Bethesda, Maryland

We gutted a brand new kitchen. That sentence tends to stop people, so it is worth explaining. The house was newly built and the kitchen had never been cooked in, but it had been specified the way builder kitchens usually are, which is to say competently and for nobody in particular. The clients were serious cooks. The room was not built for them, so it came out, and a chef's kitchen went in.

The custom cabinetry was designed from the inside out. The inserts came first, planned around what this family actually owns and reaches for, so that knives, boards, spices and small appliances each have a considered home. The exterior proportions were then set to the room, and new lighting and stools were specified to suit the way the family gathers at the island.

At the windows we hid automated shades behind valances, which read as soft architecture while the shades disappear entirely when they are up. It is the detail I am proudest of here, because the best window treatments are the ones you never think about. It is the same approach I take to kitchens and fitted storage in Chapin and around Lake Murray.