Gilles Clement, Interior Decorator, Expounds On Why A Man Who Doesn’t Value His Kitchen Cannot Be Fundamentally Good. Read On.

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The kitchen is the heart of the home and, because of its daily use and particular preferences of the owner, is often the first room to be renovated after the purchase of a new house. Many homeowners believe that it is less expensive to purchase pre-made cabinetry, but often, with the right designer teamed with an honest carpenter, it is possible to design and build a completely custom kitchen for a cost similar to that of installing pre-made cabinetry. For example, let me show you what you can achieve when you decide to go Custom.
My clients had purchased a beautiful 1930’s mansion, located in the heart of Greenwich, complete with an existing 1970’s Formica kitchen they were eager to replace  with an old world French style kitchen, characterized by innovative style and simplified functionality. Had the owners chosen to go with pre-made cabinetry, the existing architecture of the room along with the location and height of the windows would have required them to lose a great deal of storage space as well as sacrifice the aesthetic value of the room. Not wanting to lose that aesthetic value, the custom option was immediately appealing to them.  With a design created to take advantage of the kitchen’s  unique architectural features, we built angled base cabinets in front of the low windows. Over the stove, we created a boxed beam on top of the windows to host the exhaust then matched it on the other side to create a symmetrically balanced look. With the continuity of antiqued copper trim and crown moldings, it looked as though this was the way the kitchen was always meant to be.
To give the kitchen a sophistication that usually only time can bring, we carefully chose imported European distressed Terracotta tiles and added a slightly distressed glazing on the cabinets. We also designed a special bottom curve casing to the base cabinets to let the central air access the room. The design of the Island was inspired by the solid cherry bar stools imported from France. For lightning we used a symmetrical framing on the ceiling with low voltage MR16 fixtures that are cozy and soft to the eye. To break the monotony of straight lines on the long wall, we expanded the sink and its base two inches out and matched the arched top cabinetry by expanding it as well.
This is the beauty of custom cabinetry and design based on the client’s requirements; it gives the designer the ability to take maximum advantage of the space available with innovative design.  In this old world French style kitchen, for example, the interiors of all the cabinetry have been designed according to the clients’ wishes: open shelves provide space for beautiful caned baskets to hold fruits and onions, discreetly paneled appliances blend with the design, and a pantry is elegantly concealed  behind a gorgeous custom-built French door. The backsplash completes the tone-on-tone color palette that is harmonious and inviting.
As Rabelais said so well: “ A man who doesn’t value his kitchen cannot be fundamentally good….”