Sliding pocket doors ofered the appropriate solution for
the open vs. closed kitchen. Now the homeowners have
both. Each bank of doors slides into its own pocket, each
of which is 1 ft. 6 in. wide. One pocket is 2 ft. 9 in. deep
and the other is 3 ft. 3 in. deep. Te doors don't have a
huge footprint, but they do make a huge diference in the
kitchen's functionality. "Tey also provide some structural
support," Rossington says.
Te doors slide from a track hanging from the ceil-
ing to allow the corner to completely disappear, further
taking advantage of the house's site. Te counter drifts
like a ribbon, fowing up and over the cabinetry and
splitting where necessary before coming together at the
end. Materials pay homage to mid-century sensibilities
and are comfortable without overly hard edges.
Rossington is most proud of how well the kitchen area
integrated with the rest of the space. "It was so compart-
mentalized before," he recalls. "We were able to open
up the views from the kitchen. Te entry hallway also
was very separated, and we were able to incorporate that
into the space of the kitchen. Tere are benches along
the hallway side that open to the stairway. It just fows
really well and is incorporated with the rest of the public
spaces of the house versus set aside the way it was before.
"Tere's a lot of sentimental value to this house," he
continues. "Te owner realized it needed to change to
work for them the way they wanted to live now. For him
to be smart enough and not be stuck on keeping things
just for their sentimental value was pretty brilliant on his
part. And he can still say, 'I grew up in this house.'"
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OPEN, OR CLOSED
As with most designers, Rossington tends to follow de-
sign trends, which he says is not necessarily conducive
to creating great design. "To understand the wants and
needs of a client without them being able to necessarily
articulate them is the challenge that all of us must contend
with," he says. "In this case, the clients vocalized they
wanted an old-fashioned closed-of kitchen, but, at the
same time, they really liked leaving the doors open and
getting peeks of the view to downtown San Francisco.
"To allow the kitchen to be open to the public portions
of the house yet be able to close it of at times was the crux
of this particular problem," he continues. "Te way most
of us live these days, when we have guests over, we tend
to be less formal, and visitors congregate in and around
the kitchen, hanging out with drinks or helping out with
preparation. It's wonderful when the occasion permits,
but when a more formal event is desired, this format can
be too casual for some."
Sliding track doors
solved the design
question of how to
have an open kitchen
and dining area
while still giving an
option for privacy
during more formal
gatherings.
QualifiedRemodeler.com | ForResidentialPros.com QR June 2015 27