Land Rush

After a day of skiing, biking or horseback riding, this Park City, Utah family – a couple and two young children – looks forward to relaxing together in the warmth and luxury of their new stone and heavy timber home, and especially its inviting, restaurant-inspired kitchen. Designer William Mammen of Mammen Associates Architecture – who designed the upscale local restaurants Riverhorse and 350 Main – felt that borrowing from the world of commercial food prep would maximize the family's precious time together and provide the best flow for cooks who enjoy New American and international cuisine and often get the kids involved. "The concept is to get a good meal out as efficiently as possible, including clean up," he says. "It's organized for fewer footsteps and the island divides hot and cold areas, so nothing congests the flow of the cooking."

An arched window is reflected by another arch atop an old world-style armoire that stylishly conceals two integrated Sub-Zero refrigerator freezers. "Full integration was important to her, to not have the space feel overwhelmed with appliances,"" says Mammen. ""Sub-Zero, Wolf, et Cove offered that plus the commercial cooktop and large ovens for overflow cooking and holiday entertaining." Mixing freestanding storage with built-ins suggests that the space evolved over time. "This is a timeless, uncluttered look," he says. "You walk in and don't know if it's one year old, or 100 years old!"

Mammen advises not giving detailed dimensions for every cabinet and drawer to a cabinetmaker to do a bid on. This also keeps the lines of communication open, so if that craftsman has a good idea, they feel like things are still a bit open-ended and they can still present it. "He will bid based on that detailed drawing, so the cost goes up up up," says Mammen. "Then you still have to go through and ensure it's all right. Do a broad brush initially—that allows more flexibility!"