g4 ) J UNE 2O O 8

kitohen& bath

Downto I
itsbonos
Whena LongboatKeycoupleboughttheir1980shousemore
''T"
thanthreeyearsago,they felt cloisteredby the boxy,claustro-
phobickitchen.Wallsdividedthe spacesusedfor dining,break-
fast,cocktailsand food preparation. To achievean accessible,
airy,breathable areacomprisedof a kitchen,breakfastbar,din-
ingareaandwet bar,theyworkedwith Jonathan Parks,principal
cr Jonathan ParksArchitect, takingthe housedownto its bones.
-: ::-^:er:he horizontal vastness, the ownershadParksdesign
: -e sp a ce. ' r it hlow c eiling sp,ro d u c i nag mo reh u m a ns c a l e.
"A ot of peopledon'tlikelow ceilings," saysthe homeowner,
who is shortof statureandaskednotto be identified. "Butthis is
sucha betterscalefor me,"shesays.
Thekitchenareais basedon the conceptsof flow, processand
design,an imperativefor the couple,who entertainfrequently.
Knocking downwallsandopeningup the spacewith pocketslid-
ersbroadened the areato allowbetteraccessibility for guests,as
theymovefrom insideto out at oneof the couple'sfrequentbar-
becues. .b.-'
Uponenteringthe house,a visitor'seyeis drawnto the expan-
sive kitchen.There,a wall of pocketslidersleadsto views be-
yond,includingthe lanai,canal,and landscape architectureby
DavidW. Young,principal of DWYLandscape Architects.
Thecontemporary spaceradiateswith abundantnaturallight
and reflectivesurfaces. The L-shaped island,wrappedin zebra-
urood,dramatizedby frosted-glass cabinets,and adornedwith
stainless-steel pullsand plumbingfixtures,is the focus of the
kitchen.An illuminated glassware curioat the wet barunitesthe
kitchenand livingroom.lt all complements the Thermadorand
Sub-Zerostainless-steel appliances, the hoodand built-inwine
rack.
A nichedwall betweenthe livingroomandthe kitchenserves
multiplepurposes: lt addsdimension to the kitchen,segregates
it fromthe livingroom,andhousesappliances, suchasthe micro-
wave and electricoven.Light passes from the sunnykitchen
througha squarenichetowardthetop,whileat floorlevel,anoth-
er nichewas carvedout to givethe petstheirown privatedining

- NicholeL. Reber

Sitting at the wet bar, guests can partake of views of the

kitchen,the canaland three-storylanaioutside or watch
, . =-d s i n t he liv ingr oom .