Michael Gordon and Sharon Chen use Thermador & Bosch appliances for their newly built ADU kitchen
We met with Michael Gordon and Sharon Chen, who has just recently built an entirely new kitchen from the ground up. A project that took nearly a year to complete. The interesting thing about this kitchen is that it was actually built in an Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU), that did not previously have a kitchen whatsoever.
We went on to ask what their main thought process was for this major project. Michael responded, “We’re a family that likes to cook, much of our time at home is spent in the kitchen. We love gathering friends and family centered around shared meals! So, creating a generous kitchen that could accommodate multiple cooks and others to hang around during meal prep and informal meals were important.”. With that in mind, they wanted to make as much room in this ADU as possible. Given that some areas were unable to be changed, they worked with what they could. Knowing what they wanted, Michael and Sharon ultimately pulled ideas from Sharon’s parents’ kitchen. With her mother being a prolific cook, they knew how to position their kitchen in the ADU given a compact space. Plus, since they had already remodeled a different home in the past, they were still ripe with fresh ideas to make this new kitchen exquisite. Michael went on to tell us, “Ideas were borrowed from the previous remodel including connection to the dining area, compact work area, two separate sinks, lots of counter space, and overall generous space.”
While Michael and Sharon did have an architect, they were too far away from the project site, so, in search of local help for interior design, they found Sandra Blank from Blank Space Designs LLC. Michael told us, “Sandra helped us consider multiple layout options, and she made several onsite visits during the design phase to fine-tune details like window size and placement, island location and shape, and other kitchen details.”. Sandra was even able to showcase what their kitchen could look like through 3D Visualization, which helped them further finalize their design.
Once they were ready to purchase appliances, Sandra was able to reference someone from Airport Home Appliance, where Michael and Sharon found the perfect Thermador and Bosch appliances. We asked them why, and they told us, “We preferred Thermador because its cooktop has higher heat output than the others we saw. Now, because of our narrow walkway in front of the refrigerator space, we chose a Bosch model with French Doors integrated handles.”. Michael and Sharon also added in a 44dBA Bosch Dishwasher that will quietly and effectively wash their dishes. In the end, they were able to make do with their space and chose their appliances according to their layout.Altogether, it made for an amazing contemporary kitchen.
Check out some before and after photos, explore more of their design choices, and what appliance they appreciate the most, all at www.airportappliance.com
