The strength of the Dutcher Creek Residence kitchen lies in creating a coherent sense of place while never losing touch with its surroundings. Open to an adjacent dining area and separated from the living area by only a bank of freestanding cabinets, the space rises to a layered roof structure—exposed steel members topped with Douglas fir purlins and decking—that suggests the shape of the entire house. Architects Amy Nielsen and Richard Schuh oriented the building toward views of a neighboring vineyard and a grove of mature redwoods, locating a roof-high window over the kitchen’s main sink, Schuh points out, “so, as you work in the kitchen, you look up and see the height of these trees.”
project: Dutcher Creek Residence, Cloverdale, Calif.
architect: Nielsen:Schuh Architects, Sonoma, Calif.
builder: Adams & Co. Homebuilders, Sonoma
resources: garbage disposer: KitchenAid; kitchen fittings: KWC Faucets; kitchen fixtures: Franke; lighting fixtures: Juno; oven: Thermador; paints/stains: Benjamin Moore; range: Wolf; refrigerator: Sub-Zero; windows: Blomberg Window Systems
