Rule-Breaker

Rule-Breaker
By Tom Levine

So, what do you do when you tire of kitchens that, in designer Sophie Prévost’s words, “take themselves so seriously”? How do you make it fresh and crisp? Prévost and her partner, architect Robert Cole, are the principals and founders of ColePrévost, a Washington DC architecture and design firm. Their solution? Design a kitchen to include the things they love: the geometry of planes and linearity, original art, orderliness, space that invites human connection, and simplicity. And what you have is a ragoût of modernist sensibility, with a healthy dollop of whimsy. Indeed, ragoût is from the French ragoûter, meaning “to revive the taste.” This is a room that does just that, proudly showing off the craft of its execution and the solidity of its construction. But mainly, it is fun.

And they broke a few rules to get there. Mix stainless appliances with white ones? No problem! Roll out the work areas along one wall and strain out the vaunted work triangle? I’m sold! Chop the ubiquitous island in favor of a long communal table? And rapidly reduce the ceiling to seven feet over the table? Why not? Suspend an old swing from the “sky”? You bet!

Prévost says the kitchen “values the craft and the detailing.” She is enthusiastic about the volumes and the proportions that were Cole’s contribution. Ask Cole about the astonishing blue and he will tell you that it is “pure Sophie.” It evokes a hyper-attenuated natural world of crystal clear sky and startlingly turquoise tropical seas.

The communal spaces are the soul of this kitchen. The swing, perfect for two. A sophisticated seating area for toasts. And, for feeding a hungry crowd, the finely crafted dining table that feels like it would go forever if not for the herb garden’s punctuation mark.

How do you finish a project that won’t take itself too seriously? Well, this is a show kitchen. The long-legged art has stripped off its blue stockings and galloped back to its creators. And everything else has vanished like a dove beneath a magician’s handkerchief.

Resource:
www.coleprevost.net