GLitz and glitter kitchen by karen williams draws crowds at Architectural Digest Home Design Show

A rich burgundy La Cornue Château island set off by a stunning 24Kt platinum gold mosaic wall and  gilded sconces drew big crowds to Karen Williams’ glitzy and glamorous  French kitchen at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show last week.

Visitors were also intrigued by the unique La Cornue Flamberge rotisserie, a favorite of Williams.

Karen Williams' glitzy and glamorous kitchen was a big hit at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show

In addition to designing a show-stopping vignette for La Cornue, Williams participated in “The Evolving Kitchen” panel discussion along with celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto and Anne Puricelli, director, La Cornue North America.  Williams stressed that as an enthusiastic cook, she designs kitchens today with an emphasis on stations to accommodate several cooks, rather than around the old-fashioned work triangle.

She also talked about creating zones or multiple islands in large kitchens to make them more user-friendly. And she outlined her approach to creating relaxing culinary spaces in vacation homes.

Karen Williams joins Jonathan Waxman on Architectural Digest Kitchen Panel

On Thursday, March 22 Karen Williams joins celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto and Anne Puricelli, Director La Cornue North America, for a stimulating panel discussion on “The Evolving Kitchen.”  It takes place at 10:30  at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show, Pier 94, 55th St. and 11th Avenue.

They will talk about changing trends in kitchen design and equipment, and offer advice on ways to make kitchens truly personalized culinary spaces. Williams, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic home cook, and Waxman, a professional chef, will both offer their insights on what makes a kitchen a delight to work in.

The panel will be moderated by John (Doc) Willoughby, cookbook author and executive editor at America’s Test Kitchen.

Visitors to the show can also see a glamourous kitchen designed by Williams in the La Cornue booth 475. For more information go to www.archdigesthomeshow.com.

Celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto shares the panel with Karen Williams Thursday March 22 for a discussion of today's important kitchen trends at the Architectural Digest Home Show.

Anne Puricelli, director North America, for La Cornue adds her observations on deluxe cooking equipment at the Architectural Digest Home Show kitchen panel.

KAREN Williams blends the perfect French Burgundy kitchen for La Cornue at the Architectural Digest Show

For the upcoming Architectural Digest Home Design Show, March 22-25 in New York, Karen Williams has blended the perfect French Burgundy kitchen for La Cornue. inspired by the famous colorful and gilded rooms of the Chateau de Cormatin, one of the loveliest in Burgundy, the striking kitchen will be on display in booth 475.

“I love the rich colors and splendor of  this historic  landmark and wanted to capture that feeling in this kitchen,” Williams notes. She set a La Cornue Chateau cooktop into a custom island with integrated sink, surrounded by  burgundy Chateau metal cabinetry accented with polished brass and polished stainless.  Then she layered on more richness with sparkling 24-kt platinum gold mosaic Sicis mosaic wall tile and glittering Bagues sconces.  The La Cornue Flamberge rotisserie would be right at home in the early 17^th century Chateau as well as in today’s modern kitchens.  The Paris Ceramics gray and white stone floor lends a comfortable warmth to the space along with the  Pyrolave French lava stone counters that appear delicately aged.

See it at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show, March 22-25, Pier 94, 55 Street at 12th Avenue.

Register at www.archdigesthomeshow.com

Karen Williams creates a custom cooking center in a softly contemporary kitchen

Working in a small 20′x30′ Manhattan kitchen, Karen Williams wanted to keep the look clean and simple, yet interesting. So she created a softly contemporary space with warm overtones by playing off the lovely texture of cerused oak cabinetry against the beautiful sheen of white lacquer cabinets and the deep luminosity of white glass countertops. The stainless toe kicks keep it light as well. And to further ensure an uncluttered design,  there is no decorative hardware except for the refrigerator.

In a small Manhattan kitchen Karen Williams created a softly contemporary kitchen with cerused oak cabinetry and white glass countertops.

Because it’s a small room, Williams wanted the island to feel like a piece of furniture. A traditional island would have been too heavy, like an anchor in the middle of the space. This one feels lighter thanks in part to the sculpted table-like legs finished with stainless feet. The island is open on the bottom with room for storage, and has a drop down panel for electrical outlets, plus a breadbox and cutlery drawers. And there is convenient seating for two.

She also created a special custom cooking center, one of her Signature Elements, developed over more than 30 years of design experience.  Here Williams used a six-burner cooktop and added a steamer on the left and a stainless counter on the right, all with the same profile for one unified piece. She believes there is no need to settle for an out-of-the-box solution when it comes to appliances.

For the built-in ovens, Williams borrowed a look she first saw in Europe and loves because it’s so clean. She recessed the panel that holds the ovens resulting in a very smooth architectural line.

KITCHEN TRENDS MAGAZINE FEATURES ROBERT SCHWARTZ PROJECT

Editors at Kitchen Trends magazine selected a colorful kitchen remodeled by Robert Schwartz in the prestigious Robert A.M. Stern building at 15 Central Park West for a four-page feature. Read the full article at http://trendsideas.com/Article15866/UnitedStates

Robert Schwartz on the cover of East Coast Home + Design magazine

The cover story this month on East Coast Home + Design magazine is a Brooklyn kitchen designed by Robert Schwartz. Centerpiece of the stunning kosher kitchen is a dramatic underlit marble island, crafted with custom black cabinetry accented by silver trim and glittering Swarovski hardware.

The cover of East Coast Home + Design features a stunning kitchen by Robert Schwartz.

The magazine noted that Schwartz is “renowned for creating one-of-a-kind, highly custom culinary spaces for discerning clients.”  In this case, he devised both a meat and a dairy kitchen all correlating around the island as the axis of the room.  A separate coffee bar continues the use of rich millwork and marble, with the added advantage of a hidden two-sided pantry. Read all about it at www.echomeanddesign. com.

The magazine noted that Schwartz's kitchen is a "study in how varied textures and finishes can combine to elevate a room design to new levels."

A Blitz of Glitz: Robert Schwartz does the ultimate man cave

“Everyone knows what a kitchen looks like, but often people hire us to do an adjunct to the kitchen or a bar,” says Robert Schwartz, explaining why he threw caution to the wind and converted a bland conference room in his showroom into the ultimate leather-clad Man Cave.

“We were going for drama,” admits Schwartz, adding,”there’s a lot of bling.”

A blitz of glitz, the new Man Cave at the St. Charles of New York showroom.

The Mad-Man-worthy space is about 8×9. The glitz starts with base cabinets of quartered European larch, finished in a 100% gloss lacquered sheen. Not to be outdone, the wall cabinets are in a taupe-bronze shade of car paint with metallic flecking and high lacquered sheen. And to polish it all off, all the doors and drawers have nickel frames done by same guys who do all the work for Harley in York, Pa.

LEDS light up automatically when doors are opened. Cabinet frame was done by the guys who work on Harleys.

When opened, every door and drawer activates LED lighting and even the glass rollouts have LEDs. “We’re using these a lot more now,” Schwartz reports. “When people see it, they really want it.”

The lights sparkle in the mirrored and lacquer covered backsplashes.

As always with St. Charles of New York, one-of-kind artisanal touches abound. The countertop is blue tiger eye semiprecious stone, each slab pieced together by hand.

                                                                                                               

Hand-pieced blue tiger eye countertop is just one unusual material in the new St. Charles of New York bar.

Robert Schwartz says its was worth the wait for his handcrafted semiprecious stone countertop.

When Schwartz couldn’t find a rectangular polished nickel sink, he commissioned a metal crafter to build and plate one to his specs. The faucet was custom made as well.

And should anyone bounce off the Man Cave walls, they’ll encounter the finest Edelman leather.

A premium Edelman leather hide is cut on the premises at the St. Charles of New York showroom to cover walls of the bar.

The icing on the cake? The Octopus Baccarat fixture with 16 arms and light lavender colored Murano glass.

Karen Williams’ Blue Ribbon Color Palette Featured in Beautiful Kitchens & Baths magazine

Beautiful Kitchens & Baths magazine writes in its Winter 2011 issue about Karen Williams’ quiet and serene Blue Ribbon color palette, created for a 1,000-sq.-ft. showhouse kitchen. French blue and soft white cabinetry are set off with satin nickel hardware, all underlaid with elegant circles of glimmering glass tile.

Featured in Beautiful Kitchens & Baths magazine, this quiet palette of blue and white by Karen Williams is enlivened with a glass mosaic tile floor.

“For this large space, we wanted a delicate, slow-moving palette,” Williams said. “Your eye goes softly from one element to another, and it’s all tied together with white marble countertops with gray striations. The glass tile on the floor is unexpected and entertaining.”

A soft blue and white palette unites a large showhouse kitchen designed by Karen Williams.

Rustic Meets Industrial: Beautiful Kitchens & Baths Showcases a Karen Williams Color Palette

Beautiful Kitchens & Baths magazine in its Winter issue highlights a fresh new color palette Karen Williams created for a kitchen in a converted barn home. No cliched country looks here. Instead, Williams combined blackened stainless steel and rustic barn wood cabinetry, topped with pewter and lavastone counters.

Beautiful Kitchens & Baths magazine featured this rustic/industrial look as one of Karen Williams' four "no-fail" color palettes.

“We used colors and surfaces that look like materials a blacksmith might have left in the barn,” Williams told the magazine. “Each surface has its own distinct feel, and taken together, they make the kitchen look as if it’s always been there. But this palette also could be used in a loft or mountain home.”

Barn board and blackened stainless cabinetry are right at home in a rustic barn, but would work just as well in an urban loft.

Classic French: Beautiful Kitchens & Baths Features a Karen Williams Color Palette

One of four “no-fail” color palettes featured in the Winter issue of Beautiful Kitchens & Baths magazine is this Classic French concept created by Karen Williams for a new Chateau-style home in Florida. Inspired by a paneled room in Versailles, she brought the cabinetry to life in the color of French butter, then enhanced it with antique-inspired gold hardware. The unexpected dazzle comes from petrified-wood quartz countertops.

Karen Williams' updated French palette was featured in Beautiful Kitchens & Baths magazine.

“The cabinetry offers soft striations and gentle curves,” Williams explained, “and the paint color is neutral and calming. It was when we added the exotic wood countertop that the glamour factor went off the map. It’s like nothing you’ve seen before — simply stunning.”

A paneled room in Versailles inspired Karen Williams to create the soft striations and gentle curves of this buttery door.

Antique-style hardware pieces like this one further inspired her classic French palette.

When Williams added this exotic wood countertop to a classic French kitchen, the glamour factor went off the map.