{"id":2403,"date":"2024-09-20T01:23:10","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T17:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/2024\/09\/20\/kitchen-of-the-week-an-ikea-kitchen-with-an-elegant-upper-cabinet-solution\/"},"modified":"2024-09-20T01:23:10","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T17:23:10","slug":"kitchen-of-the-week-an-ikea-kitchen-with-an-elegant-upper-cabinet-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/de\/kitchen-of-the-week-an-ikea-kitchen-with-an-elegant-upper-cabinet-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"K\u00fcche der Woche: Eine Ikea-K\u00fcche mit einer eleganten Oberschrank-L\u00f6sung"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cEvery once in a while, you\u2019re lucky enough to pair up with a client who\u2019s on the same aesthetic wavelength,\u201d says Kevin Greenberg, principal of NYC design firm Space Exploration, about a recent prewar apartment remodel fronting Brooklyn\u2019s Sunset Park. The clients\u2014a photographer and a solar engineer\u2014exuded a \u201crelaxed intelligence\u201d throughout the design process.<\/p>\n

When work began, the 800-square-foot apartment was in great shape for its era\u2014but had a dated kitchen that lacked a serviceable floor plan. According to Greenberg,\u201dThe galley-style kitchen was separated from the living room by a thick partition, but the owners wanted the kitchen to function in communion with the rest of the space.\u201d The firm knocked down the wall, then turned to Ikea for basic cabinetry while forging a semi-custom system with glossy cabinet fronts, marble countertops, and an architectural solution for making the Ikea cabinets look far higher-end than they really are. Read on for the details.<\/p>\n

Photography by and courtesy of Space Exploration.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n


Above: The kitchen is a modified Ikea system with Ringhult glossy white cabinet doors and brass hardware from Rejuvenation. Typical of Space Exploration projects, says the principal, the studio overhauled the home while keeping as much original detailing as possible. \u201cRight away, I knew we needed to employ a light touch with the project,\u201d said Greenberg. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n


Above: The countertop and backsplash are
\nbianco gioia<\/em> marble, and the apartment is painted throughout in Wevet by Farrow & Ball. The kitchen window has its original casing. The designers replaced the heavily scarred original parquet oak floors with new walnut floors (they\u2019re \u201ca nice complement to the other, more minimalist interventions we made in the space,\u201d Greenberg says). <\/p>\n

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Above: Note how the upper cabinets meet the wall above: Space Exploration built an extension from the ceiling \u201cto catch the top of the cabinets rather than leaving room above them.\u201d <\/p>\n

Connecting the cabinets to the wall serves a few purposes: It gives the cabinetry \u201cmore of a custom, built-in look, rather than feeling like boxes stuck on a wall,\u201d Greenberg says. It also eases the transition between the new cabinetry and the apartment\u2019s original, subtle, plaster ceiling crown. (\u201cI tend to dislike the relationship between molding and the upper cabinets in kitchens that leave space above the cabinetry.\u201d)<\/p>\n


Above: The stainless steel range is by NXR.
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Above: The homeowners wanted a built-in banquette, so Space Exploration designed a custom L-shaped bench of oil-finished white oak with matching trestle table, installed in a corner of the kitchen. The wall just beyond opens onto the living room.,<\/p>\n


Above: Hanging above the dining table is Michael Anastassiades\u2019s String Light for Flos, which Greenberg says is \u201cdesigned to encourage the owner to create a linear design with the cord.\u201d The dining chairs are vintage Cesca chairs by Marcel Breuer. Designing a kitchen? Start with our Remodeling 101: Kitchens guide, where you\u2019ll find help with Kitchen Design, Kitchen Cabinets & Hardware, and Kitchen Storage & Organization. Then browse more favorite kitchens in: <\/p>\n