A Kitchen in Balance: Eye-Catching, Family-Friendly Design

There are so many elements incorporated into the design of a kitchen that it is a challenge to begin to understand how balance is achieved in beauty, functionality and innovation. I recently walked through a kitchen designed by Cheryl Hamilton-Gray featuring Sub-Zero and Wolf that perfectly captured such a balancing act that was designed with a family in mind.

By the title of this post alone you may think I am referring to our own live Sub-Zero and Wolf kitchens in the Sub-Zero | Wolf Culinary Events Center and Showroom here in Burlingame, but I am not.

Instead I would like to share a recently completed kitchen I visited a month ago featuring both Sub-Zero and Wolf products designed by the very talented Cheryl Hamilton-Gray, who is responsible for designing the entire Culinary Events Center at Riggs Distributing, including our unique Contemporary and Sorrento Kitchens where we host weekly cooking demonstrations, hands-on team-building events, and large-scale events that extend to each room of the Center.

The Contemporary & Sorrento Kitchens @ Riggs

The Designer & the Kitchen

I have heard a lot about Cheryl Hamilton-Gray, and know she is admired greatly at Riggs. She is a certified NKBA kitchen designer at the helm of Hamilton-Gray Design, Inc., a nationally recognized award-winning design company based in North County San Diego, California.

What I didn’t realize until recently, was that Cheryl’s most recent project wrapped up here in the San Francisco Bay Area, providing a unique opportunity to go see in person one of her recent projects in our own backyard.

On Point, On Trend

A two-time Southern California winner of the Sub-Zero and Wolf Kitchen Design Contest, Cheryl integrates innovative materials, quality products and savvy design to create custom kitchens that perfectly fit each family.

Kitchen from sink to front

Inspired by the beautiful, functional and unusual design featured in this Bay Area home, I crafted a few questions for Cheryl Hamilton-Gray to answer about this knock-out kitchenscape:

Q: For those of us who are not designers, but appreciate it, how do you describe this kitchen to capture the look and feel of it, including the drivers that led to your design choices?

C: I would describe this kitchen as a traditionally detailed cabinet style with framed inset doors. This style of manufacture is typical in traditional furniture making and adds a feel of formality which we have eased with the addition of old style refrigerator latches on door openings. Painted white it gives a very classical and timeless appeal enhanced with the addition of polished nickel hardware. Mixed with walnut pantries and hutches the cool whites are warmed up along with the walnut island and bar countertop. Drivers were to achieve a sophisticated, but family-friendly kitchen in a transitional style that was done with implementation of surrounding surfaces and features.

Q: What are the stand-out features of this kitchen?

C: I think the polished nickel hardware adds interest. The custom barrel hood with polished surface and matt bandings is unique and unpredictable with this cabinet style. The oil-rubbed bronze floating glass shelves over the bar area draw your eye up, but is a subtle interest point. The accents of walnut wood used in the freestanding pantry and hutch, as well as on the counter surfaces achieve a balance and effectively function to warm up the white kitchen.

Q: Why did you choose Sub-Zero and Wolf products for this project?

C: These were chosen because we wanted a product that offers full and not semi integration. With this furniture-style cabinet it was critical to be able to add cabinet panels seamlessly onto the appliances to achieve the overall appeal of this kitchen. Sub-Zero and Wolf was a clear choice because the quality and performance is tried and true with these brands, and befits the classism of this kitchen. They also offered all the components we desired, especially in the bar area to maintain a “single brand” kitchen.

Q: What current design trends do you love and integrated into this project?

Current design trends that I love and incorporated into this project are those with rustic but chic appeal, such as the wide wood plank flooring with an expertly crafted textured surface and patina with wire brushed subtle white accents setting the anchor to build on. Other rustic elements are the double volume concrete fireplace and oversize barn door to the Family Room on rustic hardware, as well as the reclaimed barn wood decking used on the vaulted ceilings of the adjacent Great room. All these rustic materials are juxtaposed with white millwork, trim and cabinetry with polished metal accents and traditional stair railing creating the “Rustic chic” appeal.

More about Cheryl and Hamilton-Gray Design, Inc.

With over 25 years of kitchen and related industry design experience, Hamilton-Gray Design, Inc. is able to share a great wealth of exciting, creative and practical design solutions for indoor and outdoor kitchens, baths, and remodeling projects to suit varying lifestyles and budgets. Attendance at yearly industry trade shows, nationally and internationally, offers clients the most current products, materials and cutting-edge designs in an ever changing and evolving industry.

With the honor of being recognized as “Best of Houzz 2014” and “Best of Houzz 2013” from leading design resource Houzz.com, we strive to stay at the top and bring our clients the very best they can afford. Learn more about Hamilton-Gray Design, Inc. on Houzz.

Sub-Zero and Wolf Product Featured

Shop Sub-Zero and Wolf

Shop these and all other Sub-Zero and Wolf products at the Sub-Zero | Wolf Culinary Events Center and Showroom at Riggs in Burlingame. Request an appointment Tuesday through Friday, or drop by any Saturday to walk the full line of products from Sub-Zero and Wolf.

Photo credit: Dennis Mayer.