Material World

Best kitchen in a single-family detached custom or remodeled home—over 5,000 square feet

Mixing materials is a trend that's hot with kitchens these days, but it's a look that can be tricky to pull off. This winning, remodeled kitchen is an example that works on all fronts.

Take the steel-framed, laminated blue glass lighting panel that hovers over the island. It provides a place to secure lighting in this high-ceilinged room, helps reflect the blue lagoon outside, and puts the hood in context (try imagining that elongated hood without it).

The island underneath is another study in material-mixing. The base cabinets, like all the cabinets in the kitchen, are made of anegre, a clean-lined hardwood that resembles ash. The top is seafoam-green granite inset with butcher block. A generous corner is covered in dark gray Portuguese limestone, the better to tolerate kicking kids seated at stools. Underneath it all are limestone pavers that help define the kitchen space.

“This client is very practical and very much into design and what it means,” says architect Ronald Sutton. “It's a great combination.

Entrant/Architect: Sutton Suzuki Architects, Mill Valley, Calif.; Builder: Ireland, Robinson & Hadley, Belvedere, Calif.; Interior designer: C. Wright Design, Mill Valley

Tip Mixing materials only works if everyone is on board with the specifications, says architect Ronald Sutton. “Matching up things and coordinating shop drawings is critical,” he explains, “and much cheaper than rebuilding.” He works hard to get his contractor and subcontractors to provide samples. In this kitchen, for example, samples were pulled in for all the different stainless steel products—appliances, stove hood, lighting panel, and structural supports—so that everything looked seamless.

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