I was looking through a book on Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque on Cubism and was inspired. I wanted to take a cue from them and look at kitchens differently. Cubists paintings were about simple planes and lines and shadow, kind of how things look when squinting your eyes. So I looked at kitchens through squinted eyes, stripping it to the bone. It then becomes a simple grouping of boxes to store our stuff. So I took that simple box and tried to make it interesting visually through the use of color and pattern only, no ornamentation. The arrangement of the cabinets themselves was crucial since this would have the biggest impact. As I played, I noticed that the arrangement kept reminding me of an old fashion Farm Sink from the 30's-40's so I went with it. I added the legs and the sink 'base' and the sink became historical and modern at the same time. A very happy, accidental accomplishment!
I chose Tiger Maple and stained it 2 rich browns - one coffee colored and one black tea colored. By using 2 colors I was able to not only add interest but pattern. I did the same thing by incorporating 2 different geometric glass patterns and finished it off with simple stainless handles. The added texture of the embossed metal back-splash plays against and is reflected off the beautiful granite. You may ask yourself, "OK, so it's nice to look at but what about function?" Flawless! Function always comes first for me. The 2 small cabinets sitting on the sink are sized for plates. The lift-up cabinet doors above are for drink ware. The lower glass cabinets could house a wine cooler and a microwave. But most importantly, I left empty space - room for the design to breathe - room for art - room for flowers.