Menlo Park Kitchen

The brief was straightforward: build a kitchen worthy of serious cooking, designed for a couple who entertain often and cook daily. The existing layout was functional but uninspiring — a galley converted into a peninsula configuration that served neither purpose well.

We opened the kitchen fully to the adjacent dining room, creating a single flowing space anchored by a ten-foot marble-topped island. Custom cabinetry was built by a local mill shop in quarter-sawn white oak, finished with a lye treatment that produces a cool, silvery tone that will deepen over time.

Every detail was resolved before construction began: the placement of the range hood, the depth of the open shelving, the height of the pot rail. Good kitchens are built in the drawing, not on the job site.