Malibu Kitchen Reclaims Its 1970s Rancho Soul

After: Demolition revealed the home’s original beauty, including a fir post-and-beam structure and a soaring vaulted ceiling. A delightful surprise was revealed when the contractor took down the white tongue-and-groove ceiling over the kitchen. “He called me very excited and said, ‘You’re going to want to see this,’” Ggem says. “The beautiful original fir tongue-and-groove ceiling had been perfectly preserved above it.” The original dark stain on the fir gives it a walnut look.

Removing the pantry opened up the room, allowing Ggem to wrap the southeast corner in rancho-style casement windows that capture light and mountain views. The existing posts guided the layout, particularly the placement of the island. “The homeowners wanted to let the house be its authentic self,” Ggem says. “Part of this was the story of the weight-carrying structure of the posts and beams.”

While the post seen here made space planning a challenge, they embraced it. The island is carefully positioned to use the southeast corner as an anchor, with seating oriented to make the most of the natural light and mountain views.

How to Start a Kitchen Remodel

Softly curved corners along the island’s passageway side ease the transition into the kitchen, creating a more welcoming flow. The hardworking centerpiece includes seating, abundant storage, a sink, a dishwasher and trash pullouts. To give it presence, Ggem specified an ogee edge for the Carrara marble countertop, a subtle detail that adds elegance and visual distinction.

Overhead, green sisal pendants introduce another layer of softness and a touch of 1970s funkiness. “My clients are very artful and they were dying to get a little green in here,” Ggem says.

This side of the island forms part of an efficient work triangle, with the range positioned across from the sink, generous prep space in between and the refrigerator just two steps to the left of the range. The layout creates a functional zone for cooking while allowing plenty of room for others to move comfortably around it.

The homeowners were so enamored with La Cornue’s CornuFé range that they bought it two years before the remodel began. To highlight it, Ggem extended the Carrara marble backsplash to meet the upper cabinets and used wide-channel millwork to conceal the vent hood and adjacent cabinetry. The treatment offers a fresh interpretation of 1970s-style fluting, with curved channels that echo the island’s rounded edges. Integrating operable cabinets within this seamless design required a high level of craftsmanship.

The palette and style nod to 1970s Spanish Colonial Revival, while also reflecting the romantic mountain vernacular unique to the area. “We kept a foot in both worlds,” she says. The tones of the property’s walnut and oak trees inspired white oak cabinetry that complements the walnut-like stain of the ceilings, posts and beams. Wide-plank white oak flooring, selected by the homeowners before the remodel, ties the layered wood tones together beautifully.

Along the back wall, an arched bar alcove and new doors lead to the entryway-pantry. “One of my favorite tricks is to bring in antique doors,” Ggem says. Their aged patina adds a sense of history while allowing natural light to filter into this previously dark corner. Overhead, an existing solar tube brings in even more daylight.