#designstyle, a monthly reminder that the most beautiful interior design, the design that you should adopt, is the one that reflects your personality the most and helps you to nurture yourself, your passion and accommodate your needs.
The 'trend-setters' are created by creativity..of expressing themselves by owning who they are and embracing every bit of it.
They say that 'kitchen is no ordinary place. The flame in the kitchen is lit by the fire of our souls'. So it makes sense to start this series from the 'heart of a home' - in the kitchen.
Combining passion and work are the greatest formula and when those two can meet in the leisure of your own home.. well..that it's a good design.
One of LA's most prominent, and design-focused chefs, french Ludo Lefebvre, whom you may know from Netflix's show 'Mind of a Chief' has one of the loveliest kitchen design that it doesn't only look good but it also accommodating all of his needs as a chef.
“I’m used to working in a small, high-pressure kitchen,” says Lefebvre. “My home kitchen needs to be about space to work in and to enjoy my family cooking. My new kitchen meets those needs. It’s professional with a family orientation.”
As passionate as he can be in his restaurants, Trois Mec,Petit Trois, and Trois Familia, Lefebvre was equally detail-oriented in his own home kitchen, which was remodelled last year under the direction of designer Ginny Capo. “I love to cook with my kids—my son Luca particularly enjoys it,” says the groundbreaking chef and television star, who lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Kristine, and their five-year-old twins. It's where Ludo and his wife will spend breakfast every morning with their two children. It's where the kids sit around with an afternoon snack doing their homework. And in the evenings it's the ideal place for Lefebvre to craft personalised tasting menus while entertaining guests.
Capo discussed what Lefebvre wanted in his home kitchen, the reigning theme was a heavy French influence, with modern touches. Though the kitchen itself immediately gives a sense of ultra-design sensibility, the inclusion with the rest of the house and seamless placement makes it the true heartbeat of the home. “It was really about finding a transitional balance between the modern appliances I wanted and the old-world French comfort that makes me so happy,” says Lefebvre. He opted for a subdued blend of neutral textures, including a limestone backsplash, Caesarstone countertops, wood floors, and a copper sink. The furniture brand that Ludo opted for was by Bauformat - the premium kitchen company custom made in Germany.
The theme for the kitchen was to stay rustic in the details while maintaining an overall modern feel. For example, the cabinets, which instantly give off a slick, minimalist look, has a gently weathered grey white-washed finish - called 'Concrete' in the Bauformat front range. Everything in the kitchen exudes warm, neutral earth tones in order to highlight the sink, stove, and cookbook hovering over the pantry.
Oddly enough, Ludo cared the most about the look and design of the sink, which models a trough. The copper-lined sink was a challenge for Capo, because the copper would've meant a melange of metals. According to Ludo, "in Europe, we combine different things. For Americans, everything is matching." The lye finish on the faucet gains a patina over time, which contrasts the bright copper sink.
Little details like cookbooks exposed for easy access, the island stove feature that allowed him to complete dishes while facing guests, or the dual ovens placed underneath the stove were things that Ludo himself demanded. According to Capo, the oven placement is old school, because newer kitchens tend to have ovens placed higher up against a wall. But having the ovens underneath the stove felt more familiar, more natural to Lefebvre. “I like to start with an open flame and then go directly to the oven,” he says. “This placement also feels safer with the kids around—I don’t need to run to the other side of the kitchen with a hot pan.”
As the buildout was in process, Ludo feared that things may be turning out to be too modern for his taste. But once he began to understand all the layers and get a sense of the finished kitchen, he was more comfortable with combination of the rustic and the sleek. “It was really about finding a transitional balance between the modern appliances I wanted and the old-world French comfort that makes me so happy,” says Lefebvre. He combined two styles in a way that meet his own needs and preferences. Bauformat has over 180 fronts and more than 3000 cabinet options to pick from, which made his vision much more easy to create.
Bauformat it's a German family brand, with over 80 years of experience in manufacturing kitchens and one of the top choices of Europeans when it comes to kitchen furniture. Bauformat it's available on Romanian's market through Amplius , the unique Romanian retailer, since 1999. Find more about Amplius here, and you can also benefit from a special discount.
Get creative and get a hint of how Ludo's kitchen smells like by trying some recipes of his books that you can get here:
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