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" Christine Pittel: Why does this kitchen feel so peaceful? Susan Serra: Because there&amp;#039;s plenty of visual breathing room. The walls are not crammed with cabinets. Some storage was willingly sacrificed in favor of beauty and style. So you have clean white walls, with a few open shelves. The white walls and floors give you a foundation of lightness, and open shelves are so useful. Dishes are easily accessible, and you have a place to display decorative objects and artwork. In this kitchen, we put an equal emphasis on function and aesthetics. Typically, kitchens are designed for function and then you fill in the blanks afterward with aesthetics. Here, they were equal partners from the start. Why did you go for dark wood on the lower cabinets? I like the play of dark and light, and the dark wood also gives them more of a furniture connotation. I wanted the organic feeling of real wood\u2014not laminated, not painted. They&amp;#039;re made out of walnut with an oil finish\u2014easily renewable. This is my daughter&amp;#039;s kitchen, and our family has a strong Scandinavian heritage. I was inspired by the purity of Scandinavian design, and you can see that in the simple lines. Instead of handles, there are cutouts for your hand\u2014no protrusions. The handle becomes an integral part of the design. The appliances are equally unobtrusive. I almost missed the cooktop entirely. It&amp;#039;s an induction cooktop, and it blends right in with the countertop so it&amp;#039;s practically invisible. Is that why you chose it? Of course, the visual aspect was perfect for the space. But we also chose it because my daughter has small children and an induction cooktop is very safe\u2014no red-hot burners. It&amp;#039;s also energy-efficient, and the performance factor can be even more powerful than gas. What is the countertop made of? Silestone, in a warm gray that looks sophisticated against the dark cabinetry. Where did you find a gray cast-iron sink? Kohler. I loved the texture and the color. It just flows beautifully into the countertop and is very functional with the built-in cutting board. One bowl, or two? One big bowl, so it can hide a lot of dirty dishes. That&amp;#039;s a very unusual faucet. I liked it because it seemed more sculptural than utilitarian. It&amp;#039;s almost like a piece of art. And it&amp;#039;s practical, because those articulated sections enable you to aim it anywhere you want. I&amp;#039;m intrigued by that hanging storage system. It gets all those utensils off the countertop. And you can buy various components and change them around. I like to design flexibility into all my projects. Is that a vintage table in the breakfast area? It&amp;#039;s actually a replica of the Danish modern table I grew up with. The top has an unusual shape\u2014part curved and part straight. This area doubles as a dining room, a media room\u2014the TV is there\u2014and a place to do projects. The cushions on the banquette are extra-thick, so they&amp;#039;re comfortable for lounging. We painted one wall gray to define the area and show off artwork. You want to build in places for personal expression. That&amp;#039;s what gives a room warmth. Get the Look\u2026 Cabinetry: bornholmkitchen.com. Countertops and shelves: silestoneusa.com. Cooktop, oven, refrigerator, hood: bosch-home.com. Sink and faucet: kohler.com. Hanging storage system: clever-storage.com. Chairs: westelm.com. Banquette fabric: kravet.com. Rugs: scandinavianmade.com. Hanging light: louispoulsen.com. Paint: benjaminmoore.com. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.housebeautiful.com/room-decorating/kitchens/a1967/susan-serra-interview-0414/>