Do you remember flocked wallpaper?
Mirrored walls?
Granite counters?
Macrame?
Avocado green appliances?
Open Kitchen concepts?
Remember?
What do you mean “remember open kitchen concepts”?
It is trending NOW! I just saw it on TV!
We just tore down the structural wall between the kitchen and living room!
The country cabinets have just been delivered!
There will be a fabulous waterfall edge huge island!
Subway tiles, barn doors, plastic flooring!
Unfettered by considerations of function and flow!
I want to be the star of my own cooking show!
I want my guests to see everything when they walk in the door!
All of my expensive appliances, the brass fittings, the dirty pots and pans, the sauce splatters, the ____
OH! Well, hmmm…. Maybe I should have given this more thought!
Do you remember those open floor plans of the mid century homes?
What made them so wonderful?
A carefully planned integration of unfolding of varied spaces, defined by function and relationships, spatial experiences, and most importantly inside to outside.
More open flow of space than wide open…
Recently I walked through an iconic mid-century designed by Hugh Kaptur up for an historic designation, something we do a lot of here in Palm Springs - tour, designate, and be inspired by great design.
A remarkable design, inspiring, and a great example of the mid-century concept of “open concept”.
From the entry, Steve McQueen Residence, Rimrock, Palm Springs, Hugh Kaptur Architect
The kitchen (mid restoration), open to the family room and the view.
Behind the living room fireplace, and like most mid century concepts, open to the family room - and a spectacular view. All other “open concepts” pale in comparison. Brilliant, but spare and functional.
And yes dear reader, this was once “trending”, but because of careful design, considerations of real life patterns of use, provides a classic example of design, and inspiration for us today.
Bill LaVoie, Architect
Palm Springs