The Italian Kitchen

Cucina Italiano. What would a living space inspired by Italian country farmhouses be without a simple, open Italian country kitchen? The kitchen is always the most lived-in and loved space in these homes, and this kitchen was designed so that you might never want to leave. Here whatever is outside is invited in.

I'm just passing through. French doors front and back, and zillions of tall windows, makes this kitchen feel like you are always outside, inside or out.

Let the sun shine in. Light spills in from three sides of this space. Morning sun to the front, sunsets to the back.

Mt. St. Helena beckons. It's good to offer a daily afternoon sacrifice to the mountain gods. A crisp chardonnay is always well received.

Five Patterns in one. #1: wall niches. A perfect place to put favorite images or icons. (Or ipods.) #2: thick walls.  so you can have window ledges or window seats, or both. #3: divided windows: which create far more interest and variety than single pane windows #4: window seats: become a magnet for reading, resting and ruminating. #5: tall ceilings: (13 feet!) create a sense of vastness even though the floor space is relatively small.

Open space. Who needs furniture? Two ovens. Instant-on electric counter top stove. (We used to be gas snobs for cooking ... but this range top is terrific.)

Who gets to cook tonight? Top chef view. Horizontal spacefor friends to help prep or just watch the show with a glass of Zin. Space to serve. Space to eat. Space to dance. Space, space, space.

Where to put it all. Here. Under the island. In the pantry. Above the pantry. Above the office nook (at right) ... where cabinet leads into an extended attic space ... which can also be reached with a second entry upstairs. (Good for holiday and camping stuff.)

Who gets to wash? Dish therapy.

But aren't the concrete floors cold? They're the color of Italian pavers bathing in the Tuscan sun, and you control the warmth with radiant liquid heat running beneath your feet. How nice is it on a cold, wet winter morning to come downstairs in your bare feet and it feels like you just stepped on a sun-kissed brick? Very nice. (And it's economical ... because the concrete holds the heat long after you turn off the juice.)

Check out another Pattern here: walking from a shorter space into a larger, taller space. Why is this good? Who knows? You'll have to read the book to find out. But it works.

Buried treasure. All the blueprints and manuals and permits and docs for the home/land security are secreted under the pillows, beneath the hidden trap door. You'll need an index finger to open it. (You'll see.)

Someone is watching you. It knows everything you do ... and it doesn't care.