Passionate about entertaining regularly, the Kunkles felt their indoor spaces, and their kitchen design in particular, fell far short of the bar set by the extraordinary back yard. “This is a big house, yet everyone would stand around the island in the kitchen. The problem was ours was shut off from the other rooms, as well as the outside—physically and visually,” said Lisa. “Our goal was to open up all three spaces—living room, kitchen and dining room—and to be able to bring the feel of the back yard in more.”
Drawing a clear relationship between the outdoor and indoor spaces, Senior Designer Leah Heinsius of Faralli Kitchen & Bath used wood and leather to pull in the natural textures of the outdoors. Their deep brown tones combined with burnt orange and red bring a warmth and coziness reminiscent of sitting around the fire pit outside. It contrasts well with the cool meditative tones of green and a silvery grey also pulled in from the garden.
With two of the dividing walls removed, space flows into space with no harsh delineation drawn by line or color scheme, all anchored by the dark Koobari ebony cashmere 5-inch wide wood plank flooring. Framed in a custom stainless steel frame, the long line of the 16-foot island visually seems to extend into the dining room, blurring even more separation between rooms.
“These big windows have always been in the dining room,” explained Lisa. “But with the traditional large table set in the way, you couldn’t really see outside.” Now, low-slung upholstered leather seats encourage guests to relax and take in the view.
Above the table is a square lighting piece Leah had custom-made of hundreds of hand-selected Schonbek crystals in cashmere brown, burnt orange and crimson.
To completely change the space and draw the eye deeper into the room, a half wall creates bench seating with storage for the dining room table.
Leah keeps the space modern with crisp lines, contrasting the natural wood-grain texture of the footed Wenge cabinets with the glimmer of handmade stainless steel drawer pulls. All the conveniences await the chef, from the Sub-Zero fridge, to a built-in coffee maker. The white quartz countertop serves as a cool counterpoint to the flaming colors of the backsplash, a masterpiece of art glass that she laid out by hand, subtly adding depth with the intricate play of stone-like veins and texture.
Quite the centerpiece, the custom-designed island sits at two heights and divides into three sections for gathering, cooking and preparation. The gathering side is topped with sable brown quartz and rimmed with winter white bar stools. For cooking, the middle section features a flush-mount stove top. The quarter-sawn oak and sapele mahogany chef’s block holds an inset prep sink, while guests can kibitz from the sleek wood and stainless steel bar stools.
With this kitchen design, the Kunkles have transformed their home into an aesthetically interesting and beautiful space that is both comfortable and functional. And, at the center of it all lays the Kunkles’ passion for their family and friends and, of course, the garden.