November 1, 2007 10:48 AM

BY: LEE CUTRONE, PHOTOS BY GREG MILES & EUGENIA UHL

Kitchens and bathrooms that are designed to meet—and go beyond—their owners’ needs.

Heart and SoulIf the kitchen is the heart of the home, the place where we break bread, join others, even work, a bathroom is often the soul, a quiet, relaxing retreat where we escape the cares of the day and the pressures of our lives. One revs the pulse, the other calms it.

And when well done, both draw us into their midst. Here we offer a look at some of the best ideas being put to work in kitchens and bathrooms today.

Some basic, others luxurious, the story is in the way designers and homeowners put them together, and in the pleasing effect that makes us want to spend as much time as possible inside their walls.

For Family & Friends
Homeowners Michael and Ingrid Garvey worked with architect William Sonner and interior designer John Fernandez to create a warm, traditional kitchen environment that would serve as a comfortable and efficient hub for their busy life. With three young daughters (Alana, Elise and Lyla), not to mention two dogs and a hen found on their lawn after Hurricane Katrina, the Garveys wanted their newly built Old Metairie home, modeled after a stately Victorian located Uptown, to be a place where family and friends could sink in and stay a while.

“We don’t worry about kids spilling a drink or getting crumbs on the floor,” says Michael, a developer whose company, Grande Pointe Properties, specializes in the kind of traditional style houses that he and his wife prefer. “This is meant to be a family house, to be lived in and to look lived in without looking worn out.”

The Garveys gave their kitchen the patina of age by using salvaged heart of pine floors, rich yet subtle colors, custom cabinets, and classic architectural details like crown moldings, casement moldings, and floor-to-ceiling windows. In the center of the room, is a custom island topped with Brazilian cherry wood and ornamented with classical corbels. “We wanted it to look like furniture rather than a granite topped island that you see everywhere these days,” says Michael. For contrast and durability, Fernandez used granite on the surrounding counters instead, combining them with moss-green cabinets, crackle finish subway tiles, and a fawn-colored backdrop.

To make the kitchen as practical as it is timeless, the Garveys constructed the space with a double supply of stainless-steel appliances—two refrigerators, two dishwashers, two ovens and two microwaves—all of which are used regularly, and furnished the adjoining breakfast room with an inviting mix of upholstered pieces and antiques.

“I love that people drop in and there’s lots of water, tea, beer and other drinks,” says Ingrid, referring to the fact that one refrigerator is kept stocked with a variety of beverages.

 “We wanted something warm and elegant, but not stuffy with lots of seating for friends and family,” adds Michael. “We have lots of spontaneous parties.”

Built to Last
When Keith Raines, owner of Metro Cleaners, decided to build a new home on Northline in Metairie Club Gardens, he asked his friend Leslie Lomont-Relayson of Cabinets by Design, with whom he’d worked on several other kitchens, to help him design the space. Raines opted, as he had before, for a contemporary look, but this time wanted to do something different. Because the house is located in an old, traditional neighborhood, Raines wanted to temper his love of contemporary style with elements that also work with classic architecture and furnishings. The look is what Relayson calls contemporary transitional. “Keith’s approach was ‘what can I do to make this kitchen different from the others I’ve had,’” says Relayson. The answer and the jumping off point for the room were in the cabinets.

As they had before, Raines and Relayson chose slab style cabinets. But unlike any they’d used previously, these components—particularly the four-legged, two-piece hutch on one side of the room, were designed to have the look of furniture. “So many people are doing furniture looks,” says Relayson. “This is an example of how it can be done in a contemporary kitchen.” Like the custom-designed glass and wood doors at the front entrance of the house (one of Raines’ favorite features), the cabinet doors are lightened with glass panes. Relayson and Raines also combined the warmth of the honey-colored maple cabinets and wide-plank maple floors with stainless-steel appliances, a stainless-steel island top, a glass-front Sub-Zero refrigerator and a backsplash of iridescent glass tiles in shades of amber, taupe and purple. Ironically, the tiles, which became the striking, focal point of the kitchen, were a last-minute find brought in by Raines’ tile installer once the kitchen was nearly complete. “We were looking for something to do with the backsplash,” says Raines. “We were considering art, tiles and other ideas. Then, my installer showed me the glass tiles and I actually loved them. They were perfect. They add just the right accent without being overpowering.

“The kitchen is great when I have friends over,” he adds. “You can have people watching TV in the den and cooking in the kitchen—and everybody’s part of the party.”

Sleek and Sophisticated
Jerry Fabre and Steve Paster had finished renovating their kitchen—and their entire Lakewood South house—just one week before six feet of floodwater from the 17th Street Canal inundated their neighborhood. So, as soon as they were able, the homeowners rehired their contractor, Jim Boucher of Boucher Construction, and began the process of re-renovating. “We had really customized it for us and our lifestyle,” says Fabre. “It was hard not to come back to that.”

Working with San Francisco-based designer Glenn Dugas, Fabre, senior manager of training and development for Lockheed Martin, and Paster, whose company Paster & Associates specializes in placing pharmaceutical and medical sales reps, created a state-of-the-art kitchen that epitomizes the streamlined, contemporary style of their California-inspired house and the carefully considered placement of its every detail. “Glenn really studied our lifestyle and our tastes,” says Fabre, who along with Paster favors open spaces, lots of natural light, outdoor views, and no-frills, modern design.

Because the homeowners wanted color in the kitchen, Dugas suggested back-painted glass for the walls and part of the island. He then married the apple green of the glass with European-style, oak cabinets, cool stainless steel, and gleaming, black granite. The designer and homeowners opened the room by replacing a single window, which overlooked a small, atrium-like area, with a row of windows and by turning the small outdoor area into a Zen-like garden with a relaxing waterfall. The kitchen also enjoys a view of the cool turquoise pool, deck and surrounding yard out back.

Avid sports enthusiasts, Fabre and Paster also wanted the kitchen to be a place where they could comfortably watch football, basketball and baseball, as well as entertain family and friends. Adjacent to the cooking area, is an informal dining table of iron and stainless steel and on the wall next to it, is one of the house’s nine large-screen plasma TVs. “There’s always a full house,” says Fabre, whose five children are all sports fans as well. “This is the gathering place for all the whooping and hollering that goes with the constant flow of kids and friends.”

“People love to congregate in the kitchen,” adds Paster. “It’s a great place to argue sports opinions and the food is usually pretty good too.”

A Natural Feel
When real-estate developer Eddie Breaux decided to create a new master bath in his own home, he gave architect Julie Little of Graham/Little Studio and interior architect Tom Landry II of TL2 one specific instruction: that the space be “open and functional with everything in one area,” like a locker room. “Julie drew the layout and Tom took it over the top with finishes that exceeded my expectations,” says Breaux. The result, which blends modular closet components by IKEA; high-end, designer plumbing fixtures; antique stained glass; custom windows; a glass enclosed shower and natural slate and stone, has a decidedly European feel.
 
“In almost all of my projects, I blend modern and traditional, which is very European,” says Landry. “Often times, [in Europe] the architecture or the envelope of the space is hundreds of years old. The use of sleek, modern finishes such as plumbing fittings, contemporary appliances and furnishings are a wonderful juxtaposition to the age of the existing space.”

Breaux and Landry outfitted the bathroom with floors of honed, golden-green slate, a regular/steam shower with a wall of Calcutta Oro marble, fixtures from the Antonio Citterio line by Hansgrohe, and a large, Citterio soaking tub made of marble composite. Centered over the tub is a custom-made window combined with a pair of arched casement windows found at a local salvage store. Master carpenter Heinz Gautschi of Gautschi Holz Works specially milled the center window to look like an old European window used in the bedroom and to lend symmetry to the exterior of the house. The sink, surrounded by cypress, was brought in as a temporary fill-in until the concrete, trough-style sink intended for the center of the room can be constructed. The new sink will have water access on both sides and mirrors suspended on pivoting poles, mounted from ceiling to counter.

“I like taking elements of old and making them comfortable and livable,” says Breaux, who adds a luxury touch to all of his projects, commercial and residential. “And then letting my friends, the professionals collaborate artistically to produce the final product.”

Cool Contemporary
Attorneys Alicia and David Bendana had already lived in their 135-year-old house for seven years when they decided to tackle the task of a comprehensive, full-scale renovation, a plus that provided them with a strong point of view. Respecting the age and architectural charm of their Eastlake-style Victorian, located Uptown, was paramount. But equally important were the needs of their active lifestyle as parents of three young children and their desire to update the old with some fresh, new touches.



“We knew how we lived in the house and how we wanted to use the space,” says Alicia. “We wanted modern comforts, but we didn’t want to change the character of the house.” Working with architects Brian Bockman and David Glasgow of Bockman Forbes + Glasgow Architecture & Design, the Bendanas enlarged the master bath by incorporating a closet and part of the area that was occupied by an upstairs apartment when they purchased the house, then outfitted the space with some features that take their cues from the past and others that give a nod to the most current modes of interior design.

Carrera marble tiles chosen for the floor set the tone for the color palette of cool gray and white. The original sink was relocated to a first floor powder room and his-and-hers sinks—chosen for their resemblance to the original—were installed on either side of the doorway leading to the master bedroom. “You need vanities to store everything, but I wanted sinks like the original, so Brian found similar ones and copied the original detailing of the backsplash,” says Alicia, who also requested wainscoting.

Because the sinks provide no storage, medicine cabinets concealed by glamorous Venetian mirrors hung above the sinks and paired with sleek, modern sconces. Likewise, the old-fashioned feel of the cast-iron tub was offset by a contemporary glass shower enclosure and the addition of a Bockman trademark—a nod to mid-20th century modern design. Suspended from the ceiling is a reproduction Sputnick light fixture, a Space Race-inspired piece first popular in the 1950s and considered a classic of ’50s style today. “Our contractor Richard Beck, and Brian and David were fabulous,” says Alicia. “Every time we put something in, we wanted it to look like it had always been there, and it does.”

European Flair
After living in Europe for a time, Lynne and Chris Laibe drew on their love of French style when transforming their 3,000-square-foot basement into a series of public and private rooms that includes an office, a media room, a guest room, laundry room and guest bath. “We wanted to have a French cave feeling,” says Lynne, referring to the earthy underground locales originally used to age wines. “We loved everything about Europe. We took a lot of the French influence; we wanted to give the space a little bit of character.”

To help carry out the concept, the Laibes—Chris owns and runs a software company, Lynne is a full-time mom who’s expecting the couple’s fifth child next year—hired Brian Bockman of Bockman Forbes + Glasgow and contractor Karl K. Sale, and used a blend of earthy colors, burnished surfaces, natural materials and refined accents.
The focal point of the room is the vanity, which consists of a wall-mounted counter and wrap-around backsplash—covered with glass mosaic tiles—in various light catching shades of cream, orange, amber and green—and trimmed with a cypress border. Above it is a wall-to-wall mirror illuminated by a pair of antique sconces purchased from local antiques dealer Alix Rico. Below it: a shelf of salvaged pine.
Though originally intended to have a solid finish, the stained and scored concrete floor has a tortoise shell-like finish with shades of orange and brown and undertones of green. The beige color of the walls, ceiling and trim, and the travertine used in the shower area lend a lighter note to the color scheme and keep the room from feeling too small. In the shower itself, Lynne installed a Rainshower showerhead by Hansgrohe, a luxurious feature that’s been the biggest hit of all. “The guest bedroom and bath are kind of cut off from the rest of the house,” says Lynne. “Guests have really enjoyed it. They love the showerhead and it feels very private and cozy.”