Home Inspiration With Margot Guralnick
As irresistible as a brown paper package tied up with string: a kraft paper dispenser at your fingertips.
Above: The design is the work of George & Willy, a New Zealand duo devoted to making "life tools for enthusiastic humans," from cast concrete dog bowls to pegboards.
Above: Think of all the possibilities: The kraft paper can be used for making lists, creating artwork, and displaying the day's menu—and you always have a supply of wrapping paper and paper table toppers on hand.
Above: The roll hangs from a simple steel bracket.
Above: The Studio Roller in matte black or white steel is $240 NZD ($184 USD); shipping is available worldwide for an additional $80 NZD ($60.71 USD). George & Willy also offer the Wall-Mounted Paper Roller in black on Etsy for $187.87 USD, plus shipping. It fits a universal 24-inch kraft paper roll.
Above: A 1,000-foot roll of Boardwalk Kraft Paper is $34.40 on Amazon. Paper Mart sells 720 feet of kraft paper for $26.24. Go to George & Willy for their paper sourcing recommendations around the world and to purchase kraft paper from sustainably sourced forests.
For more wall-hung rolls of paper and sourcing ideas, take a look at 7 Quick Fixes: Wrapping Paper Storage Stations. And go to The DIY Wall Clock to learn how to make a clock with kraft paper numbers.
Some other kitchen accessories that we swear by? Go to Editors' Picks: 13 Essential Cooking Gadgets.
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Kitchens With Janet Hall
The last time I bought a new gas range was over a decade ago. I was lured (and somewhat intimidated) by the upper echelon of professional-style ranges with their 12,000 BTUs of cooking power. Fast-forward to today, and those would be considered training wheels for the new generation of high-powered stoves with burners that boast upwards of 25,000 BTUs of heat output. What do these higher BTUs really mean? Do home cooks benefit from more cooking power in the kitchen, or are we suffering from BTU creep? Read our BTU primer to find out.
Above: A Viking Freestanding 48-Inch Range offers high-level cooking power in a Los Angeles kitchen by Commune Design. Since Viking was purchased by the Middleby Corporation (the largest food-service equipment manufacturer in the world), it has upped its BTUs and other professional cooking-like features. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista.
What is a BTU?
A BTU (British thermal unit) is a measure of heat output and applies to the power generated by gas stovetops and ovens. Technically speaking, one BTU is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. The capacity of gas burners is measured in BTU per hour. Pro-style ranges for the home typically offer high-output burners varying from 15,000 to 25,000 BTUs.
Above: The open burners of the Capital Culinarian Gas Range offer a 23,000 BTU output with a low-level setting that provides a 145 degree simmer. Photograph via Capital Cooking.
When it comes to stoves, are more BTUs better?
The higher the BTU capacity of a gas burner, the hotter the burner can get; the hotter the burner, typically the faster the cooking times. But while BTU measures heat production, it doesn't necessarily translate into better cooking performance. Other factors come into play, such as efficiency of heat transfer. If your pan is not sized correctly for the burner, the high BTUs can heat the room more than the contents of the pan (an argument many make for the induction cooktop, but that's a topic for another post). Some manufacturers tout burners that are especially designed to direct all heat upward for more efficient heating.
Stoves with high BTUs come with some trade-offs, including higher price tags, greater consumption of gas, higher ventilation requirements, and difficulty consistently generating low heat.
While there tends to be a focus on the high end of the burner power, a range's ability to generate low heat is equally, if not more, important. Low-heat cooking and simmering can be problematic. Some ranges "cycle" heat for low-temperature cooking. This means that they alternate between low heat and turning off, but the clicking can be annoying and the heat is not continual. Manufacturers are addressing this issue and many have recently introduced low-BTU heat burners that are consistent.
Above: Wolf Gas Ranges have dual-stacked sealed gas burners with two tiers of flames: One delivers high heat, the other comes on for low-heat settings. Remodelista's Julie likes "the super firepower and the fact that it's easy to adjust the flame to a slow simmer" on her Wolf range. Read our recent debate about the Viking vs. Wolf Range. Photograph via Sub-Zero Wolf.
How many BTUs do I need?
A cooktop with high BTUs does not a professional chef make. Be realistic about your home cooking practices and needs. The superhigh BTUs in professional kitchens are designed for high-speed and high-volume cooking, not typically the situation at home, even when entertaining. Yes, it might be nice to have one very powerful burner to get that water boiling quickly, but beyond that flexibility is often more important. Look for ranges with a collection of burners with different levels of power and consider which you're apt to use most.
Is there a sweet spot for burner strength for the home cook? The jury is out on that question. For most users, one power burner (12,000 BTUs or higher) is more than adequate—especially when paired with two medium-strength burners and one low burner for simmering. If you do a lot of cooking that requires quick high heat, such as stir-frying or searing, you may want to push the power up. The good news is that stove companies have heard the cry for better performance at lower heat, so getting an appliance that can do it all is easier than it used to be.
Above: Bluestar Ranges and Cooktops feature wok-ready burners with up to 25,000 BTU searing power. By removing the top ring grate on the burner, the wok sits directly in the flame for maximum heat.
I have a tattered copy of a 2001 New York Times article about professional-style ranges tucked in my kitchen remodeling folder. In it, New York chef Marcus Samuelsson offers his take on powerful ranges for the home user (in this case, himself). Despite the passage of time and the increase in BTUs offered on ranges, his comments still seem on target: "Flexibility," he says, "is most important in a range." A variety of burners, one with high BTUs for fast stir-frying, and one with super low BTUs (200 or 300) for simmering, offers the most flexibility for cooking. And Samuelsson points out, ''You can create a high-heat effect, like leaving the heat on with a cast-iron pan, but you can't fabricate a low heat.''
Above: A kitchen for two avid cooks by Elizabeth Roberts Design/Ensemble Architecture with a Bluestar range. (See more of the kitchen in Indoor/Outdoor Living, Brooklyn Style.) Bluestar's designs are handmade in Redding, Pennsylvania, and offer the highest BTUs on the market (25,000). They have French tops, which feature variable heat zones for slow cooking, sautéing, and wok cooking. Photograph by Dustin Aksland.
What about ventilation?
When shopping for a new range or cooktop, don't ignore ventilation or you might be in for an unanticipated purchase. The bottom line: Higher BTU heat output requires higher power ventilation. How do you know if your current fan is up to the task? As reported in the New York Times primer, Your Stove Just Needs to Vent, "the rule of thumb for gas stoves is that the range hood needs to remove 100 cubic feet per minute for every 10,000 BTUs of burner output." This means a gas stove with 50,000 BTUs of total burner output requires a range hood that can accommodate 500 cubic feet per minute. And, add the Times, "Err toward a stronger vent if you frequently do Asian-style or stir-fry cooking."
Above: A wood-trimmed range hood over a Wolf range via Sullivan Building and Design Group in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
When buying a gas stove, besides BTUs, what other factors should I consider?
Beyond burner power, there are a range of details and options that come down to personal preference. These include burner configuration, specialty burners (such as a grill or griddle pan), oven size and fuel source, self-cleaning features, auto reignition, range finish, positioning of controls, warranties, and size.
For more guidance and product options, see our features:
Above: When will the BTU arms race subside? Or will it? In Top Interiors Trends of 2015, Julie suggests that kitchen appliances may move from the professional style to a more organic look. We do like the Amica Zen Oven, shown here, which mixes state-of-the-art technology with a stripped-down design. And see our post on the Ethical Kitchen Project, which questions the size of modern-day kitchens.
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Kitchens With Margot Guralnick
After 14 years of living with their 1960s kitchen, a Mill Valley, California, couple—she's an archaeologist, he's a fitness program manager, and they have two young daughters—turned to a team of collaborators to help them with their update.
The goal, in the archaeologist's words: "a high-functioning, clean, timeless space that meshes with the look of my grandparents' and mother-in-law's midcentury furniture." The solution: A newly opened-up space with custom solid-walnut cabinets (and retro circular cutouts) with a bean-shaped island/dinner table at the center. A new and improved version of the Brady Bunch eat-in kitchen? You tell us.
Photography by John Merkl.
Above: The just-under-200-square-foot kitchen began as an urge for a slightly bigger, brighter, more-up-to-date space that takes better advantage of the views of Mount Tamalpais right outside.
As often happens, the project snowballed along the way: "Interiors stylist Rachel Cleaveland Riedy [of Cleaveland & Kennedy Design], a friend, helped us come up with the look and materials," says the archaeologist. "We planned to just hire her cabinet guy John Donovan and fill him in on our ideas, but he recommended having architect Jeff Gustafson help with space planning and drawing. And then, when we decided to take down a wall in the old pantry, we called in our terrific contractor Michael Gordon, who saved us from having to move out during the remodel. Our island was built by furniture maker Tripp Carpenter. And we had a skillful tile crew, London Tile. I managed the whole project, but Rachel was our sounding board and helped with the details and aesthetic decisions at every step."
Above: The big new window over the sink offers mountain views and a glimpse all the way to the bay. To keep the space from feeling dark, Riedy encouraged painting the upper half of the room, the island base, and the adjacent living room white—it's Benjamin Moore White Dove.
The undermount sink (with drainboard) is an Elkay Stainless Steel design paired with an Elkay Harmony Pull-Down Faucet. The new floor is wide-plank white oak, which the couple ended up extending throughout the house ("a big, logically challenging splurge, but a great impetus to clean out closets and get rid of a ton of stuff.")
Above: Architect Jeff Gustafson situated the range, a Bluestar, in an angled section of the room that was created by stealing space from the pantry.
"Jeff made sure there was a good flow," says the archaeologist. "It was a tough space—lots of angles and different ceiling heights. He was insistent on maintaining certain distances between the island and surrounding cabinets, communicating proportion, and inserting little details that I would really appreciate later, such as the utility closet. But he also tried to talk me out of the cabinet cutouts and built-in seating—and those are two of my favorite parts of the space."
Above: "Everything takes place in our kitchen: homework, early morning work emails, family meals," the archaeologist tells us, "A big, super-functional island was a must, but one of the challenges of the remodel was figuring out a design for it. Ultimately, my husband came up with the almost-kidney shape. And it really works—the curve lets people have more interaction."
The island has a 2.5-inch solid walnut top—"Rachel and I went to Tripp's studio and helped pick out and arrange the boards, so we had the right mix of colors"—and on the sink side, the base is kitted out with trash and recycling bins, and drawers for cutlery and bowls. Tripp Carpenter runs Espenet Furniture, a studio started by his father, celebrated woodworker Arthur Espenet. The bar-height Eames chairs, a Riedy recommendation, work well with the couple's midcentury furniture throughout the house.
For more on islands, see 11 Kitchen Islands Gone Glamorous, Instant Kitchen Islands, and A Hamptons Kitchen with a Custom Island—Sourced on Etsy.
Above: The walnut has a horizontal grain and the circular cutouts are a sixties-inspired detail. "I always pitch cutouts as an option," says Riedy, "but they take a certain client who understands the simplicity. To me, there's something nautical about them." As for the choice of solid wood instead of veneer: "It works better with the cutouts and really gives them a different quality and feel," says the archaeologist.
Above: The archaeologist is an avid collector of Heath Ceramics, based in nearby Sausalito. The open upper shelves were added to give her a display space: "I love having them, but I didn't want to manage the clutter of all open shelves, so we combined them with upper cabinets." The tiles are Heath's handmade Dimensional Crease design in Linen. (For another kitchen that makes use of the tiles, see A Budget Remodel with Heath Seconds.)
Above: The counters are cast concrete from Concreteworks of Oakland ("all the Heath stores have them," notes the Heath collector). Learn all about concrete counters in Remodeling 101.
Above: The kitchen faces a wall of built-in seating and storage and a new sliding glass door. "It's always a challenge to get people to sit in the living room," says the archaeologist, "so I figured we would just create a space like that right in the kitchen. Everyone hangs out here."
Above: No need to go looking for a bottle opener.
Before
Above: "The house was built in 1960," says the archaeologist. "We had made some improvements—put in a skylight and updated the appliances several years ago—but nothing fancy, just utilitarian. The old cabinets were falling off the hinges, the counter was speckled gray-black Formica—it was starting to feel ratty and run down." The old cabinets and replaced appliances, she adds, were donated and put to new use.
See more of Riedy's work at Cleaveland & Kennedy.
Go to our Kitchens archive to tour more remodels, including:
And go to
Remodeling 101 for advice on
countertops,
backsplashes,
appliances, and crucial details, such as
where to locate electrical outlets.
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