Kitchens on Fire offers out-of-the-box ideas for cooks, designers and those thinking of remodeling projects. The self-guided tour Friday and Saturday of eight Boulder kitchens ranges from sleek modern to colorful and quirky. For tickets and a map, go to www.thedairy.org. We toured five of the kitchens in advance. Here’s a preview:
WARM MODERN, 99 Hickory Ave.
It figures that the hip couple behind VAST (Vigil Architecture Studio), Joseph Vigil and Brandy LeMae, would have a cool kitchen.
But it’s obviously a working kitchen, with wide, deep drawers for baking supplies, a spongy floor (it’s a workout mat from Gart Bros.), and IKEA aluminum and glass lamps hanging from squiggly cords over the workspaces. The red knobs on the Wolf range add spots of color against the neutral backdrop of walnut-color birch and eucalyptus cabinets and aluminum trim.
Tucked behind the sink’s high splashback is a computer desk and bench seating with a table on wheels. On the dining room side, three round silvery plastic Bobo stools face the bar like something out of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
Vigil’s firm designs “green” houses, so the couple used as many recycled and environmentally friendly products as possible: LeMae chose IKEA cabinets because they are less expensive than custom and are made with fewer formaldehydes. Natural linoleum made from cork and linseed oil makes warm, inexpensive countertops.
MAPLETON MINIMALIST, 2420 10th St.
“We didn’t want you to walk in and notice the new part. We wanted it to seem like it had been here 100 years,” says Paige Blackburn, the homeowner and designer (Blackburn Design) who used recycled barn wood flooring, a violet corduroy sofa, white vinyl chairs and a crystal chandelier purchased on eBay to create a surprising family room/cooking space in her 100-year-old home.
A zinc worktable separates the sitting area from the open kitchen. Concrete counters, cable shelving, a Viking range and a pantry around the corner are all Blackburn needs to cook for her young family.
SOUTHERN ITALY/NORTH BOULDER, 2805 Seventh St.
After five years in a 1,000-square-foot bungalow, Ilena Sica knew exactly what she wanted: a brand-new house in the same neighborhood. After a year of demolition and rebuilding, the Sicas have an all-new Mediterranean that looks like it came straight out of a design magazine.
A frequent hostess, Sica’s favorite features include the Fisher & Paykel double-drawer dishwasher and the faucet over the Viking stove for filling pasta pots. “If you’re gonna splurge, the range is fantastic. It makes you cook well,” she says.
TINY WONDERLAND, 385 Quail Circle.
Nancy Warner and her carpenter son, Eric Warner, turned a “dark little ’80s townhouse” in the Wonderland neighborhood into a light-filled retreat for one.
Warner’s built-in microwave/toaster embodies her less-is-more spirit.
“At this stage of my life, I’m going to keep it simple,” says Warner, a widow who embarked on a new chapter when she turned 60, starting the top-to-bottom renovation the day after her birthday.
With the help of contractors Bruce Leahy & Associates, they flipped the location of the living room and the kitchen, enlarged windows and painted the walls “Baby Turtle” green from Benjamin Moore.
NO FEAR, NO COLOR, 1545 Jennine St.
Turquoise Fiesta Ware and a rainbow-hued abstract painting by Rosalind Rosen from Taos started Heather Gold on her colorful path. “We started with red, then it was yellow, now it’s blue. Who knows, next year, it might be a different color,” says the laid-back mother of two.
“We have two little boys, so we can’t take it too seriously. Perfect isn’t what we’re striving for.” But on the weekend, the Golds like to open a bottle of wine, pick a recipe from Saveur magazine and make an evening of cooking.
White Plato cabinets with reeded glass play off the vintage feel of the Fiesta Ware, while sleek Rosle rails hold spatulas and whisks.
The following kitchens were unavailable for preview, but here’s what to expect:
SOFT URBAN, 875 11th St.
A sophisticated mix of textures from chocolate-finished cherrywood cabinets, thick polished granite, textured glass and stainless steel give this kitchen drama. Deep drawers provide access and the cooking surface was lowered for the resident chef.
ZEN MODERN, 735 Pearl St.
A condo in downtown Boulder is hardly the embodiment of Asian calm, but this kitchen in a former Buddhist complex achieves it with espresso-stained Alder cabinets, rice-paper veneers, stainless steel toe kicks and an iridescent recycled glass tile mosaic.
SLEEK LINES, 2371 Spotswood Place
The old U-shaped black-and-white kitchen and small, square island gave way to a new concrete countertop with an integrated sink and cutouts for knives, a glass tile backsplash and extra work and storage space.
Kristen Browning-Blas can be reached at 303-820-1440 or kbrowning@denverpost.com.
Kitchens on Fire
For the seventh year, this Friday and Saturday, Boulderites open their kitchens to the public in a Kitchens on Fire benefit for The Dairy Center for the Arts.
Houses will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $15, available at The Dairy, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder; Studio3 Kitchen/Bath/Design, 741 Pearl St., Boulder; or at www.thedairy.org.
The multidisciplinary Dairy Center, in the 40,000-square-foot former Watts Hardy Dairy, houses 19 arts groups, including dance and theater companies, community television and piano studios. It offers art studios, performance halls and exhibit space.
For more information on The Dairy Center and Kitchens on Fire, call 303-440-7826.
Kitchens that Cook
Can’t make it to Boulder this weekend for Kitchens on Fire? Don’t worry, there’s another kitchen tour next month in Denver.
Kitchens that Cook, the Junior League of Denver’s kitchen tour, kicks off with a patron cocktail party at the Roth Concept Center, 7:30 p.m. June 11. The $50 ticket includes the Friday night party and the Saturday, June 12 tour, 11 a.m. 4 p.m.
Five homeowners in Hilltop, Washington Park, Cherry Creek and the Botanic Gardens neighborhoods will open their kitchens. Admission is $13 in advance at www.jld.org, $15 the day of the event.
The Junior League of Denver works with non-profit organizations and trained volunteers to improve the lives of children and families. Call the Junior League, 303-692-0270 for more information.
The Roth Concept Center, 17801 E. 40th Ave., displays Sub-Zero refrigerators, Wolf ranges and ASKO dishwashers in working kitchens.
-Kristen Browning-Blas
