquer-finish laminate cabinets are from Ikea; the track lighting is also from Ikea (the pleating in each shade even echoes the lines of the Nelson bubble lamp in the dining area); all of the large appliances (ceramic top stove, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator) were the least-expensive, energy-efficient models in their class; all of the work surfaces and backsplashes are caesarstone (white with grey flecking that looks very similar to terrazo floors); and the striped runner was a $13 purchase from Ikea. Being a single guy who's a bit of a neat-freak, I guess the geometry of the space is what pleases me most about the kitchen.
But I cannot take credit for the kitchen update. The previous owners completely gutted the apartment a few months before I bought it. The kitchen is really a testament to their eye.
Tips Cont'd
...What you see pictured is pretty much how the kitchen looks at any given moment. Only the most used items are out: coffee maker, coffee grinder, small stainless dishrack with dishtowel, dishsoap and sponge, scented candle, convection/toaster oven (unfortunately only available in black), napkin caddy, cordless phone and whatever bottle of red happens to be uncorked at the time.
Accesorize with art.
I have a few pieces that hopefully warm up the space: 3 lacquer trays filled with black river rocks, an inexpensive, small Indonesian Buddha bust, and an original mixed-media painting of the signage for the late-great Hollywood Star Lanes Bowling Alley by L.A. artist Mark Brunner (www.markbrunner.com).
At some point, I will hang the painting on the back wall, possibly creating a gallery wall in the kitchen with other Hollywood-type imagery (art budget permitting). But, hey, I've only been living in this apartment for seven weeks now!
Enrique
PS Thanks for opening up this competition outside of NYC!
I really like the simplicity and openness of this guys kitchen. I find his kitchen almost identical to the vast displays of many of the high end kitchen design firms located on almost every block in my West Hollywood, CA neighborhood. This example, however, shows me that one can get "The Look" at the IKEA price. Now THATS my kind of dream kitchen . bragging rights and all. - S. Rebori / West Hollywood, CA
Another handsome kitchen, but it looks like a display model. Some archeological evidence that meals have actually been prepared in there would help to give the room some character. Instead of accessorizing with "art" (rocks? rocks?!? Is this the kitchen or the tokonoma???), how about a fancy jar filled with dry pasta, or olive oil, etc., etc. There are blank walls crying out for spice racks, pots, gadgets -- heed their call!!!
He admits he only cooks in it once a week and you want him to clutterize it so it doesn't look like a display?
Not pushing clutter. Keepin' it real!
LOL. Frank, you're killing me! Last night, I made potato asparagus soup (from scratch) and even baked up some orange-cranberry muffins (from a mix, not from scratch). I just don't have tons of extraneous cooking supplies, and lots more storage than stuff (enough to store all the gadgets that don't get everyday use). Add to that, me being a bit of a neat freak. (I always clean up as I do food prep--mama's so proud!) BUT, as I said, I normally don't get to cook at home much because of my travel schedule. So only the essentials are out (coffee, wine, etc). Guess that makes me seem like a coffee-achiever/borderline alcoholic. Anyway, as I get more settled in the place, you should see the kitchen develop a little more character--but not much more. Don't be fooled by the rocks!
I really like the staggered volumes of the cabinets, especially as they relate to the ceiling. Another totally smart way to use IKEA components. And hurray for incoming art in the kitchen!!
Above all, you are a big man NOT to take credit for the kitchen from the previous owners. Looks like you really scored with this space, though, so good for you. I think you need to re-enter it in next year's kitchen contest once you've put more of your own personal coffee-charged, wine-stained, asparagus-soup-making thumbprint on it!!! ;)
(yet another apartment I would love to buy/advise on the art for!!)
Just personal taste but this kitchen looks completely unused and bare. The kitchen is the sensuous center of the home, where people should gather, nourishment is prepared. I just think it is natural for there to be warmth and texture to a kitchen, wood, color, tools for creating and nourishing. So a couple of these submissions have been almost completely cold and empty. I'd think that a modern kitchen is an open space to impose yourself on, but I don't see any of the owners reflected in their kitchens!
Once again, I think the soul of the kitchen comes from the people in it, the bags of groceries unpacked, the wines uncorked, the meals prepared, the toast burnt, the smells and tastes created. I think the more spare, modern submissions-- like this one-- are equally ideal to all this still happening as their more embellished counterparts.
And I like the idea of "kitchen as lab".
I also think the life of the actual "kitchen envelope" comes from some things not so apparent in these photos... the grain of wood, the flecks of color in the stone, the quality of light.
And, to end my little rant, I love that this remodel is true to the nature of the space in which it exists.
Thanks for your thoughtful insights, Patrick! You hit the nail on the head as to why I love my kitchen. The mix of mass-market (less-expensive) Ikea cabinets with the beautiful bamboo floors and the flecking on the caesarstone work surfaces and the fantastic plumbing fixtures works so well for me. It's a nice clean modern look without a horrific price tag. (And, yes, I promise to put up lots of art on that back wall. Right now, all of my paintings and photographs are either up against walls or still crated up in the closet.) Sara's points are well-taken, too. But the fact that the kitchen is open to the dining and living area kind of extends the "heart" or "center" of the home for me. Ultimately, I wanted to have the feel of the entertaining areas spilling over into kitchen, and not vice versa. Really, the space does work as one big area as opposed to 3 discrete (though visually-defined) areas. So the gathering and socializing occurs throughout the entire space. I won't really comment on the rest of apartment since this contest is just limited to kitchens except to say that the other rooms (bathroom, bedroom, large covered patio) don't have the same "feel" as the spaces you see pictured. You see much more of a "stamp" or personality in those spaces... So I stand by my own assesment of the kitchen--contemporary with nods to the apartment's midcentury lines, as filtered by a neat-freak. Cheers!
I would rather see clean, modern kitchens where people actually work and entertain rather than a bunch of those faux-"warm" kitchens that have tons of amenities, but that no one ever uses for more than doling out take-out. Nothing says "I don't actually cook here" like expensive cabinets and a twelve burner stove.
Aida and Enrique both chose clean textures and lots of white, but there are still a bunch of little details around the place that tell me someone lives there -- his bottle of wine and her alphabet magnets are big tip offs... Enrique still has some work to do, but it sounds like he just moved in and is willing to wait and get things right. It also sounds like he appreciates, loves and uses what he does have already...
Gotta agree I'm completely baffled at all these comments that imply or state that some of these kitchens are cold. I agree with Patrick and Mary here that there is more to the warmth/soul/sensuality than, um, whatever it is that these ppl are talking about- I told you I was baffled.
Enrique--
My two cents on the art situation-- I'd go one statement piece at the end wall rather than loading it up. If money were no big deal, I'd point you to some of the work of Ed Ruscha (he's done some text/texture prints based on California streets, and something about his "cool detachment" seems like it would relate to what's going on in your space). Depending also how the kitchen relates to the rest of the apartment, would you consider a color on that end wall?
I love this kitchen. I really like the different cabinets used and I think it flows really well with the rest of the space. To me, even just the addition of the striped rug gives it enough of a touch of style to feel like someone lives there and has thought about things.
Thanks, everyone, for the comments. It's kind of cool to have the merits and, um, "de-merits"(?) of my place discussed in this kind of forum. I appreciated everyone's thoughts, and definitely got a kick out of reading all of them. Patrick, your thoughts on the type of art to hang on the back wall are good ones. L.A.-themed or inspired imagery would work well there! The painting I have of the Hollywood Star Lanes bowling alley signage, is close, but the scale seems too small. (You see it pictured next to the toaster oven.) I have a Julius Schulman large-format (non-architectural) photograph that might work, but I'm not sure yet about that... But, you know, putting a nail to the wall is such a big commitment that I'll wait until I find the right piece of art for the wall. But, rest assured, it won't be a spice rack. I'll probably keep the wall color white since that same wall on the other side of the kitchen partition is already painted a pale blue. The white seems to keep the kitchen space a little more defined for me.
Well, I seem to fall once again on the cold side of the camp. It's all the white. It's all the IKEA, which I really don't like. I mean, I like the idea of the place, but I get there everything ends up looking cheap and generic.
Now I'm not saying anything looks cheap here; obviously, the picture isn't going to show any of that detail. And for the record, I don't like that faux warm stuff either.
(But haven't you ever noticed that so often what should be emphatically STARK in modernism becomes simply BLAND?)
Enrique, I think your kitchen in fine. It's well-designed, ergonomic, and very nice and clean. Perhaps the pictures don't do the architectural details justice; I never would have noticed them if you didn't point them out. I think the art idea is a great one, and hats off to you for posting the kitchen of a place you've been inhabiting for under two months!
Ah, zia--
re-- details... "I never would have noticed them if you didn't point them out."
I think I now know why you seem to criticize all things minimal or tailored.
And c'mon, gimme a BREAK. You NEVER would have known this was IKEA if he hadn't told you.
I don't agree at ALL with the bland/stark comment as a blanket statement about contemporary design. There is just as much faux/country/Tuscanesque blandness. Maybe more, since there is so much more of it, in every single cMansion...
Enrique--
Just to keep you thinking about color... what about using the same pale blue from the wall you mention inside the inset area of the ceiling? Or the complement of the blue, a pale orange? (pale pool blue and hazy sunset orange seem very LA to me, with only minimal exposure to that intriguing city, and that color combo also seems retro in the right way for your space.) I am very into the idea of putting color on the ceiling right now, and that inset seems the perfect opportunity/excuse.
At any rate, just ideas, though you are doing just FINE on your own!! Thanks for letting us live vicariously, and thanks for your patience with all us armchair designers.
Haha! I love all the armchair advice, good and bad. It's great to have varying/dissenting opinions to keep a fresh perspective. So, again, thank you to all who've commented.
Patrick, Funny you should mention blue and orange as those are the strongest accent colors throughout the place. In fact the bedroom wall behind the bed is a rich, warm orange. And, many of my paintings feature those colors. Since you've had the most opinions regarding art and color scheme, I thought it only fair to share some of the images with you. I have 3 smaller canvases of Sunset Blvd, two in orange, one in blue. The Sunset Blvd pieces can be seen here www.jaybrockman.com/2004small.htm . I have Sunset on Sunset #47, Sunset on Sunset #49 and Sunset on Sunset #46 (which is my neighborhood). I have three very small canvases called Peace Tree #'s 4, 6 & 7--a variation of which can be seen here www.markbrunner.com . Click the third image under "Featured Work" to see it. Two of the Peace Tree paintings have pale orange/umber backgrounds and the other has a soft blue/celadon background. Finally, I have this very large dyptich that will go on the orange wall above the bed. www.jonathanskow.com Click "Tandem", the first image "Petal" is the piece I have. I have two other larger canvases (abstract seascapes), but that artist does not have a website up. I'd love to get your two cents as I may actually hang some of this damn art in the next couple of weeks.
Clutter update. I just got back from Trader Joe's market. The lonely bottle of red wine on the counter has now been joined by a bottle of port. (All other bottles of wine purchased today have been safely put away in the cabinet above the refrigerator!)
Kitchen-use update. Tonight, spinach salad with bleu cheese and walnuts, dressing TBD.
And, finally, for those keeping score... my favorite kitchen is Aida's! No surprise there, given my taste.
patrick (the other one) --
Okay. I'll stop posting anything.
Wow, Enrique - thanks for the links to the paintings. They're beautiful - especially the Brockman pieces. I have friends who live on Hollywood - he really captures the feel of it, doesn't he?
Sweet, sweet art! The envy grows (even before tonight's menu).
LOVE LOVE LOVE the Hollywood boulevard canvases.
Exactly what I was imagining in my mind working in your space.
If it were me... I'd still go dusky orange on the far kitchen wall and hang the bluer of the canvases there, then hang (on the same level) the two orange ones on the powdery blue wall in the living area for an almost porthole effect along the whole expanse. I think the flip-flop would be really amazing.
Diptych in the bedroom should look awesome. LOVE those tandem pieces.
Sorry to be so gushy about this (it is sincere, though), but I just spent a whole weekend at two art fairs, and these links you shared have me more excited than most of the stuff I saw.
Did you get a chance to check out Ed Ruscha yet?
What fun this is!
zia--
I didn't think my post to you was any more harsh or aggressive than your critiques have sometimes been. Sorry if you were offended. Since this is a kitchen contest, I am tempted to make a "dishing it out/taking it" comment, but I'll refrain.
Another random thought for the far kitchen wall-- large horizontal bands of the blue and white, or just a white/off-white, matte/gloss tone-on-tone stripe. Okay, I'll stop now (I think!)
Thanks, Faith. You're right, Jay Brockman completely captures the feel of LA at dusk. He's a really cool guy who sells his paintings once-a-month at the Melrose Avenue flea market, in addition to showing at small local galleries. He seems to make a decent living off of his art... The reason I got the paintings is that I had just sold my tiny (520 sq ft) studio apartment on a foothill north of Sunset Blvd (right above the heart of the Strip, ground zero for all the crazy "celebrities gone wild" footage you see on the E channel). The entire south-facing wall of the apartment was made up of floor-to-ceiling sliders (opening up to a full-width balcony) with a ridiculous unobstructed 180-degree skyliner view. On a clear day, you could see all the way from downtown LA eastward, out to Long Beach southward, and Santa Monica westward. I really missed those sunsets because they were often very dramatic, especially in the summer and fall. Well, literally a week after I closed escrow, I found these paintings at a cafe while furniture shopping for the rental I was moving into. So, they were a little gift to myself to remind me of my time living in an infamous West Hollywood building, the Shoreham Towers.
Wow - that's really cool, Enrique. I am going to pass his website along to one of my friends there; I bet he would love them.
My job/personal circumstances create this perpetual possibility of moving to LA at some point - I hope it works out because I love the city. As crazy as it is - last summer I was there for an extended amount of time, and ended up dreaming about traffic by the end...
You'd better win cause no one else deserves it more! It's Buddha-rific!