By Dianne Kett

Image: Freshome

The relationship of various elements in the kitchen is important. The sink – stove – refrigerator arrangement is crucial to an easy working kitchen. They can form almost a triangle for ease of movement through the kitchen. They should not be too far from each other because each of these is so commonly used. The biggest key to a good kitchen is a generous working surface. There should be at least four to six feet of clear counterspace with no appliances or sinks set in the counterspace. The larger the better. Islands are much more usable if they are large and do not contain a cooktop or sink. There are cases where a cooktop or sink is needed or required in an island, or the design works efficiently. The smallest amount of space between two counters should be no less than forty-two inches. Four feet apart is ideal, larger than that and it becomes more than one step away from counter to counter. In a large square kitchen, provided the sink-stove-refrigerator triangle is efficient, there can be a larger amount of space between the counters. This also allows more people to work in a kitchen at the same time.

Natural lighting is wonderful in a kitchen for cooking during the daylight hours. Artifical lighting for nighttime is crucial. Too much lighting in a kitchen is never a problem. A few decorative pendants is always nice, provided they do not get in the way.

The materials in the kitchen reflect the energy of the spirits in the house. Types of wood, tile, stone, concrete, colors, all are clues to the essence representative of the spirit. Whether these materials are modern or country in style, these materials should compliment each other and the rest of the house. Durable materials and materials that clean up easily are factors that should also play into the selection.

With so much ease in cooking and the beauty of the kitchen, your spirit is then ready to eat the fabulous meals you have just cooked in your kitchen.

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By Dianne Kett

Image Apartmenttherapy

Storage is very important. It is easy to work in a kitchen with clutter free counters. Easy access to plenty of storage in the kitchen allows for storage of multiple sets of dishes, various kitchen utensils and gadgets, plenty of pots and pans, and small appliances. A large pantry is very nice and if the refrigerator, oven and microwave can be tucked into the pantry, it makes for a nice clean looking kitchen. Drawers are the best element for storage in a kitchen. One large divided cabinet is ideal for storage of cookie sheets, trays, cutting boards, and roasting pans. A built in garbage and recycling bin helps to make the kitchen clutter free again and then you are not looking at a garbage can or recycling bin anywhere in your kitchen. A small set of built in bookshelves is also ideal for those various cookbooks you often use to find that favorite or new recipe.

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By Dianne Kett

Image: Freshome

The kitchen is the heart of the home. While the living space is the community of the home, the kitchen is the heart of the home. Our spirits love to eat, it nourishes the soul to eat delicious home cooked food. Generally there is at least one spirit in the house that enjoys cooking, and all souls enjoy eating. If it is not a favorite activity it is a necessary thing and there should be a space for this that also provides comfort and ease. Kitchens are very personal spaces for the spirits residing in the house and should be carefully designed to work with that person. Kitchens must always remain practical as well.

Everyone loves a big kitchen, however if it is not designed well, big kitchens are not easy to cook in. The key ingredients to a good kitchen are not size, but layout, prep space, and storage. Providing an easy kitchen to cook in adds so much grace to the house. A kitchen should also accommodate more than one cook. We all know how everyone loves to hang out in the kitchen. Setting up a bar on the opposite side of the working area of the kitchen is a very good solution in that it allows you to visit with your guests while you are cooking. Your guests are not in your way but sitting and enjoying a drink and snack. They feel a part of the kitchen and your cooking experience.

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For the past 5 years our studio has been devoted to creating wonderful spaces for living and work. Thank you to all of our clients who have let us support their life journey. We have been able to create home designs that both represent our client’s unique personalities and fulfill their individual needs.

It has been a wonderful 5 years!

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By Dianne Kett

Outdoor living spaces help extend your life into the great outdoors. Even if you don’t always use them everyday, they help connect the mind and your eye to the outside. They also tend to actually pull you physically outdoors and encourage you to plant a few flowers and other green things. During ideal weather conditions you can sit outside and enjoy them for hours. They are great for entertaining. Grilling just by the table and serving right off the grill is always fun. Use of candles and stringing lights really adds some nice ambiance as well. Another aspect of the outdoor spaces is they always bring a surprise to guests and visitors because they really are not expecting them to be there. Outdoor spaces tend to be more inviting and people want to be in them more than interior spaces.

In my own house I designed three outdoor living spaces. One has an exterior fireplace which gets most of it’s use in the winter months. It is off the living room with a pair of double doors. It makes it very pleasant to look out of the living room and to see the patio and wood benches set up around the fireplace. During the Christmas and New Years season I decorate it with lots of lights and it is so fun to look at just from the interior, and of course to enjoy fireside.

The most inhabited outdoor living space is the patio off of my breakfast nook. It leads to the outdoors. It has a trellis covering the entire patio and vines of wisteria have grown all over it. Trellis’s are great because they provide some partial shade and create fun shadows on the ground. Trellis’s with vines really make an outdoor living space. If you choose a vine that has a flower with a great smell, they are wonderful to sit under during their peak blooming season. This patio also leads out to the backyard which has been landscaped with flowers and blooming perennials.

Balconies and living spaces off of second floor bedrooms. These spaces tend to be smaller with just room for one chair and some pots. They seldom get used unless there is a great view or some great nighttime viewing provided there is no roof. I would say the balcony off of my bedroom gets the least amount of use and I have noticed the same for existing houses with second floor balconies. They look really nice and are appreciated from inside. They do allow you in the morning to take a quick step outside to see what the weather holds for the day.

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By Dianne Kett

Narrow Pawson style (PushPullBar)

The stair can really be made a very special element in the house. Stairs are often a significant cost because of the carpentry work required, no matter what size and design. But it is a crucial design element that requires much time spent on its design.

Natural light is a very important element in the stair. Since the stair can many times become the focal point of a house. Going up a set of stairs with no light is an uncomfortable feeling. Yet traveling up a set of stairs raining down with light makes you want to climb the stairs to see what the view is at the top. The natural light also helps maintain balance with the dominant energy that a stair creates. Windows and skylights give a wonderful feeling to the quality of a stair. Many of the staircases in the old city apartment buildings such as Paris and Rome have large windows on each floor of the stair case or a large skylight at the top with room in the middle of the stair to let the light flow down to the bottom floor. This also requires less cost in energy to provide artificial lighting. Of course this is why they did this in old apartment buildings because they were built before electricity.

Stairs are a very important element in the design of a house. Of course not every house may have a stair. Design of its placement in the house, the layout of the stair, the use of natural light, the location of landings and what happens at the landings, and of course the balustrade and handrail design are all crucial elements in the design of the stair.

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By Dianne Kett

Curved railing (PushPullBar)

A stair that turns or switches back slows down the force of energy moving on the staircase. In a stair that turns you do not see what is at the top or bottom landing. A straight stair is very clear and defined as to what is at the end of each run. This design makes the separation between first and second story much more private. And of course gives an element of surprise at the final landings. Sometimes at the turn of a stair there can be a larger landing that has a bookshelf, large window, window seat, or even a small room such as a library, reading nook, or work area. This design of a stair can be a lot of fun because it makes you want to go up the stairs to see what is at the top. And there should always be a reward once you reach the top, such as a wonderful view. There can also be other stops along the way such as a bedroom door off of another landing along the stair.

The grand stair case as we think of in the large plantation homes of the south make a much larger and bolder statement. They are so big that you do not have the same element of surprise that you get with the stair mentioned above. However the stair is designed so the energy slowly tumbles down the stair. It is generally very wide, often curves or has one or two large breaks in the course of the stair. These designs of stairs should never have the base of the stair fall right in front of the door, as the energy will fall directly out of the house. However having so much room for a stair allows for a flowing and curved staircase. Which is a much gentler way of treating the energy. The landing of the second floor is generally equal in grandeur to the actual staircase. It is generally another sitting area, gallery, or larger space. It should be a larger space in order to stay in proportion to the stair and to receive you once you have made the journey of experience up the grand staircase.

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By Dianne Kett

Simple see-through design (PushPullBar)

The stair must be treated gently. Have you ever noticed that people tend to always look upward? You can see why the stair is so important. It really adds a significant amount of energy flow to the house, and must be designed with respect and a sort of homage to the transition and movement of going up and down in a house. The base of the stair should be a space capable of receiving the energy heading down the stairs. Either landing in a large room, or a space proportional to the energy embodied in the stair should receive the stair. The layout of the stair will help determine the shape and size of the landing.

A straight stair strongly directs the energy down and is more challenging to bring the energy up. This stair really needs the use of natural light to balance that strong directional flow of energy. If possible, the sides of the stair should remain light. The balustrade should not be heavy in design. And, as always, the design and material should reflect the aura of the house and the spirits that reside in it.

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By Dianne Kett

Continuation of Approach and Entry (Part 2)

Sometimes the entry can double as another space. Such as a library, or even a music room, or art gallery. As long as it is a place where clutter does not take over and the objects in it are generally kept in one place. The entry should always feel pleasant and inviting, not overwhelming and confusing. Making the entry double as a space is also a strong statement as to the type of spirit residing in the house. A guest would assume the owner was a big reader and could gather what subjects were of interest to the owner. Or the guest could learn the owner played an instrument such as a piano. Designing a space that feels right often means a house that is not too big and out of scale, often times a room can double with purpose, such as the example just described.

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