Project Update | Beauty in Diversity

Although there are a few minor details to wrap up on this project, my enthusiasm got the best of me as I walked into a space that has only really existed in our heads for quite a while.  The project was referred to KSKC by Herlong Architects as a large scale renovation and addition to a Mt. Pleasant marsh home.  Chip & Zach Naramore, two of the finest custom home builders in the Charleston Market, took on the challenge of creating a space that is so dramatically different from the original home that you would never EVER know that you were standing in the same space.  

The KSKC Team assisted from the conceptual design of the space starting with the challenge of dealing with an unfortunately placed, yet REQUIRED, structural column.  This column fell smack dab in the middle of what we now refer to as "Entertainment Island" (AKA...the party Island).  To resolve this visual eye-sore that simply screamed "RENOVATION" verses "Ahhh...this is how I was aaaaaalways supposed to be," we collaborated with the Herlong designers, the structural engineers, the builders, and of course the home owners.  The ultimate resolution...two (verses one) cleverly concealed structural columns with a steel structural beam that allowed for an expansive opening from the kitchen into the casual entertainment areas of the home.  The end result - a space that flows beautifully, feels like it's ALWAYS been this way, and visually appears much larger without the visual obstruction.  

Enough jabbering - take a "gander" at the 95% completed space.  

Items to take note of:

- The media center & home office "column" are dark walnut panels provided by our factory in PA. 

- The kitchen, produced in Germany's only TRULY custom factory, is book-matched vertical grain "zebra wood" veneer with custom radius cabinets .  

- The center cooking island has one of the most unique details...engineered stone countertops that return down the two short ends - one end with stone-faced touch-open drawers that are 42" wide.  

- Appliances, with only a couple of exceptions, are Gaggenau - influenced by the best French Chefs & created by the best German Engineers.

International "Good Design"

The International "Good Design" award is the world's oldest and most coveted good design award. This design competition, founded by architects Charles & Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, and Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. in Chicago in 1950, was created to bring global recognition to the world's most influential designers. The award is presented to those that advance new, visionary, and innovative product concepts that represent originality that pushes beyond what is considered to be "ordinary" consumer designs. Today, two of the most influential Architecture and Design organizations, The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, work together to narrow down the thousands of entries to those concepts that will go down in history as industry leading ideas.

At King Street Kitchen Company we are proud to represent two organizations, Allmilmo Cabinetry and Gaggenau Professional Appliances, that have been honored with this award. In fact, the number of award winning products created by these two innovative leaders in the Kitchen & Bath Industry is simply to vast for a simple blog entry. Below, I have highlighted several of the most recent recognitions of the "Good Design" award.

The Allmilmo "Wave" Kitchen, seen above and below, features a uniquely contoured door that is available in a plethora of highly durable "Diamond Lacquer" color combinations. Samples are available for preview at the King Street Kitchen Company Showroom.

As many of you know, the name Gaggenau has been synonymous with not only "Good Design", but as a representation of true restaurant quality kitchen appliances. I recently read a blog forum that a US engineer had posted his oven temperature test results on. He found that not only did the Gaggenau ovens have a consistent temperature reading throughout the entire oven compartment, but the temperature read out on the appliance itself was 100% accurate AND when he opened and closed the oven door, the unit re-established the desired cooking temperature before his precision equipment could even detect a temperature change. I have always been impressed by the quality of the Gaggenau product, but reading this unsolicited feedback simply blew me away.

Pictured above is the innovative Gaggenau "lift oven". Below, the Gaggenau refrigerator column which features a stainless steel interior, cantilevered glass shelving with button adjustment controller, and front / back lighting. Upon first seeing this unit at The National Kitchen & Bath Association Industry Show the first words out of my mouth were "wow - a jewelry cabinet for your food".

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European Kitchen Adventure {Gaggenau}

So after several days of fun and A LOT of education at the Allmilmo factory & European Corporate showroom we picked up our rental car & headed west to visit our German (and French) appliance friends at Gaggenau. Although photos during our factory tour were not allowed, I did get a few in the corporate showroom (which is a fabulous space I might add). Have a peek....

As you can see - I couldn't resist taking a photo of my first driving experience in Germany! What fun!!! One of the items from the corporate showroom that I absolutely fell in love with was the flush application gas cooktop. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they introduce this to the US market!

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European Kitchen Adventure {Allmilmo}

Ok, ok - so I know I'm a little late with this blog, but we've been BUSY!!! I think I'll just let the photos speak for themselves on this one. A few taken in Bamburg, but most at the Allmilmo factory.

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Design Walk Slideshow - Fall '09

Photography by Bill Quarels

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European Kitchen Adventure - Day 1

WE MADE IT!!!! Really, everything regarding the travel went relatively smoothly. I had a brief moment of panic when I tried to use my "Passport to King St" at check in, but luckily I discovered my real passport pretty quickly.

We were the first of our group to arrive at Frankfurt, so we had a couple of hours to kill before the others in the first leg of our adventure were scheduled to arrive. We promptly found our way to the meeting point, had a bite to eat, and all three of us zonked out right there in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the airport. Here's proof (until William find's out it's on here & gets removed).

Once the rest of our group joined us, we headed out of Frankfurt via a GIANT yellow tour bus. Lothar ran into a US Military Soldier on his plane that was actually headed to the same Bavarian town that we are staying in, Bamberg. So we gave him a ride so that he wouldn't have to catch a train after such a long flight.

Speaking of Bamberg - WOW, what a beautiful town! Although I passed out at the first sight of a down comforter, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by this small city's beauty and charm. Hopefully I'll have an opportunity to post more photos, but here are a couple to give you a taste.

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Charleston, meet Allmilmo....

I would like for you to meet...

Custom and European Contemporary - now there are two words you don't find in the same sentence very often. However, Allmilmo is not only the first European Kitchen & Bathroom manufacturer to introduce European Kitchen Design to the US in the late 1960's, they are truly the embodyment of the word CUSTOM. Combine that, European style, and the highest German quality control standards of any European product & the result is a LOVE affair like no other!!! No need to take my word for it - see for yourself. Our CUSTOM Allmilmo kitchen designed with a 20'+ continuous horizontal grain of stunning grand piano high gloss olive veneer will simply take your breath away. If that doesn't - the full array of Gaggenau appliances will do the trick.

The only serious question that I find myself pondering as our new Allmilmo + Gaggenau Kitchen is polished to perfection for it's grand debut at the Oct 15th Fall Design walk (5-8pm) is where I am going to be able to hide my bed in our showroom. Maybe bunk-beds should be our next design feature - but then I'll have to make my bed every morning! That doesn't work. Hmmmm...if anyone has a good solution to this quandry, please let me know on Thursday evening.

Go ahead - set your expectations high...I triple dog dare you!

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Germany - KSKC Style

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