Table of Contents
When utility and beauty intersect, there’s bliss. A chair that ergonomically supports and aesthetically pleases. A plant that clears the air and lends a verdant be aware. Or in the situation of this gorgeous and practical kitchen, a space that rises to meet up with your needs when wrapping you in elegance.
Designer Meredith Lamme viewed as every corner when conceptualizing this kitchen, which she describes as “the coronary heart of the home” that she shares with her spouse, Edward, their five teenage kids, and their pet dog. The space sees all the action: Kids running in and out. Dinners for good friends. Early breakfasts at the counter. It is multi-reason in each perception. As Lamme says, the objective was for the house “to be long lasting, functional, comfortable—but also wonderful.”
And that is the operative term: magnificence. Lamme, who is the structure expert for Tribe Design and style Group, the Austin-based mostly design and style agency she co-started with Brooke Wilbratte, utilized components and options, from hearty concrete and brass to open up shelving, that exudes grace while operating extra time to provide.
Just after poring in excess of each and every crevice of this kitchen, we caught up with Lamme to request about the smartest style conclusions she and Wilbratte built that resulted in this stunning and smart kitchen.
Preserve reading to uncover this lovely and functional kitchen—a real minimalist’s desire.

Let us start with the purpose and flow of your kitchen. How did you build this kind of relieve?
We needed a large island to seat our total family members or a group of little ones when they are below. We realized we wanted a large island as the center of the kitchen, so we made the island to start with and worked the rest of the kitchen area close to it. But features is incredibly essential. We added the refrigerator, ovens, array, and sink all in easy places from a single a different.
Numerous layout factors, these as the constructed-in cubbies, make this kitchen purposeful and clever. Wander us through these, as very well as the hardworking materials you involved.
My partner loves to prepare dinner. When cooking on the stovetop we made cubbies on both side so we could hold our beloved oils, spices, and condiments handy. We set up the pot filler for functionality so we would not have to have all around our big pot throughout the kitchen to the sink.
As for the supplies, the cupboards are white oak. I like an genuine content like white oak. The cut makes a distinction. These are all rift-sewn with a vertical grain. It tends to make the cabinet feel modern-day and not rustic, though however providing you that organic feel. The stain is also vital for the reason that a white oak can convert yellow quickly.
The flooring are concrete. Our relatives life challenging in our dwelling and I wanted to use a material for the ground that would be tremendous resilient. Spills are quick to clean up, and the young ones can arrive in and out of the pool dripping damp with no any concerns. Our dog can observe in mud, and we don’t sweat it.
The counter tops are Calacatta marble. A lot of people today cannot offer with marble in a kitchen area, but I really like the way it ages. We just made a decision to live and prepare dinner freely in it and let the strain of the etching go. I’m the girl who can commit hrs at the slab showroom. I’m obsessed with all unique sorts of attractive slabs that Mother Mother nature makes. It feels genuine to have a organic slab in my house.
The fixtures and lighting are burnished brass. When our small business is going absent from burnished brass and toward gunmetal finishes, I even now appreciate burnished or unlacquered brass. An unlacquered brass ages around time and delivers a house excess character.
How did you solution the lighting? Any kitchen area lighting guidelines to share?
Our ceilings are twelve feet large and the island is twelve ft long, so the normal two to 3 pendants above an island was not the correct alternative. We developed a tailor made light-weight fixture with Apparatus Studio so it would healthy the island, get up that extensive place and give the kitchen a wow factor.
Lighting should be the crown jewel of the kitchen. Do not be scared to go major and daring.
Retain the relaxation of the kitchen area clean up and negligible, but go bold on your lights. Have some pleasurable with it. It is the 1 place of the household that receives the most use by your household and mates.

What function does color perform in this place?
We stay a extremely lively life-style. Our family members is regularly on the go, so when we appear dwelling we don’t like to be overstimulated with a bunch of hues or styles. At heart, I’m a quite simple particular person and I really feel like the neutral palette displays who I am. We utilised Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee—a go-to coloration.
Kitchens can be ground zero for clutter, but yours has a streamlined, minimalistic glance. What’s the solution?
We are not enthusiasts of higher cupboards. If you can, clear away the higher cupboards and set in open shelving. If you just can’t stand to are living devoid of your uppers, make certain they go all the way to the top rated of the ceiling. We want wise storage to conceal as substantially as doable. In our kitchen, we utilized ground-to-ceiling cupboard doorways with pull-out shelves to conceal blenders, toasters, juicers, and other day to day merchandise previously plugged in and prepared to use.
For easy access, we retailer plates and utensils in the island drawers close to the refrigerator. We added an adjacent pantry and a storage wall to make up for missing storage room. We continue to keep entertaining essentials like platters, utensils, tablecloths, and glassware in the butler’s pantry. The butler’s pantry off the kitchen is a person of my beloved places in the dwelling. We use it as a area to prep for parties.
What do you appreciate most about your kitchen area?
My favorite factor about our kitchen area is the total of time I expend in there connecting with my spouse and children and close friends. From doing research on the island to hosting functions, or nightly dinners, we really reside in this space. It is not essentially the items in the kitchen that I’m connected to but the recollections the kitchen affords me to make. It is the coronary heart of our home, and I’m grateful for all of the meals, wine, and conversations that come about in this article.
More Stories
What Makes a Fantastic Kitchen? An Specialist Shares His Very best Design Strategies
Fab 5 Freddy, Antwaun Sargent, Nicola Vassell, and More Celebrate the Kitchen at Their Annual Spring Gala
Robert Downey Jr.’s kitchen seating is one the best we’ve ever seen |