Before renovation, the kitchen of a 1915 historically listed bungalow in Oakland, California came with qualifiers now commonly used to describe kitchens of its day: dark, cramped, disconnected, no storage.
What the owners of the kitchen—a family of four—wanted was its near opposite: a light, open, gathering space with lots of storage for avid cooks. As part of a complete overhaul of the 2,500-square-foot house, architects Ian Read and Gretchen Krebs of Medium Plenty in Oakland transformed the kitchen into a midcentury-inspired berth of white and wood anchored by a near-black kitchen island. It's now the heart of the home—warm, but without excess. Says Ian, "There's nothing you can point to that is a luxury rather than a need for the clients."
Photography by Melissa Kaseman.
Above: The clients' primary goal was "to bring light and order to the kitchen." Medium Plenty's solution was a heavy dose of cabinetry, a light touch with open shelving, and plenty of bright, white surfaces.
Above the built-in cabinetry, the architects installed a strip of warm-hued LED tape to cast an ambient glow on the ceiling. A matching strip sits beneath the lowest shelf, casting light onto the counter space below. The architects wanted to inject some low-level ambient light into the room for its non-working hours. Says Gretchen, "You don't always want to light up the space to working level if you're just going to grab a drink."
Above: The wall-mounted cabinets were fashioned in white oak and MDF by Treasure Island Woodworks in Emeryville. The holes for finger pulls on the sliding cabinet doors is one of Medium Plenty's midcentury references—this one to the credenzas of George Nelson.
Above: The kitchen island is covered in Richlite—a paper-based composite—on top and down one side, in color Black Diamond. The facings of the integrated drawers were painted, to keep costs in check. The architects note that the Richlite will patina with age, likely lightening at first then darkening again over time.
As for the color scheme, the clients wanted something "light and airy but not stark," and in the end the white kitchen with dark gray core was a product of the materials everyone liked. "The idea of a light and airy room with a grounding element in the center just kind of worked," says Ian.
Above: Appliance garages over the kitchen island feature pop-up doors.
Above: The wall surrounding the kitchen window is tiled in Ann Sacks' Savoy Mosaics, in shape Hive and color Ricepaper.
Above: Countertops are Caesarstone Misty Carrera, walls are Benjamin Moore Silver Satin, and lower cabinets and trim are Benjamin Moore Collingwood. The drawer and cabinet pulls were sourced by the client.
Above: To minimize clutter, the architects installed a recessed exhaust hood above the island range. "We love how open it keeps the space by not having a dropped hood hovering in the center." But the tactic, says the architects, "can be tricky in a remodel because you need to work around the structure in the floor above." They put the hood's blower in the attic to reduce noise.
Both the dishwasher and refrigerator are concealed behind cabinet facings. The door at right opens onto the laundry room, followed by a half bath and backyard access.
Above: The open-plan dining room, just off the kitchen. The client chose the pendant lights from Schoolhouse Electric.
Above: Around the corner from the kitchen, stairs wrap around a partial wall hiding more kitchen cabinetry.
Above: The floors are engineered European white oak, stained in a slightly lighter shade and sealed onsite. The cabinetry in the living/dining room mimics the cabinetry in the kitchen.
Above: The hallway at the top of the stairs off the kitchen showcases Medium Plenty's custom guardrail design, made by Dialogue Design Build and Welsh Ironworks, both in Oakland. (Plus a cameo by the architects' daughter, Mica.)
Browse more favorite projects from Medium Plenty:
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- The Architect Is In: Medium Plenty in San Francisco
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