A Kitchen For All Seasons

"This was a truly unique project and a hell of a lot of fun," said Barry Silverman, CKD, the designer of this unusual Southwest Portland Kitchen. "At our first meeting, the clients handed me two books: Mexico Style by Angelika Taschen and India: Decoration, Interiors, Design by Henry Wilson. Hundreds of pages of eye-popping explosions of color, texture and pattern from two cultures that couldn't be more different. And I'll never forget their words as I flipped through the pages: 'We want that.'"

He laughs about it easily now, but at the moment he didn't know whether they were pulling his leg or just insane. But as he flipped through the pages of the books he began to recognize a certain commonality between the two cultures' use of color and style. And seeing what they had done with the rest of their home - rich paint hues, intricate imported rugs, a sculpture of Bast, the Egyptian Cat Goddess in the entryway, an Indian Garuda Bird hanging in the family room, colorful tapestries and paintings on various walls, it began to make sense.

"I don't mind telling you how rare it is to find a client wanting to embrace really bold colors," Barry said. "More often than not it is the designer urging the client to step outside their comfort zone, try something a little bolder, a little brighter, more eccentric, but in this case they were the ones encouraging me to take the risks. Once I understood where they wanted to go it took me all of about two seconds jump on board, wholeheartedly. We had a blast."

The "before" image of this kitchen is easy to imagine. Dark oak cabinetry, heavy soffits overhead and the oppressive, hanging peninsula cabinet separating the kitchen from the rest of the room in a style typical of the early eighties. What the clients wanted was, in their words: "the creative elements that were required for a challenging space and someone that shared our flare for color and imagination." With three teenage children and a lot of their friends coming and going, they envisioned an open space, with room to socialize and do homework, inviting and friendly, yet well-organized and functional for all manner of cooking and entertaining.

Nautilus-Shaped Granite Countertop

The first step was traffic flow and space planning: how to increase the floor space of the kitchen and simultaneously create a great place to eat and hang out. The result was the elevated nautilus-shaped Juperana Bordeaux granite countertop set at a 45 degree angle to the sink wall. Accented by three pendant lights from Lux Lighting, this top (fabricated by Fineline Pacific) became the primary focal point of the kitchen.

After that, everything else fell in place. The granite countertops are 12 by 12 Blue Lorenzo tiles, black with natural accents of brilliant cobalt blue. The backsplash tiles, hand made by Pratt & Larsen, feature three primary colors, of Indian/Mexican inspiration, with angled accents of natural-patina copper, set in a "random" pattern (by Abraham Tile) and bordered by a black edge. This same tile theme is repeated in the powder room where it is enhanced by rich, red wall paint and a cobalt blue sink. If you look closely you may also notice a few tiles mounted "whimsically" on the sides of cabinets.

Sculptural Hood Shield

The secondary focal point of the kitchen is the cooking center. Here, the random tile pattern literally explodes onto the wall and is accented by three brilliant red diamonds. One of the Barry's design trademarks is to incorporate the work of an outside artist to add depth and interest to the project. Bored with many of the more pedestrian hood designs available on the commercial market, Barry came up with the concept for what he calls a "Hood Shield". This shield, created by renowned sculptor David Hickman of Dallas Texas, is constructed of stainless and powder-coated steel, with copper diamonds. In semi-industrial fashion, it obscures a highly functional Vent-a-Hood insert and echoes both the sweeping curves of the drawer and appliance pulls, and the diamond pattern of the tiles. Back-lighting and an angled spotlight give the hood a dramatic, theatrical appearance.

The craftsman-style alder cabinetry was made by DeWils of Vancouver. Warm two-toned golden paint and a beautiful, sunset fireplace mural add color and interest to the family room, tying it to the kitchen. Construction, installation, and project management was courtesy of Square Deal Remodeling, Inc.

Barry Silverman, CKD is a co-owner of Seasons Design in Portland, Oregon, where he also serves as Vice President of Technology and Communications for the NKBA, Columbia River, and is a founding member of the Oswego Design Guild.

Wine Rack

Powder Room