K&B 360: The Kitchen Diaries, continued

Let's check in on my kitchen remodel again, shall we? Removing the 60s-era range and base cabinets, we saw that the wall cupboards, with the little step-up at the end, were worth keeping. What John and I came to call the "hot cab" [an allusion to the locus for the cooking appliances] developed in part from that little notch-out where the vent hood would have been, had there been one at all.

One of the great advantages of life with an architect is being able to experience the depth and scope of the design process. For instance, John made a full-scale cardboard mock-up of the hot cab; it was extremely helpful in roughing out the details of the piece, such as the counter heights and depth, and the position of the cooktop and oven.