High Country Cookin'
Kitchen/Breakfast Nook by Cocoon interior design
Bringing the soul of the mountains into the heart of the home, Mary Adams and Paula Benton draw on the rich textures and down-to-earth sensibility of our region in this functional and imaginative kitchen.
“I wanted to use as many natural materials as possible,” Mary explains, “but I tried to use them in new ways. Hence, the concrete countertops; they have a really rich, organic look but they’re very practical. They have a seven-step sealer on them, so they’re pretty impervious to just about everything.”
The cherry cabinets from Cooper House feature Shaker doors with a clean molding for added elegance. Their soft, butternut finish, playing against the apple red walls, creates an immediate sense of warmth. “It has the feeling of coming in on a cold winter’s night to a welcoming fire,” says Mary. “Kitchens need that — they’re a gathering place.”
Among the ingenious details are the multi-hued slate backsplashes — trimmed and set like subway tiles — inset with exquisite mosaics by artist Barbara Bowers and smooth river rocks used as drawer/cabinet pulls. The fanciful hanging light fixtures fashioned of twigs and parchment, as well as the branch base table, were custom made by Matt Hoxit of Laurelwood Studio.
For all its down-home appeal, the kitchen is appointed to meet the demands of the most sophisticated chef. Commercial grade, stainless steel appliances provide a counterpoint to the abundance of wood and the hot red walls — like coming upon a stream in the forest. “The steel cools the wall color and the color warms the steel,” says Mary. “There’s a lot going on with the mosaic and the tile, so the metal is actually kind of soothing.”
Practical considerations include an integrated cutting board beside the double sink and nickel-sized ceramic disks set into the countertops on either side of the stove to provide built-in trivets for hot pots.
All of which goes to show that rustic isn’t necessarily rudimentary. Sometimes, it’s simply beautiful.
