My favorite spot of the entire Habitat… one must eat to survive. With an open floor plan the Human’s goal was to design a kitchen that did not look too much like a “kitchen.” No one wants to sit in the living room and look at a bunch of appliances - well at least not my Humans. That is why black appliances were paired with black cabinets. Also, notice the lack of actual cabinet space… that is because they opted for almost all drawers, much easier access.The goal here was to keep the color pallet well balanced with the rest of the Habitat. In turn emphasizing the bar top as the focal point which brings in a warm natural element to the room. The bar top serves the essential purpose of breaking up the space visually and functionally between the kitchen and living room. Existing at 9′ x 14″ x 3.5″ it adds sufficient burliness to the kitchen as well. While the kitchen may seem small in size, as with any true minimalist space, it’s design has proved itself highly functional for cooking, living and entertaining. The kitchen deceivingly has plenty of work space and storage while at the same time managing to be unobtrusive.
To find out more about the actual design, materials and finished photos CLICK HERE.
The Humans decided to use an amazingly durable and easy to clean eco material for the countertops: Richlite. It is compressed recycled paper and it is the same material our friends at Loll use to make cutting boards and parts of their furniture. Once the Richlite was adhered to the countertop, the sink was cut out using a router, revealing an under-mount sink. They said this was a very scary cut to make since it was a one time deal, no screwups. The bar top is made out of paralam - compressed scrap wood. After the Humans sanded their brains out making that bartop silky smooth, a thick layer of epoxy was used to seal and protect the chunk-o-wood. Easier said then done. Once the epoxy’s resin and hardener was applied thousands of microscopic bubbles surfaced. The only way to clear the bubbles was with CO2, using a blow torch (which unfortunately would leave an uneven surface and push epoxy over the edges) or huff your own air. Kristy and myself said no way to this and for two hours Tommy huffed away, clearing out all the air bubbles… causing one sweet headache, but a bubble free bartop. Exterior scrap corrugated metal was used as a durable surface for those addicted to kicking while on the bar stools. The metal was painted a very matte black to keep any reflection directed at the living room to a minimum. Hmmm…. I might need to go get those Humans to whip up a little something for me all this talk is making me hungry.
Initial kitchen sketch
Design plans for cabinet makers.
Sketches for island and bartop
Building the countertops. Space cadet after too much sanding.
Sink revealed after the router work.
The new kitchen view + lighting / fan install.
Kitchen coming together, minus bartop
Countertops, cabinets, and corrugated completed.
Bartop installation, quite the heavy piece of wood to carry in. Thick epoxy applied to bartop for easy cleaning and viewing into the wood.
Enter the kitchen. Industrial anti-fatigue mat for those extra long cooking sessions.
Separation between Eat + Play.
Check out the full HABITAT BUILD HERE.
