Modern Kosher Kitchen

AMIR ILIN – Kuche+Cucina, Paramus, NJ

Sponsored by Kitchen & Bath Design News magazine, the Kitchen & Bath Design Awards is a national contest recognizing outstanding achievement in project design and construction in 11 categories.

Nominees are kitchen and bath specialists from across the country and entries are judged on aesthetic appeal, handling of unusual situations/challenges, attention to detail, functionality of space, originality, selection of color and finishes and overall impression of the project.

This renovation in Brooklyn, New York transformed a tired, outdated, traditional kitchen into a modern, sleek, state-of-the-art Kosher kitchen and breakfast area. A desire for a brighter space and improved layout led Amir Ilin, in coordination with the team from Rachel and Rebecca Design in Brooklyn, to remove a peninsula that divided the kitchen and breakfast area and push out the walls for additional square footage.

Awkward columns in the main space were disguised through the use of clever custom cabinetry by DOCA, with all of the cabinets PEFC certified from sustainably managed forests. Basalt Gray countertops and backsplashes by Neolith tie in with the gray tones found in the woodgrain of the cabinetry and are comprised of up to 52% recycled raw materials. Waterfall edges wrap the new center island for a distinctively modern look. The wood-tone cabinets are paired with matte white lacquer base cabinets, which allows the wood to stand out.

A small window was closed off, replaced by floor-to-ceiling windows in the breakfast nook. Glass-front cabinets in the space are inserted into dark wood panels and make the area feel larger.

The dark oak back wall that houses the appliances now gets natural light from the breakfast area. The space includes Wolf wall ovens and warming drawer, as well as a Sharp microwave drawer, Sub-Zero refrigerator, Monogram undercounter refrigerator and Bosch dishwasher.

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Luxury has its price: record-setting $5.49 million for Jersey City penthouse condo

The Villa is a penthouse condo at The Oakman in Jersey City which is selling for $5.5 million. It has 3,300 square feet of indoor space and 2,300 square feet of outdoor space. It features its own rooftop terrace with immersion pool and a private elevator. The kitchen and the custom fireplace wall was designed and installed by Kuche+Cucina. All the furniture is by Pianca, also available from Kuche+Cucina.

Architect: Fogarty Finger

A New Luxury Condo by Kuche+Cucina Featuring Pedini Cabinets

By Tim McKeough, NY Times
May 3, 2018

When Mitchell C. Hochberg, the president of the real estate company Lightstone, needed an architect to design a new tower just a few blocks away from his home in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan, he didn’t have to look far. The decorated architect Deborah Berke, dean of the Yale School of Architecture, lives in the building next door.

Of course, while living close to one’s architect is convenient, it wasn’t the primary reason he selected her firm, Deborah Berke Partners, to design Lightstone’s new 29-unit condominium at 40 East End Avenue. Rather, he was impressed with Ms. Berke’s tastefully simple work and ability to bridge old and new.

“She has an unbelievable aesthetic in terms of blending traditional with modern sophistication,” said Mr. Hochberg. “I don’t think many designers are able to do that.”

He also assumed that Ms. Berke would share his desire to realize a building that played nice with the area’s prewar and midcentury neighbors. “The idea was to build something that is a modern interpretation of the local and historic architecture that we have,” he said. Not, he added, “a flying saucer.”

Ms. Berke was on board (with Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel, Architects serving as the architect of record). Her vision was to design a building that catered to “contemporary lifestyles and contemporary families — life in New York in the 21st century,” she said, “but that also feels a part of the neighborhood.”

Knowing that her neighbors would be scrutinizing the design, Ms. Berke and her colleagues were particularly eager to impress.

“There was a lot of anxiety at the beginning of the project,” said Stephen Brockman, a senior principal at Deborah Berke Partners. “Like, ‘We better make this good!’ ”