This kitchen is one of four innovative kitchens featured in the February 2012 Interiors edition.
When they married seven years ago, Scott Fraser and Marion Beckett headed up a blended family of three teen girls, a couple of dogs, and some cats. At the time, a spacious house in the suburbs made sense.
But a few years ago, when they became empty nesters, Fraser, an IT consultant, and Beckett, a vice-president with TD Bank, started looking for a smaller house in the city. “We saw quite a few,” says Fraser, “but nothing seemed quite right.”
That’s when they began looking to build and came across an empty lot in Chinatown. In late 2009, the couple hired Hidden City Design to design their house and manage the building process. “It was a great collaboration,” Fraser says.
Staff at Hidden City, in turn, suggested Frank Prendergast of Neoform Art Cabinetry to help with the kitchen design. “We met with Frank and discussed what we wanted,” Fraser remembers. “He had a clear vision of what to do, and we trusted him completely.”
The sleek kitchen boasts veneered walnut cabinetry and a dramatic eating bar. The couple knew they wanted the bar to feature metal (to complement the stainless-steel countertops) and wood but left the details up to Prendergast. “He knew we had four stools,” says Fraser, “but that was all the guidance we gave him.”
The couple were amazed by the end result. Four solid walnut “place settings” are held in place by magnets and supported by a raw metal shelf, a brilliant solution that will allow the couple to change the look in a few years’ time — should they wish to — by simply removing the place settings and replacing them with another magnetized counter.
THE TEAM: Hidden City Design / Frank Prendergast, Neoform Art Cabinetry (Design);
Hidden City Design (Contractor)
BACKSPLASH: Sourced from Montreal
CABINETRY: Neoform Art Cabinetry
COOKTOP: Wolf (four-burner with grill and griddle), purchased from Tasco (Toronto)
COUNTERS: ARC Stainless
DEEP FRYER: Wolf, purchased on Ebay
FAUCETS: Dornbracht (main faucet), Danze (pot filler)
FLOORING: Custom Concrete Floors
HOOD: Wolf, purchased on Ebay
MICROWAVE: Wolf, purchased from Tasco (Toronto)
PENDANT LIGHTS: Marchand Lighting and Electrical
POTLIGHTS: Ylighting (U.S.-based Internet company)
REFRIGERATOR: Sub-Zero 650, purchased on Craigslist
STOOLS: Alteriors Contemporary Furniture
WALL OVEN: Wolf, purchased on Ebay
WINE STORAGE: Wolf, purchased on Ebay