Kitchen Design: Bringing Restaurant Style Home
7 Ways to Add the Fun and Function of Restaurants to Your Kitchen
Rebekah Zaveloff, owner and principal designer of KitchenLab, co-founder of Design in a Bag.com and Houzz contributor. I'm a self-professed tile nut and believer in good design for all! You can also visit me at: http://kitchenlabdesign.com and http://designinabag.com
Rebekah Zaveloff, owner and principal designer of KitchenLab, co-founder... More »
Waiting tables throughout my school years isn't the only reason that restaurants influence me as a designer—it's the atmosphere, energy and conviviality of restaurants that I want to bring home.
Kitchens are at their best when filled with the activity of cooking and voices of family or friends. Isn't that what interior design is based on—that attempt to create a mood or feeling in a room? Here are 7 great ways to bring restaurant style and energy to your kitchen:
Kitchens are at their best when filled with the activity of cooking and voices of family or friends. Isn't that what interior design is based on—that attempt to create a mood or feeling in a room? Here are 7 great ways to bring restaurant style and energy to your kitchen:
| The kitchen island. The obvious first is the kitchen island, and how it has evolved from the restaurant bar. But the island also pays homage to the way restaurant kitchens are set up: modular and freestanding and often arranged in a galley design. Then there's the open kitchen and kitchen-as-theater trend in both residential kitchen and restaurant design that I think is here to stay. Once upon a time both types of kitchens were closed off with a swinging door! Private Comment
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| Stainless steel. Looking to add a little bit of restaurant feel to your kitchen but not looking for a major overhaul? Visit your local restaurant supply store (or online) and get a freestanding stainless table or island. They can be used for a kitchen table, for a small bar off to the side, or for a full-fledged island. And of course, add a wall-mounted pot rack or two and show off those kitchen utensils and pans. Private Comment
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The banquette. Need I say more? The influence of restaurant and hotel design has definitely left its mark on kitchen seating.
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The banquette seating area of the small bar at Thistle Restaurant in McMinnville, Oregon could easily be reinterpreted for a breakfast nook in a residential kitchen. Just swap out the 2 small tables with a larger one.
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Tin ceiling. This staple of old bars and restaurants has seen a resurgence in residential kitchens.
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Industrial appliances and utilitarian finishes. The convenience to be able to "hose it all down." One can't argue the influence of commercial style appliances on residential design. Don't forget tile to the ceiling and lack of wall cabinets! Here's an ideabook all about that.
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| Pot racks and open shelving for easy access. Chefs need to see everything and be able to grab it quickly. Don't hide the pots and pans that are discolored due to heavy use. Those are the scars of battle and should be worn proudly. They show the world that you cook. Private Comment
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Mise en place: The French term for "everything in its place" when referring to kitchen preparation. If this were in a restaurant kitchen, the bins would be full of chopped tomatoes, onions, herbs, etc. But for a home kitchen, fresh food sitting out won't get used the way it would in a restaurant. This kitchen utilizes actual pans from a restaurant supply store, dropped into cutouts in the countertop. Rather than fresh food, they're used to hold salt, pepper, and utensils.
Get this look: The counters shown are 5" deeper than standard (30" vs. 25") so the bins don't interfere with the closing of the drawers. The cabinets have been pulled off the wall to create room for the bins.
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Get this look: The counters shown are 5" deeper than standard (30" vs. 25") so the bins don't interfere with the closing of the drawers. The cabinets have been pulled off the wall to create room for the bins.
| This kitchen has it all: commercial style appliances, pots and pans exposed for easy access, stainless countertops. Not enough room for a pot rack shelf? The wall bar style ones are great—compact, stylish, and packing loads of storage space in those cupboards! Private Comment
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Comments
marynick says:
Where do you get a booth like this (the one in the Thistle cafe)? I have looked on line, in store, do you have to have it made?
17 months ago ·
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Rebekah Zaveloff says:
Hi marynick, as for the booth - I'm sure it's custom. I know, don't you wish we could buy this in a store! It's wonderful! Good luck.
17 months ago ·
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kizr12 says:
Marynick, check restaurant supply stores, craigslist, etc for used restaurant booth seating and have it upholstered in something lavish. You won't wind up with this kind of tufting, but you won't have to dig cracker crumbs out of the hollows, either.
17 months ago ·
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Rebekah Zaveloff says:
divyab, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure where the table is from. If you click on the picture there's a button that says "ask a question" - if the architectural firm that did this project doesn't respond that way, then click on their professional profile and email them through their website. Hope this helps!
17 months ago ·
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ziniti says:
What do you do with pots and pans in a small kitchen with no wall or ceiling space? They take up every nook and cranny in the kichen. Is there any help????
16 months ago ·
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ziniti says:
Sorry the comment landed on the wrong page. I was looking at pot hangers in the kitchen.
16 months ago ·
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Rebekah Zaveloff says:
ziniti - upload a picture to design dilemmas and I'll see if i can make a suggestion. We have a bar pot rack over our hood. Those also work well in front of windows...
16 months ago ·
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