Projects:
Alterations to Kitchen by Eero Saarinen
Tiny projects are also really important to get right.
That is how I felt when I was called to go in and take a look at reported damage in the kitchen at this summer residence. The property manager was suggesting the kitchen might have to be replaced. "That wouldn't be a kitchen by Saarinen?" I asked. "Yes it would." "In that case we will do as little as possible", was my response.
Luckily, the reported damage to the counters was not as extensive as feared and we were able, with quite a bit of research, to repair the original cooktop and exhaust fan. Shelf areas were minimally reworked in the same detail to incorporate the microwave below the bank of ovens. We were also able to source recycled blackboard material large enough to replace the dangerously blistering black linoleum behind the cooktop.
We designed a hidden pullout system for garbage cans; a replacement for an open can that had been sitting in front of an untreated beech panelled wall, which had needed sanding to clean it at the end of each summer. All of these were designed to fit discreetly within the idiom of the original.
The clients, a large extended family who share the property, were thrilled with the improvements and lack of change.
Photos are all before, after photos this spring.