A Baltimore couple taps Studio One to create an opulent yet welcoming kitchen for family and friends.
A Collector's Dream January/February 2010
It was a tall order: A couple required a kitchen spacious enough to hold two of every appliance (a necessity for keeping kosher). They wanted room for extended family to gather for frequent holidays and Sabbath dinners. And as high-end antiques collectors, they also wanted their kitchen to be on a level with the rest of their elegant home.
They turned to kitchen designers Rebeka Gurfinchel and Marie Schwartz of Studio One to make their vision a reality. “They wanted the quality of their cabinetry to equal their fine antiques,” Schwartz says. Eventually, they settled on exotic burled Carpathian Elm “that looks like an antique veneer” with a walnut frame and rounded edges that add to the impression of age. “The cabinetry is thicker than most, to accommodate the antiquing,” says Gurfinchel.
An unusual granite countertop resembling antique Brazilian marble offers the perfect complement to the elaborate cabinetry. Porcelain tiles hand-painted with a chicken motif form a French Country-style backsplash, painstakingly laid out by Gurfinchel herself. The floor consists of Italian porcelain tiles in a checkerboard pattern. Window treatments from Pierre Frey and Boussac add touches of color, while a rewired, antique Victorian-era gas chandelier completes the picture. “It’s a one-of-a-kind kitchen,” Gurfinchel says. “They wanted only the best.”
KITCHEN DESIGN: Rebeka Gurfinchel, ASID, NCIDQ, Marie Schwartz, ASID, NCIDQ, Studio One Design Associates, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland. CONTRACTOR: Owings Brothers Contracting, Eldersburg, Maryland. CABINETRY: Custom. COUNTERTOPS: Granite. APPLIANCES: GE, Sub-Zero. FIXTURES: Franke. PHOTOGRAPHY: Stacy Zarin Goldberg, Olney, Maryland.
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