Spicy surprise

Custom Home, Nov-Dec, 2002 by Shelley D. Hutchins

Architect and owner of this San Francisco remodel Sandra Vivanco realized that she needed room between the wall and her 24-inch-wide, 30-inch-deep stainless steel Sub-Zero so the door could swing open wide enough for easy access. Vivanco describes the space as "about the size of a drawer turned sideways." But what to do with that scant 11 inches? Her solution: a stack of linear spice racks, one with a movable telephone message board. They make a witty yet practical addition to the 150-square-foot kitchen.

The retractable racks were crafted in vertical-grain Douglas fir by cabinetmakers at Pokensniff in San Francisco. Unable to find hardware to her liking, Vivanco fabricated her own pulls for the flat-front doors and drawers from slices of steel flatbar that are let into the wood. Treating them with gum blue turned them black, and a clear lacquer protects them from rust-inducing moisture. "I saw their placement as musical notations," she says. "They're sprinkled within a grid--not exactly lined up--but with an overarching order."