Mert Carpenter is an architectural photographer. His wife, Tonya, is a graphic designer and fine artist. So perhaps it should be no surprise that their remodeled kitchen in Los Gatos would have some artistic, sculptural qualities.
But would you actually expect a sculpture — a stainless steel wrap-around, freeform sculpture built into the island?
“People walk in and say,’Wow, what a kitchen,’” Mert said. “Then they walk a little further and say, ‘Wow, wow! Look at this sculpture!’”
The couple bought their 1982 home new. The high-pitched ceilings were perfect for his 9-foot studio lights, and skylights and huge windows made for a bright work space for his wife who paints pastel portraits. But after 25 years, the kitchen with the cream-colored tile counters that opened to the family room was ready for a remake. The oven was kaput and the fridge was on its way out.
So they took a trip to the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles and found a designer that understood them. They wanted a clean-lined, modern feel and they found Troy Adams of West Hollywood.
“He started by having us fill out a questionnaire about how we use the kitchen,” Mert said.
They ended up with a sleek modern kitchen warmed up with wood cabinetry and bi-fold doors in walnut, anigre and zebra. But still, the kitchen was incomplete.
“We really wanted the new kitchen to be pretty and interesting from anywhere in the family room,” Mert said. Adams first suggested a concrete form at the end of the counter, then the idea morphed in a stainless steel rectangular form.
“My wife said, ‘What if we curved it in a big arc and went around the corner with it? It would define the space between the family room and kitchen.’”
It was at that moment when Mert knew it was time to call his old client, Darin Wacs, a sculptress whose work Mert had photographed. Wacs was already known on the Peninsula for creating a huge metal sign for the Palo Alto Children’s Museum.
After Adams designed the curving, stainless steel form for the end of the island, Wacs came in to design the three-dimensional, swirling stainless overlay. To fabricate the project, Wacs went to Therma Corp., a San Jose manufacturing company whose executives have a penchant for the arts. Wacs already had office space there for some of her projects.
The job was complicated and required each phase of the project to be executed precisely.
“Therma came up with a template based on a CAD drawing that allowed everyone to go forward,” Mert said. “When it was all done, it all fit and it was all wonderful.”
And it’s still the big talker when friends come for dinner.
Mert’s Resource List:
Kitchen Designer: Troy Adams Design in LA
Kitchen Contractor: DJ Dowling Inc. of Redwood City
Kitchen Contractor Supervisor: Mark Dowling formerly with D J Dowling and now on his own as Dowling Builders
Kitchen Countertop Fabricators: Avalos of San Jose
Countertop Suppliers:
Imperial White Granite (garage and beverage sink): Integrated Resources of Brisbane
Golden Silver Granite (sink and range): Da Vinci Marble of Redwood City
Sculpture Designer: Darin Wacs
Sculpture Manufacturer: Therma Corp. of San Jose
Photographs by Mert Carpenter
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Tudor Style Kitchen
Spanish-Style Bungalow Gets Soho-Chic Kitchen
A Decorator’s Daughter
Google Couple Build Green Home in Mountain View
Here’s the complete slideshow:
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