This summer kanna woodcraft was contacted by a designer in Berkeley to collaborate on a kitchen remodel. The desire was to implement some finer, hand-crafted furniture elements into a design that had to keep an eye on budget. While the homeowners wanted to implement some uniquely-crafted elements into the design, they were also cognizant of costs and knew that some compromises would have to be made. The solution was to use prefabricated “stock” cabinets at the perimeter of the kitchen for the majority of storage, while hiring Kanna to design and build a few “feature” pieces that would be strategically placed throughout the kitchen. The concept, by Nick Buccelli design, to match painted surfaces with crafted white oak components allowed for a contrast to the white and gray tones, and added value to the select handmade pieces. Additionally, the accent color and tone of the pieces constructed a spatial narrative within the kitchen where one could move both visually and physically from one side to the other. The decision to use simple tones and textures as a backdrop also allowed for us to introduce finer wood materials such as rift-sawn white oak for the door panels and frames. In speaking to the homeowners, it was important for them to have durable pieces that would work well as their children grew, that would respect the original design of the home (an early twentieth-century craftsman), and would retain crisp, simple lines in design and construction. In the end, we were able to design and build something that we came to think of as “Contemporary Craft”. Above all, as is always the case, we had the desire to preserve and showcase the extraordinary and simple beauty of wood. Ultimately, this project was a success because of a positive collaboration between the homeowners, designer, contractor and Kanna Woodcraft. We greatly enjoyed working on this project and look forward to working on similar projects in the future.
The kitchen from the dining area. The hutch to the right is at the kitchen entrance, and the white oak and blue accent tone carry all of the way to the opposite corner. Designer: Nick Buccelli / Contractor: Axiom Build.
The kitchen island with rift-sawn white oak end panels and corner posts serves as the center-piece to the kitchen. Designer: Nick Buccelli / Contractor: Axiom Build.
The kitchen island front doors and drawers. Designer: Nick Buccelli / Contractor: Axiom Build.
The built-in kitchen hutch marks the entrance to the kitchen and is an important place for storage, display and completing tasks. Designer: Nick Buccelli / Contractor: Axiom Build.