DREAM KITCHEN
A refined space with a concealed cooking area is the perfect design for entertaining
DESIGNER Stéphanie Coutas, director, SC Edition by Stéphanie Coutas, +33
(0)1 81 29 31 90, stephaniecoutas.com. THE PROPERTY A two-bedroom, 19th-century apartment in central Paris. DESIGN BRIEF For this Parisian pied-àterre belonging to two globetrotting art collectors, a sumptuous yet refined entertainment space was a priority. The practical side of the elegantly appointed kitchen was to fade into the background the moment guests arrived. DIMENSIONS 6.5x4m (kitchen area only)
LAYOUT
While 220sq m is by no means paltry for an apartment with prime views of the Eiffel Tower, Stéphanie maximised the feeling of spaciousness by uniting cooking, dining and relaxing into one glorious, light-filled room. ‘The kitchen, in particular, was very small and uninviting so we chose to demolish in favour of a big living room with the kitchen tucked discreetly at one end,’ she recalls. ‘The layout had to be very flexible so that it could transition from a kitchen to a dining room to a living area in an effortless way.’
CABINETRY
As the owners wanted the cook space to be as invisible as possible, Stéphanie proposed a marble powder with a special motif pattern for the doors of the floor-to-ceiling units. ‘The idea was that it would look like a decorative wall finishing,’ she explains. ‘All of the doors are hidden, with fingerprint sensors that allow them to open and close in a very smooth and sophisticated manner.’
ISLAND
Stéphanie tailored the island to the space, ensuring its dimensions were aesthetically balanced. As the only dining facility in the apartment, the majority of the surface was dedicated to a stunning cantilever table. ‘In terms of technicality, making the table look as if it was floating was very difficult because, firstly, it’s solid stone structure made it incredibly heavy,’ recalls Stéphanie. ‘Secondly, we wanted to make sure our clients or their friends would be able to sit on it without it breaking. This part of the design process involved complex engineering, but the result is fantastic!’
SURFACES
The worktops and island are a wonderful travertine marble that is brushed in order for it to look very matte in comparison to the patterned powdered marble on the tall cabinets. ‘It’s hard to appreciate the distinction in photographs, but this contrast between the two materials is very interesting and adds softness and movement to the space,’ adds Stéphanie.
APPLIANCES
‘In order for us to make the kitchen ‘invisible’ we had to hide all of the appliances away,’ says Stéphanie.
‘In the island we hid the dishwasher and one of the cooking ovens, and in the tall units behind, we concealed another oven, plus the fridge and freezer.’ A pocket of golden travertine marble was cut into the tall units to provide space for the sink, hob and extractor. All three have been seamlessly integrated for barely-there results.