February 13, 2018 | Sandy Giardi
Venegas and Company
Typically, when you think built-in, you think wood. But Venegas and Company brings metal into the mix, shaking up a wet bar by combining painted walnut, polished stainless steel and antique nickel paint within its design. The effect is sleek and glamorous, particularly when paired with glass cabinetry, a hammered metal sink and smoky, patterned hard woods.
Venegas and Company
Besides its shimmering good looks, this bar design is 007-smart. Custom pullouts store wine and other bottles, and a cabinet atop the bar is outfitted with small drawers for bar gadgets and cocktail napkins.
Venegas and Company
Venegas and Company took the phrase “raising the bar” to heart. A side extension features a lift-up bar unit that rises and lowers to reveal or conceal spirits, pitchers and glassware, as desired.
Kitchen Hutch
Crown Point Cabinetry
Crown Point Cabinetry glorified the china cabinet of a white kitchen by crafting a custom maple hutch painted in Escape Gray. The hue alone doesn’t make this piece the focal point of the kitchen—the moulding details and finishes of the unit make it a standout.
While in keeping with the style of the perimeter cabinetry (painted in White Flour), the built-in has its own personality. Dishes, china and serveware are displayed behind sliding glass doors and against a beadboard backing at a height and depth customized for the items stored.
With its five-piece drawer fronts, solid wood top, custom toe details and seamless square inset face frames, the piece exemplifies clean-lined simplicity despite the precision of its handiwork.
"Window" Seat
Cabinetry Kochman Reidt + Haigh, architecture by John Dvorsack; built by Cataldo Custom Builders
A “window seat” designed for a Cuttyhunk home, by Kochman Reidt + Haigh Cabinetmakers, isn’t actually a window seat at all, though it does afford a beautiful view of the sky. Situated at the intersection of the public and private realms of this low-profile island home, this custom built-in, crafted in Douglas fir, serves a dual purpose. The space functions as a relaxing reading nook when it’s just the two owners in the home and moonlights as a comfortable sleeping sofa for grandchildren when relatives come calling.
It was designed “to create a sense of personal security and closure,” explains Partner Paul Reidt, so “you feel protected and cozy” yet not closed off or disconnected from the other public spaces of the home. The overhead cabinets were added to scale down the structure a bit and create that feeling of intimacy. Small reading lamps and lower and overhead storage make the space even more useful, allowing the homeowners to have bed linens and comforters at the ready for large family gatherings.
Wall Unit with Bench
Newton Kitchen & Design; photo by Greg Premru
Newton Kitchen & Design’s Co-Owner and Designer Pierre Matta loves designing pieces that are a little different, artful and a little edgy. The company makes their own veneers and has many unique pieces within their showroom, but this exotic wall unit featuring a built-in bench, cabinetry and shelving speaks volumes about the designer’s vision.
Shares Matta, “I like to introduce different materials, like stone and metal, lacquers and wood, and incorporate them into the design.” He does just that with this piece, which contrasts stark white shelving and cabinetry against a striking Macassar ebony veneer. The effect is highly decorative and fully realized by the inclusion of a cowhide wrapped cushion and back panel. While the chic element mimics the tones of the streaked ebony wood, the hide is a lavish departure in texture, softening the piece as a whole.
Pool Cue Cabinet
Wetstone Cabinetry & Design; Jutras Woodworking; construction by Kirby Perkins Construction
When it comes to extraordinary cabinetry, the stunning South American mahogany woodwork in the “basement” of a Newport mansion on Bellevue Avenue offers plenty to celebrate. The massive space, renovated to resemble a superyacht by Kirby Perkins Construction, is laden with the craftsmanship of Wetstone Cabinetry & Design and Jutras Woodworking.
The millwork, with the high shine of the varnish of the world’s finest yachts, makes the stunning space, and includes some masterful built-ins, including a cabinet built for pool cues. Inlaid within gleaming mahogany, the custom storage space provides a home for billiards accessories. When the panel is closed, the built-in is unidentifiable, and one with a wall of woodwork.
Master Bath
Roomscapes Cabinetry & Design Center; photo by Dan Cutrona
A renovated master bath in Hingham made a painted maple built-in part of its plan for the anchor of an apron bottom tub. Roomscapes Cabinetry and Design Center's designer Judy Whalen knew she wanted to position the tub by the window, and specified precision cut cabinetry to create a nice footprint for the space. The built-in hugs the tub, and allowed her to incorporate a “beautiful counter with a grassy green vein” on both sides of the bathroom, she says.
Roomscapes Cabinetry & Design Center; photo by Dan Cutrona
Main image: Kochman Reidt + Haigh Cabinetmakers
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