5 Things Every Dream Kitchen Should Have
Have you received the September issue of House Beautiful yet? If so, you've likely already drooled over the California kitchen of Molly Britt, designed by the homeowner and architect Eric Olsen. If you haven't here's the gist: a bright, airy kitchen with bleached walnut cabinetry opens up onto inviting outdoor entertaining space on one side and cozy, brick-surrounded dining nook on the other. What's not to love?
But as it turns out, the magic of this kitchen goes far deeper than its looks. As Britt explained to House Beautiful, this is a working kitchen, the hub of a busy family home and the site of many dinner parties and casual gatherings. As such, it has to work for the family. And, in this case, that doesn't just mean ample seating and an inviting atmosphere. Under its picture-perfect exterior, this kitchen is chock full of hidden functions that you're going to want to add to your renovation notes, STAT. Here's the scoop.
Bottle filler
Molly Britt's kids are all athletes, and that—compounded with the California heat—means there are a lot of water bottles being filled. And refilled. Instead of creating a pileup at the kitchen sink, she and Olsen added a bottle filler in the nook next to their coffee machine.
"I saw that in a restaurant, Zinc Cafe in Baja Mar, and realized they didn't even have a drain underneath," Molly recalls. "I thought, wow, I can do that in my house! All the builders thought I was crazy, but it works!"
Ice machine
Prefer your hydration on the rocks? No problem. Underneath the coffee station is an ice machine, cleverly concealed behind a panel that matches the rest of the cabinetry. "It's all drinks over there," Molly says.
Sink pedal
If you think the stovetop pot filler is to peak of luxury, you haven't encountered the pedal-operated faucet yet. In the Britt's kitchen, there's a foot operated pedal beneath the sink to turn on the water when your hands are full of dirty dishes or covered in barbecue sauce in preparation for a feast on the grill. Genius!
Orange juicer
Hidden in the bar off the kitchen is another California-appropriate feature: a built-in juicer. "It gets used all the time," Molly says.
Fire pit
The family found themselves using their outdoor fireplace so much, they thought they might as well make it functional, too. "We custom built a metal spit to roast a pig for a party," Molly explains. "Not too exciting to look at, but the roast pig sure was good!"
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