International Flavor

Exotic kitchen influenced by different cultures

Take the sophistication of cocktail hour at a posh piano bar and infuse it with a yin-yang Eastern flair. It’s this decorative balance that makes this kitchen in suburban Tampa a sight to behold. F Bob Miano, president of design firm DeGeorge, spent months perfecting the design for this kitchen. In March, the crew completed the space from floor to ceiling with African, Brazilian and Italian-inspired imports. The homeowner requested a black-and-white “utilitarian elegance” for the core of her 1992-built, 3,600-square-foot home, and that’s just what she received, along with some signature touches.

Incorporating nature’s gifts

Because the home is located in a lush, wooded area with towering trees and manicured landscapes, capturing the rhythm of nature was crucial to the concept. Every inch of the kitchen is now rich in earth tones and products that either come directly from the earth or have been meticulously manufactured to imitate it.

DeGeorge’s staff handled every detail, from the cut of the floorboards to the starry bucket lighting in the ceiling. Starting at the ground level, the project began with the laying of African Wenge wood—a heavy, tropical timber native to the Congo region that is often used for making musical instruments. Its coffee bean hue with bits of gray, black and chocolate is found completely in nature and does not require any staining, unlike other commonly used woods. This innate darkness not only makes the floors easy to maintain but it also gives sleekness to the kitchen’s overall ambiance.

“The homeowner wanted a kitchen that was fun and could afford to entertain 10 or 12 people at a time, but she wanted it to always look clean, finished and well-decorated,” Miano says. “Whether it was for a brunch or dinner, she wanted it to have an energy all its own.”

Elegant details

The kitchen cabinets are comprised entirely of maple, painted in the color of Abyss Snow White and sheathed with more than 15 coats of lacquer. The DeGeorge team hand-milled the baseboards, cabinet doors and thick crown molding. “The body of the cabinet itself is almost brought to an automotive finish,” Miano says. “We really wanted it to shine.”

At the top of the cabinets are what Miano refers to as “luminary cubes”—additional cabinet cubbies with transparent glass fronts that act as display shelves. “The luminary cubes are my own design. A lot of people will try to fit in a second row of cabinets, but I incorporated a second tier into the original cabinet so you don’t have any seams and deviations,” he says. “Those become almost like China cabinets where you can display some of your valuables.”

The silvery slate and copper squares that make up the backsplash is a pattern called “Snake River.” An espresso center island offsets the white gleam of the wall cabinets, as does the deep, gray-tinted ceiling.

The countertops are a particular point of interest, as they are carved from a 2,000-year-old white, cream, gray, black and brown speckled granite slab called “White Anthrasit,” which Miano imported from Brazil. The door handles are composed of solid brass with a brushed nickel finish.

A polished design

“A beautiful diamond is a beautiful diamond, no matter how you look at it. Once you’ve got an exquisite cut and clarity in the materials, it all comes down to sizing and creating the perfect shape,” Miano says. “We tried to make sure we had the highest attention to detail because we had such a great foundation of materials to work with.”

High-energy stainless steel appliances and a slender, Italian faucet complement the range hood and the camouflaged microwave that is tucked into the island. The Italian dining table with its two-toned chairs and glass top is paired up with a low-hanging, geometric chandelier from Dallas Lighting Gallery in Texas.

“The kitchen resembles something you’d find in black and white photography. It makes a crisp, clean statement,” Miano says. “It’s the elegance of a little black dress combined with the tailored look of a tuxedo. We wanted every night to be a night on the town when the homeowner walks into that kitchen.”