A jolt of turquoise cabinetry instantly captures the eye in this contemporary Lake Austin, Texas, home. Lacquered to a high shine, the cupboards warm the kitchen’s clean lines.
Piper and Kanton Labaj wanted a contemporary, hard-wearing kitchen, but they weren’t sure what it should look like. Because of the help of architect JC Schmeil at Merzbau Design Collective and a couple of successful choices — such as the brilliant blue cabinetry — they developed a spacious and contemporary design that does not feel precious. “We did not really plan things out,” says Piper. “The new design just evolved, and we rolled with whatever plans came up”
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Piper and Kanton Labaj and their 3 children
Location: LakeAustin, Texas
Size: 280 square feet
Merzbau Design Collective
Piper pioneered the bold cabinetry colour choice. Inspired by a turquoise dish she discovered at an antiques shop, she understood the happy hue would make an impression in the open kitchen and warm the home’s brass and steel palette. A lasting lacquer finish employed in auto stores gives the cupboards their sturdy shine.
Counters: Hanstone Quartz; flooring: polished concrete; bar stools: vintage
Merzbau Design Collective
The close of the island counter has a waterfall border and angles down by the bar seating area, complementing the home’s architecture.
Merzbau Design Collective
Schmeil positioned the zebrawood pantry and desk close to the garage to create unloading markets easier. Storage was a priority for Piper, who likes to collect dishes, dishes and other kitchenware.
“I like things to become simple but homey,” she states. “All this storage allows me to change things around.”
Merzbau Design Collective
The 5- by 15-foot island overlooks the kitchen storage and provides yet another prep sink. An electric cooktop sits at the end, with a pop-up downdraft vent for a seamless and contemporary look.
Refrigerator: Sub-Zero; oven, cooktop, pop-up downdraft vent: Wolf
Merzbau Design Collective
Schmeil set up a wall of windows and sliding glass doors to open the kitchen to the backyard along with the Lake Austin view. The distance gets plenty of powerful lighting in the afternoons, therefore Schmeil custom designed a screening method for the windows, which hadn’t been implemented when these photographs were shot.
Merzbau Design Collective
The very simple and linear kitchen layout mimics the stairs’s geometric outlines. Schmeil installed glass guardrails with this focal point to permit the burst of blue cabinetry to be viewed from the first and second floors.
MJ, among those Labaj household’s many pets, perches on the top stair.
Watch more beautiful and brilliantly colorful kitchens