January 10, 2022

After purchasing and combining two units in a Bethesda condominium building, the clients approached Chevy Chase. Md.-based Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath to reconfigure and refine the existing kitchens in their new home. Enthusiastic entertainers, the couple designated one kitchen for caterers’ use. Equally enthusiastic cooks, the other kitchen was slated to be their personal space. For this project, designers Gilmer and Meghan Browne created cabinets that were inspired by the modern interpretation of Asian aesthetics that had been established in the rest of the apartment.

Cabinets: Storage and Showpiece

The rear wall of the kitchen was developed with a dual purpose in mind. Since it’s visible from the adjoining living space, it had to be designed as a feature wall. The cabinet doors were laid out in a grid pattern, which was set slightly forward of the surrounding back paneling, creating a dimensional quality and a gallery-like appearance.

The second function of the wall is, of course, storage central. To ensure the storage was sufficient and smartly planned, the Gilmer team itemized everything in the clients’ old kitchen and used this information to inform the cabinets in the new kitchen. Every cabinet has at least one rollout shelf or inner drawer, providing layer upon layer of storage for equipment and ingredients. On the rear wall, two tall cabinets contain what Browne described as a “mammoth” amount of spices, in keeping with the homeowners’ passion for French cooking and grilling.

Asked about her favorite element in the kitchen, Browne focused more on the process than the product.

“I love problem solving,” she said. “Because remodeling projects in a condo building have unique challenges – typically, the existing plumbing, venting and drain locations cannot be moved – they really evoke our creativity and get us thinking about design solutions beyond the norm.”