Looking at this casually elegant, light-filled cabana kitchen, it’s hard to imagine its mundane origins: an under-utilized, lower-level walkout, aka an unfinished basement. The transformation, by architect Rosario Mannino and designer Kimberly Platt of RS Mannino and Mannino Cabinetry, located in Rutherford, N.J., complements the clean and modern style of the residence.
The program for the project was clear. The clients, a couple with three young children, had a two-fold purpose in mind for the space. They wanted it to be an entertaining hub that would include a kitchen and living room overlooking the outdoor pool, a home gym, a guest bedroom suite and a full bathroom. They also wanted it to act as comfortable accommodations for visiting family members, attuned to multigenerational needs and abilities.
Cabana Kitchen Design
The challenges lay in resolving the existing conditions of the basement.
The existing 16-foot-tall utility room, while expansive, was spatially disjointed. It had several different floor levels, which were occupied by the home’s water heater. Mannino leveled the floor plane and rerouted or relocated the mechanicals. Once the basic interior volume had been smoothed out, the design team had to set all of the new window and door openings at a uniform height, which required some tricky excavation of the building’s concrete foundation.
With the shell of the space cleaned up, the kitchen and adjoining living area were installed. For the cabinets, the design team specified a two-tone cabinet – white frame and black doors – in anticipation of a future phase of the exterior design that will feature white stucco walls with black-framed windows. A floating variation on the kitchen cabinets appears in the living room.
The literal highlight of the design is the ceiling. The diamond-pattern V-groove ceiling design takes its inspiration from the barn door in the kitchen that connects to a fitness studio. The paneling radiates out in a chevron design and makes a dramatic statement as it continues the home’s black and white color theme. “We carried the diagonal board detail on the ceiling and on the oversized pocket door. It created an added layer of dimension to the space,” said Mannino.
—By Leslie Clagett, KBB Managing Editor
