Sunset's new kitchen of ideas

Sunset, Sept, 1998 by Daniel Gregory

After 32 years, it was time to refine and update the test kitchen here at our headquarters in Menlo Park, California. As senior food editor Jerry Anne Di Vecchio recalls, "The original kitchen - really four kitchens in one - was built in 1966. It served us well. But we have learned a lot since then and felt we could build a space better suited to our current needs." Those needs include more work and storage space, better separation between work zones, improved lighting, and a more open plan to allow for magazine photography and television production.

One of the challenges was to create an up-to-date room that would be compatible with the original Cliff May - designed structure. Architect Chris Wasney says, "The space had great bones; it was just a little dowdy." His firm preserved the architectural shell while installing new working parts. The architects moved the tasting area into an adjacent glass-walled corridor, which made it possible to expand the work centers and consolidate support functions like cleanup and storage of food and props. The idea was to create a "front stage, back stage" layout to make the kitchen as versatile as possible.

Sunset and the architects chose a simple, elegant palette of materials to complement the original building's classic, adobe-and-terra-cotta ranch house character: green granite near sinks, butcher block for food preparation, stainless steel appliances, red birch cabinetry, and linoleum and quarry tile for the floor. A two-tiered counter separates the cooking and tasting zones without cutting off sight lines. The counter puts the cooking zone "on stage" by framing it.

The architects improved the ventilation and lighting with four tiers of lights to heighten the theatrical effect. Warm fluorescents behind a plastic diffuser create an artificial skylight; they're supplemented by halogen cable, soffit, and under-cabinet lights.

DESIGN: Cody Anderson Wasney Architects, Palo Alto (650/328-1818)

CONTRACTOR: Blach Construction Company, Santa Clara, CA (408/244-7100)

Kitchen-design ideas from senior food editor Jerry Anne Di Vecchio

* RANGES. When we planned the first kitchen, there was a big difference between commercial and residential cooking equipment. Now, as then, we use residential equipment. But today commercial-quality equipment designed to work well in a home is available, and that's what we've chosen. It's quiet and well insulated. Also, most manufacturers now have a stainless steel or brushed-chrome line that makes it easy to coordinate a number of different brands at different prices, which we wanted to do in order to approximate the range of equipment Sunset readers use.

* REFRIGERATED DRAWERS. These handy and efficient products give each work area its own cold storage compartment. They save a lot of steps and are easier to use than conventional refrigerators because you can see everything at a glance as you look into them from the top.

* COUNTERS. We had butcher-block counters before, and they were perfect for chopping and other food preparation, but it was a mistake to use them near water - spills or splashes invariably caused spotting and discoloration. So this time we put the butcher block on counters away from the sinks.

* ACCESSIBILITY. Elbow space is very important when four cooks are working at the same time, so each work center's butcher-block counter is accessible from at least three sides.

* FLEXIBLE STORAGE. Shallow storage is very useful. Some of our drawers are just 2 inches deep - perfect for skewers and crab crackers.

* CABINET DOOR VARIATION. Translucent glass for some cabinet doors adds texture and depth without revealing clutter.

* FOOD STORAGE. We use our pantry to store food, tools, and serving pieces. Because some foodstuffs need to be kept cool, not cold, we considered building a cooler; it turned out to be much less expensive just to buy another refrigerator, install it in the pantry, and select its warmest setting.