Cara Marcelo’s Narrative for Her Winning Entry in the 2004-05 Sub-Zero and Wolf Kitchen Design Contest:
Being a family well known for having one of the biggest restaurant chains in the country, the homeowners thought it was high time to update their old kitchen into an open welcoming space where they can entertain guests, have family meals, and concoct new recipes to add to their menu. A modern kitchen with clean lines, granite countertops, glass elements, beautiful garden views and fully integrated appliances was the homeowners dream. We expanded the space by tearing down the walls that divided the kitchen, dining and service areas. A picture window lets the homeowners enjoy their Zen inspired garden as well as let natural light illuminate the space. Sub-Zero inspired vents on the top of the window ties in perfectly with their stainless freezer and glass door refrigerator. Having Wolf cooking appliances for their restaurant kitchens, there was no question that the 48” Wolf professional range and the microwave and warming drawer combination would be their cooking equipment of choice. By incorporating a Sub-Zero 424 wine storage in the center island, the homeowners dream comes full circle, as this allows them to wine and dine their guests and encourage family interaction in a space that is perfect for their lifestyle.
Ed Calma’s Narrative for His Winning Entry in the 2008-09 Sub-Zero and Wolf Kitchen Design Contest:
Kitchen Art
It was really exciting to design my own home. As an architect, I have acquired a lot of art and furniture through the years and in designing my family’s house, I wanted every piece of art to have its own space and that the artwork dictated the design of the space it occupies. I wanted to continue this idea in the design of the kitchen. The kitchen counter is the focal point of an open plan and it bisects the area of the kitchen space and the living and dining area. I wanted to emphasize this division spatially by continuing a framing element on the second floor to become a bar counter of the kitchen. The cooking counter thus becomes an integral part of the interior architecture. The continuous frame also allowed me to hide the split-type air conditioners in the ceiling bulkhead as well as the exhaust ducting of the kitchen and the audio speakers. Hiding all these components created details in the ceiling which made the frame an interesting architectural element. Also, cladding the cooking exhaust fan in the same wood veneer the frame was made of made it part of the architectural composition. The counter not only has the Wolf gas cooktop and other cooking appurtenances but also a wine cooler and the wireless audio equipment were within reach making entertaining easier. I had two blocks of wood which I found in an antique store several years ago which I used as a sculpture stand but I made them into bar stools which added to the robustness of the design.
The rest of the kitchen area I left empty like a small gallery space where the Sub-Zero 736TCI made it possible for me to conceal it into the rest of the storage pantry cabinetries. Specifying graphite cabinet doors, concealed handles and customizing my own handles in brushed stainless steel flat plates, I created a sort of wall relief installation. To design the sink counters, I had difficulty looking for a large sink that would be able to wash large pans or woks so I customized a rectangular stainless steel sink that could be concealed with a sliding stainless steel plate which also doubles a large cutting board. Concealing the sink also makes an extra buffet counter for dessert or drinks. For lighting, I concealed latest energy efficient T-8 fluorescent lights into ceiling coves to create a clean ceiling to enforce the gallery space idea.
The central location of the cooking counter and its design integration with the rest of the architecture makes it a main topic of conversation when guests come in. It’s not surprising they hang out there more than the living room.
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