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and to master the detail of each surface's graining to keep it all from becoming the architectural equivalent of stripes and plaids. The space is filled with wood, from oak flooring to engineered- maple ceiling, with varieties of cherry cabinetry and walnut butcher block in between. The ceiling, in particular, is unique. In a land where lodge-style tongue-and-groove pine ceilings are common, this narrow-board engineered maple appears much more refined. It also calls attention to a signature Breuer element, the butterfly- wing pattern of the roofline. Breuer's major home design innovation was a plan that concentrated communal space in the middle — or heart — of a home, with wings at either end for a master suite and children's bedrooms. Ceiling heights are correspondingly lower in the communal area and higher at either end, an approach made more obvious with a standout ceiling than it would be with simple gypsum board. "Usually people tend to shy away from this much wood because they're afraid of the grain," Seda says. HIDDEN ELEMENTS "It was such a constantly moving project," she says. For example, Seiser has an architect's fondness for clean lines and abhorrence of clutter, despite being a cook that needs certain appliances, such as the much loved KitchenAid stand mixer, close at hand. The solution was an appliance garage fronted by a removable cutting-board "driveway" that hides the "trench" in which the mixer resides when not in use. "It's basically a little puzzle piece, but that KitchenAid trench was always a part of it," Seda says. And it wasn't alone; to continue with the garage metaphor, this was a multi- vehicle kitchen. "There's a little home for everything, and we had to do a lot of little homes." Even the big-screen television is hidden away behind a slid- ing wood panel over the seat- ing area's fireplace. "Every day he thought of something else," Seda says. Lighting also plays an important role in the plans. It's arranged in tiers that include spot fixtures and downlight cans. "Dan worked very closely with the electrician," Seda notes. "All the cans have stainless baffles, so they disappear into the wood." One fixture that doesn't disappear, however, is the Pirce suspension luminaire that adds even more drama to the darkly stained walnut island. This sculptural piece was designed for Artemide by Italian artist Giuseppe Maurizio Scutella. It also finds a perfect foil in the gentle, matching curves of the stools circling the island, below. Considering this redesigned space as a whole, this combined kitchen and entertaining area could seem a much more apt example of the classic architecture guideline that form should follow function than the original faux-Breuer scheme. And it certainly embodies the philosophy of one of Breuer's more famous Bauhaus cohorts. One can certainly say that, in this house, God (as Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe was famous for saying) is in the details. QR Chuck Ross writes from Brewster, Mass., about remodeling and design. Different wood patterns and grains create a unique aesthetic throughout the kitchen. The homeowners requested an island be the centerpiece of the open space. COMPANY INFORMATION Trailboss Solutions Anchorage, Alaska trailboss-solutions.com Full-time employees: 23 Average annual revenue: $4.2 million Annual remodeling projects: 200 Residential: 90 percent Single-family: 100 percent Bid: 100 percent PROJECT INFORMATION Seiser-Bell Kitchen Completed: 2011 Square feet: 2,037 Cost: $207,483 PRODUCT INFORMATION Cabinets: Bellmont Cabinetry Countertops: Cambria Quartz and Green Mountain Wood Works Sinks: Elkay Faucets Range and oven: GE Exhaust hood: KitchenAid Refrigerator: GE Dishwasher: Fisher & Paykel Cabinet pulls: Liberty Tile backsplash: Terra Green Lighting: Pirce Suspension and Holtkotter Ceiling: Schon Canadian Maple Engineered Wood ForResidentialPros.com QR July 2014 23 Photos: DSY Photography QUR_20-21_KitchSol714.indd 23 6/30/14 1:58 PM