Design by: Kitchens by Rose (Ramsey, New jersey) Photos by: Peter Rymwid

Photo: Ben Benschneider

The glow of the lantern-like foyer sets the tone for this urban contemporary home. This open floor plan invites entertaining on the main floor, with only ceiling transitions defining the living, dining, kitchen, and breakfast rooms. With viewable outdoor living and pool, extensive use of glass makes it seamless from inside to out. Published: Western Art & Architecture, August/September 2012 Austin-San Antonio Urban HOME: February/March 2012 (Cover) - https://issuu.com/urbanhomeaustinsanantonio/docs/uh_febmar_2012 Photo Credit: Coles Hairston

This is take two on ‘The Bent House’, which was canceled after a design board did not approve the modern style in a conservative neighbrohood. So we decided to take it one step further and now it is the ‘bent and sliced house’. The bend is from the original design (a.k.a.The Bent House), and is a gesture to the curved slope of the site. This curve, coincidentally, is almost the same of the previous design’s site, and thus could be re-utilized. Similiar to Japanese Oragami, this house unfolds like a piece of slice paper from the sloped site. The negative space between the slices creates wonderful clerestories for natural light and ventilation. Photo Credit: Mike Sinclair

All the spaces in this flat are organized around a white cube with the kitchen on the inside. The openings in the cube were widened, allowing an intimate connection to the dining area on one side and the entryway on the other. Artwork by www.AndreasCharalambous.com.

Second floor porch like bedroom. Cathy Schwabe Architecture. Photograph by David Wakely. Contractor: Young & Burton, Inc.

This project was done in collaboration with Brandie Adams of Fusion Design Studio. Domain Architecture & Design, Gabriel Keller Project Manager / Designer, Lars Peterssen Principal-in-charge, while at Domain.

KSID Studio designed sophisticated banquette seating and a custom table to fit the long narrow area opposite the staircase. The room presented design challenges, and our solutions are what make the space unique. We create rooms that are individual and suit each client’s personal style. Karen Melvin Photography

Chris Snook

Sliding Barn Doors, with magnetic chalk board paint on recess adjacent to the closet. Gives the kids several ways to display their artwork

Work performed with Daniel Dubay Interior Design.

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. Although this kitchen had ample cabinets and countertops, none of it was functional. Tall appliances divided what would have been a functional run of counters. The cooktop was placed at the end of a narrow island. The walk-in pantry jutted into the kitchen reducing the walkspace of the only functional countertop to 36”. There was not enough room to work and still have a walking area behind. Dark corners and cabinets with poor storage rounded out the existing kitchen. Removing the walk in pantry opened the kitchen and made the adjoining utility room more functional. The space created by removing the pantry became a functional wall of appliances featuring: • 30” Viking Freezer • 36” Viking Refrigerator • 30” Wolf Microwave • 30” Wolf warming drawer To minimize a three foot ceiling height change, a custom Uberboten was built to create a horizontal band keeping the focus downward. The Uberboten houses recessed cans and three decorative light fixtures to illuminate the worksurface and seating area. The Island is functional from all four sides: • Elevation F: functions as an eating bar for two and as a buffet counter for large parties. Countertop: Ceasarstone Blue Ridge • Elevation G: 30” deep coffee bar with beverage refrigerator. Custom storage for flavored syrups and coffee accoutrements. Access to the water with the pull out Elkay faucet makes filling the espresso machine a cinch! Countertop: Ceasarstone Canyon Red • Elevation H: holds the Franke sink, and a cabinet with popup mixer hardware. Countertop: 4” thick endgrain butcherblock maple countertop • Elevation I: 42” tall and 30” deep cabinets hold a second Wolf oven and a built-in Franke scale Countertop: Ceasarstone in Blue Ridge The Range Elevation (Elevation B) has 27” deep countertops, the trash compactor, recycling, a 48” Wolf range. Opposing counter surfaces flank of the range: • Left: Ceasarstone in Canyon Red • Right: Stainless Steel. • Backsplash: Copper What originally was a dysfunctional desk that collected EVERYTHING, now is an attractive, functional 21” deep pantry that stores linen, food, serving pieces and more. The cabinet doors were made from a Zebra-wood-look-alike melamine, the gain runs both horizontally and vertically for a custom design. The end cabinet is a 12” deep message center with cork-board backing and a small work space. Storage below houses phone books and the Lumitron Graphic Eye that controls the light fixtures. Design Details: • An Icebox computer to the left of the main sink • Undercabinet lighting: Xenon • Plug strip eliminate unsightly outlets in the backsplash • Cabinets: natural maple accented with espresso stained alder.

When we started the project, this room had a masonry fireplace and a pass through to a front living room. Designer Matt Harris called for the pass through to be filled, and the fireplace wrapped in stainless steel and modularArts panels–a product we had not used before. After building the new fireplace wall, and installing the steel surround and floor hearth, we built a custom white oak TV/AV cabinet enclosure. The owner’s furniture and artwork added the perfect finishing touches to the room.

Please visit my website directly by copying and pasting this link directly into your browser: http://www.berensinteriors.com/ to learn more about this project and how we may work together! A closet need not be typical nor boring. Adding a splash of color and decorative lighting makes for an instant transformation. Robert Naik Photography.

Narita Architects