Baltimore Row House

In a historic Baltimore, Maryland neighborhood, a re-developed row house keeps watch over a sleepy street through wall-to-ceiling windows. Beautiful as the windows are, they proved a bit of challenge when designer Bria Hammel created plans for the new 225-square-foot kitchen. Losing one wall to windows and the other to the adjoining dining and living area, Hammel had two walls and the long, narrow floor plan of the row house to work with. To meet the needs of the owners—frequent cooks and entertainers—every aspect of the design had to be deliberate to achieve an effortless aesthetic and efficient flow.

The dramatic and modern focal point of the kitchen is a marble, waterfall countertop island. It is the nucleus of which the client’s daily lives and at-home socializing revolve. Two separate zones—one for a wet bar and entertaining, one for cooking—flank the island, each housing a sink, preparation, and storage space. Two (and four) legged friends can observe and converse with the home cooks while sitting at the modern stools tucked on the bar side of the island.

As avid cooks, the clients took great interest in the selection of their appliances, down to the shape of the ice cubes, claims Hammel. For their refrigeration needs, they selected a Sub-Zero French door, built-in refrigerator/freezer, that subtly integrates into the gray cabinetry. Completing the bar area, Sub-Zero undercounter wine storage and an ice maker create the dream set-up for a cocktail-party host. The cooking zone is defined by the Wolf rangetop and stunning, custom-built, brass-riveted ventilation hood. A Wolf M series double oven and drop-down door microwave provide the enthusiastic chefs the space and functionality for their frequent cooking and baking needs. The owners wanted a professional and sophisticated kitchen, and with the help of Hammel’s vision and Sub-Zero and Wolf, they achieved just that.