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What’s Cookin’

3 Kitchens Sure to Inspire Chefs and Diners Alike

Photography by:
Kenneth Rice and Lisa Sze

The kitchen has always been one of, if not the, most vital components of the home since the beginning of civilized mankind.
    Given its importance in our daily lives, the kitchen is more like the household’s command central. Because of this high stature, folks are more and more busting out of that utilitarian vision of what kitchens used to be and making them more stylish, daring, fun and—above all—personalized.
    Oakland Magazine explores what’s cooking in these three rousing kitchens that offer a feast for the eyes and inspiration for the soul.

Word's Can't Describe

    When Merry Ross and Patrick Zimski moved into their Rockridge home 14 years ago, they did what they could to liven up their drab 1970s kitchen by masking its less than grand features (splintered plywood cabinets and a choppy floor plan) with colorful paint. Alas, the illusion didn’t fool anyone.
    “My parents come to visit every Thanksgiving and help cook. One year, in absolute frustration, my mother told me she didn’t want to cook one more year in this terrible kitchen. That was all the motivation we needed to finally get over our hesitations of remodeling,” says Ross.
    They hired architect Kathryn Rogers to design a fun, colorful, dramatic kitchen; but they ran into one very big glitch: adjectives. “Words mean different things to different people, and we were having a problem determining what style Merry and Patrick wanted,” explains Rogers. “Even scouring through magazines and kitchen design books wasn’t helping.”
    That was because the kitchen they were envisioning didn’t exist in any book. It wasn’t until they visited kitchen design showroom Studio Snaidero Bay Area in San Rafael and found Ferrari red cabinets that the design began to fall into place. “Snaidero’s owner, Michael Glasser, had been waiting 20 years for someone
to choose those Italian-made cabinets. Merry made his decade when she chose them,” recalls Rogers.
    The project, which lasted about three months, was ironically finished the day before Thanksgiving, one year after that parental encouragement. “My parents were literally walking in the front door as the construction crew was pulling the last ladder out the back door,” Ross chuckles.
    Now complete with good flow, vivid colors and an all-around feeling of conviviality, this modernized kitchen showcases top-of-the-line appliances and a curved island  crafted from polyurethane foam (surfboard material) on the base and topped with a counter by Vertrazzo made of old, crushed wine glasses. Other noteworthy features include honed gray quartzite countertops, carbonized bamboo flooring, a bi-folding window by La Cantina and lighting by The Magazine.
    Whether it’s used for a formal Thanksgiving Day feast or a spur-of-the-moment martini fest, this kitchen has become party central—words this family lives by.

Designer: Kathryn Rogers, architect, Sogno Design Group, Albany
Contractor: Mike McDonald, McDonald Construction & Development Inc., Oakland

Eco-Friendly Eye Candy

    After this Upper Rockridge home was burned down in the 1991 Oakland firestorm, its previous owners restored it on a larger scale that reflected the original home they loved. Over the course of a decade and a half, however, the home fell into disarray, until it was purchased and rehabilitated by its current homeowners, Kim and Terry Watson. The Watsons saw great potential in the house as a whole, and the kitchen in particular, for their three teenagers.
    Enter the Custom Kitchens’ design team helmed by Joy Wilkins and project manager Nader Feidy. “They wanted a practical, teen-friendly house where friends and family could easily gather, cook, bake and do homework,” Wilkins says.
    The team immediately tore down the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room’s ample light and remarkable views of the bay. By creating a low-rising pony wall, the rooms became visually divided without being physically detached.
    Stocked with lots of eco-friendly amenities—bamboo cabinets; a durable, Merlot-hued, recycled paper countertop by Richlite on the pony wall; recessed fluorescent lighting; and an energy-efficient 36-inch induction cooktop by Electrolux—the kitchen was designed with energy conservation and charisma in mind. Vibrancy abounds with the kitchen’s rich jewel and earth tones. A golden maple butcher block tops an exotic dark jarrah wood island; a CaesarStone counter complements a curved custom-designed eating bar; a one-of-a-kind one-piece stainless steel sink and counter is orbital-finished to craftily mask scratches; and a colorful mix of toffee, plum, gold, purple and cinnamon-colored glass tiles, handpicked from Tileshop and Walker Zanger, create a colorful backsplash.
    Two computer desks were added to the kitchen’s common area so that homework time and dinner prep are a fluid family affair, pleasing the homeowners to no end.
    “My favorite part is cooking at the stove with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, being with the kids and being surrounded by the vibrant colors inside,” says Kim Watson. “It turned out just the way I wanted it to.”

Designer/Builder: Custom Kitchens by John Wilkins Inc., Oakland
Designers: Joy Wilkins, Nader Feidy, Heidi Weeda
Staging: Cynthia Taylor, Cynthia Taylor Interiors

Free of Obstacles

    While lovely on the outside, this older Oakland home had a dark secret: its kitchen.
    “The kitchen was broken up into several small rooms, the cabinets were worn and the counters had bulky, 1970s tile countertops,” designer Joy Wilkins says. “Additionally, a peninsula cabinet divided the room from the bright bay window area, and there were two door openings from the dining room and the ceiling was lower than the dining room ceiling.”
    In other words, it was a dark, confusing mishmash, and the homeowners couldn’t stand it any longer. “They love to cook and entertain large parties, and the kitchen was a hindrance in doing so,” Wilkins says.
    The homeowners sought a modern style that represented their love of rich, natural materials; robust natural light; and a view of their prized garden throughout the day.
    Wilkins and project manager Nader Feidy removed the pantry and laundry room walls, created a large arched opening between the kitchen and the dining room, raised the ceiling, fashioned open “cubbies” at the top of each cabinet illuminated by spot halogens for artistic displays, and increased the size of the sink window. They also added a sliding patio door to maximize the natural light and the views. Because of the new, open floor plan, the area could accommodate a spacious island with seating for three people and a window seat at the existing bay window. Rift-cut white oak cabinets were finished off with contemporary aluminum pulls to complement the white oak flooring.
    The result is a natural, warm wooden style accented by sand-colored walls, the contemporary look of stainless steel appliances, a single stainless steel accent cabinet, a custom-made steel plate under the island’s granite to support the large overhang without the need for any corbels or legs and Vyhara granite countertops from Fox Marble & Granite.
    “We especially enjoy having created a space that is as comforting as the food we consume, as stimulating as the conversations that ensue and as functional as our busy lives require,” the homeowners say.

Designer/Builder: Custom Kitchens by John Wilkins Inc., Oakland
Designers: Joy Wilkins, Nader Feidy, Heidi Weeda
Staging: Cynthia Taylor, Cynthia Taylor Interiors