kitchen design
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Editor’s note: The 2010 Atlanta Symphony Associates Decorators’ Show House & Gardens opens April 17 at 3639 Tuxedo Rd. We’ve once again invited kitchen design extraordinaire and Design Galleria principal Matthew Quinn to to keep a journal of the process, every step of the way. Today is his first installment about how the kitchen is taking shape. Look for a new installment every week until the Show House opens.
We had so much fun and received such great feedback and questions from last year’s blog about the journey to the completion of 2009 Atlanta Symphony Decorators’ Show House; we could not resist doing it again. This year the show house is back on more familiar ground in a historic Colonial-Revival style home in Tuxedo Park versus last year’s show house in the newly opened St. Regis. Last year we chronicled the design process of one of the modern kitchens we presented, while this year we will share our adventures of designing, renovating and installing this traditional kitchen. Clearly, there will be some similarities as we approach the design process the same way no matter what the project; but this year we had some unique challenges.
This particular home means something to me. I had just started as an intern at Design Galleria in 1993 when Cliff Wang and Kathy Gregorcyk were installing a new kitchen into this home. This house was the first job site I visited and the first kitchen installation I experienced. It made gutting the kitchen especially hard but also exhilarating and exciting to see what the new guard at Design Galleria could do in the same space 17 years later.
People really do not live today much differently than they did in 1993. The original kitchen was actually still in great shape and the layout of the kitchen would still be considered appropriate for a modern family. The first thing that dates a kitchen is the appliances. We could have simply exchanged the appliances, replaced the hood and backsplash and a faucet here and there and this could have worked…but what kind of challenge is that? We wanted to do more; let’s remember, this is a show house!
Pictures of the original kitchen
The original kitchen had a 36” wide refrigerator, 36” wide freezer, 48” wide range, a warming drawer, microwave, main sink, prep sink, one dishwasher, desk and a rather small walk-in pantry. The island layout really separated the kitchen from the keeping room which was intentional, so whoever was cooking was not disturbed by all the hustle and bustle. The refrigerator and freezer were placed symmetrically on each side of the range while a desk and shallow pantry backed up to the powder room and pantry concealing a dumbwaiter to the garage. The biggest challenge in this space is the ceiling height of 8’6” with existing 6” tall beams. We are going to have to pull some ceiling elevating tricks out of our hat to make this kitchen feel taller.
Original kitchen plan
Stay tuned next week for the changes we made to the plan.
Tags: 2009 Atlanta Symphony Decorators' Show House, 2010 Atlanta Symphony Decorators' Show House, 3639 Tuxedo Rd., Atlanta Symphony, Atlanta Symphony Associates, Cliff Wang, Colonial-revival, Decorators' Show House, Decorators' Show House & Gardens, Design Galleria, Designing, historic, installing, Kathy Gregorcyk, kitchen, kitchen design, Kitchens, Matthew Quinn, modern family, modern kitchens, renovating, St. Regis, St. Regis Atlanta, traditional kitchen, tuxedo park
Editor’s note: The 2009 Atlanta Symphony Associates Decorators’ Show House & Gardens opens April 18 at the St. Regis Atlanta Hotel & Residences. It’s hard to believe the opening date is already upon us. For eight weeks prior to the show house reveal, we called on kitchen design extraordinaire and Design Galleria principal Matthew Quinn to chronicle the design process of his team as they created a contemporary kitchen from a completely blank canvas – an unfinished space in the new St. Regis Residences. The results are remarkable. Today, in his eighth and final installment, Quinn showcases a few snapshots of the finished kitchen; but, we assure you—the real thing is even more marvelous. Visit the show house through May 10 to see the brilliant, modern space for yourself. We’ll look forward to seeing you there!
The day has finally come for the “big reveal” of our contemporary show house kitchen.
It took four months of hard work to build this space from a shell and we feel like we achieved not only something unique, but something uniquely St. Regis. We are also very excited to show you the traditional and transitional kitchen and bathrooms we put our hearts and minds into creating. Whether your design perspective comes more from a chintz or stainless steel perspective, there is a room in these three residences that you will love. Come with an open mind and a keen eye to explore each and every detail of these residences and this stunning hotel.
Mary Kathryn, Laurie, Patti, Robin, myself and our team look forward to meeting you and giving you the nickel tour or quarter tour, whichever you choose.
Tags: Atlanta Symphony Associates, backsplash, contemporary, countertops, Decorators’ Show House, Decorators’ Show House & Gardens, Design Galleria, faucets, finishes, Gnosis, granite, hardware, Karbon, kitchen design, Kohler, Kohler Karbon, Matthew Quinn, Matthew Quinn Collection, modern, mosaic, oven, Show House, St. Regis, St. Regis Atlanta Hotel & Residences, St. Regis Residences, St. Regis Show House, stainless steel, Wolf
Editor’s note: It’s hard to believe that the Decorators’ Show House & Gardens opens in little more than a week. In the weeks leading up to the opening, we asked one of the participating designers, Matthew Quinn, to keep a journal of the process, every step of the way. Today is his seventh installment about how one of his spaces is taking shape. Look for his final installment next week as we anticipate the grand Show House opening on April 17.
I love jigsaw puzzles. This past week’s show house schedule was probably the most elaborate and complicated puzzle I have ever tackled. Designers are moving in incredible rooms of art and antiques amongst a sea of painters, tile installers, electricians and plumbers working on last minute details. Patience, deep breaths and the amazing organizational skills of our Director of Business Development, Dusty Miller, has kept me out of the emergency room this week. Our work is down to perfecting the tiniest of details, which sometimes takes longer than the entire rest of the process. I thought I would share a puzzle with you. Below are several small detail shots in the modern show house kitchen. See if you can assemble these to visualize the entire space, and if not, I will solve it for you next week.
The stainless steel-framed bronze glass hood and framed Gnosis mosaic backsplash
The paneled walls resembling the terrace French doors
Two side-by-side Wolf ovens
The stainless steel countertop and custom granite sink with Kohler Karbon faucet
Check back next week for our final blog in this series, when we unveil the finished kitchen. We’re excited for the grand opening! Purchase tickets to see the Show House in person at
decoratorsshowhouse.com.
Tags: Atlanta Symphony Associates, backsplash, contemporary, countertops, Decorators’ Show House, Decorators’ Show House & Gardens, Design Galleria, faucets, finishes, Gnosis, granite, hardware, Karbon, kitchen design, Kohler, Kohler Karbon, Matthew Quinn, Matthew Quinn Collection, modern, mosaic, oven, Show House, St. Regis, St. Regis Atlanta Hotel & Residences, St. Regis Residences, St. Regis Show House, stainless steel, Wolf
Editor’s note: It’s hard to believe that the Decorators’ Show House & Gardens opens in just over two weeks. In the weeks leading up to the opening, we asked one of the participating designers, Matthew Quinn, to keep a journal of the process, every step of the way. Today is his sixth installment about how one of his spaces is taking shape. Look for a new installment every week until April 17 when the Show House opens.
I think I figured out why Design Galleria loves to partake in show houses; we are addicted to the challenge. It is our own “Amazing Race” reality show! Although we have participated in more show houses than any other kitchen and bath design studio in the entire Southeast, this was the ultimate test. Not only did we take on a show house in a high rise while it was under construction—which was a feat in itself—but we also committed to creating 3 kitchens, 3 bars and 7 bathrooms!
If we did not already have 15 Atlanta Symphony Associates Show Houses under our belts, the pictures below would be quite scary. These pictures show the current status of the modern unit kitchen in all of its glory. It is hard to believe that interior designers start moving in their furniture, drapery and art this weekend. With the right combination of hard work, long hours and a little bit of magic, it continuously amazes me how it ALWAYS gets done.
I will let you know next week if I was able to sleep at all this week.
The metal surround of the custom hood could not be templated until the sloped ceiling was finished. The bronze glass hood inserts could not be templated until the metal surround was made. The lights and fan in the hood can’t be installed until the glass inserts are installed.
Since the peninsula has a granite countertop and a stainless steel countertop butting into each other, the granite had to be templated and installed before the stainless could be templated and installed. The appliances are always one of the last items to be installed in a kitchen and require the decorative hardware so the integrated panels can be drilled for them.
Tags: Atlanta Symphony Associates, contemporary, Decorators’ Show House, Decorators’ Show House & Gardens, Design Galleria, hardware, kitchen design, Matthew Quinn, Matthew Quinn Collection, modern, Show House, St. Regis, St. Regis Atlanta Hotel & Residences, St. Regis Residences, St. Regis Show House
Editor’s note: With the Decorators’ Show House & Gardens less than a month away, we asked one of the participating designers, Matthew Quinn, to keep a journal of the process, every step of the way. Today is his fifth installment about how one of his spaces is taking shape. Look for a new installment every week until April 17 when the Show House opens.
Sometimes, design can be like a bullet train. The process can start out slow and cautious, but once a solid foundation of design decisions has been built, there are soon fewer options for each stop on the ride. Before you know it, the train is moving faster and faster and the decisions become easier. For instance, after getting most of the layout and finishes selected, I could not think of another faucet that would be more perfect for this kitchen than the
Kohler Karbon. The way this faucet can be articulated is so cool; it can be configured to be very tall in order to fill huge pots and spray out the corners of the huge granite sink, or it can be folded down very small so as to not block the terrace view. I kind of like pretending it is a microphone, too.
Kohler’s Karbon faucet as shown with the contemporary kitchen’s large granite sink
Again keeping the view in mind, I knew I wanted three pendants over the peninsula that would be basically translucent during the day and add just the right amount of light and interest at night. Since this design “train” seems to be about horizontal stripes, I chose the Ingo pendant from
WAC Lighting because of its long, slender white glass body and horizontally striped etchings. There is not an incredible amount of space between the drinking bar (I call it this because anything other than sipping wine or martinis here would be done in the adjacent casual dining space) and the peninsula and the tall terrace doors, so I really needed a counterstool that had very little visual weight. The almost transparent
Kartell Charles Ghost counter stools from
Design Within Reach were again an easy decision. The decorative hardware was really all that was left to choose and that is always one of my favorite decisions. There are hundreds of options that could have worked in this modern kitchen, but I knew that only one would be perfect. I decided to custom design the hardware using two of the elements in the space: the stainless steel of the ovens and countertops and the bronze glass of the backlit hood. This piece, called "Marquet," is part of my own hardware collection [Ed note:
The Matthew Quinn Collection], and what makes it so versatile is that any material—from stone to horn to wood—can be inserted into this handle’s slot, making it the perfect hardware for anyone’s design “train.”
The Matthew Quinn Collection custom-designed cabinetry hardware, incorporating the stainless steel of the appliances and the bronze glass of the backlit hood
I’ll take you behind the scenes of even more of the contemporary show house design next week. Have a great week!
Tags: contemporary, Decorators' Show House, Decorators' Show House & Gardens, Design Galleria, Design Within Reach, faucets, ghost chair, hardware, Karbon, kitchen design, Kohler, Kohler Karbon, Matthew Quinn, Matthew Quinn Collection, modern, Show House, St. Regis, St. Regis Atlanta Hotel & Residences, St. Regis Residences, St. Regis Show House, WAC Lighting
