From the Hearth
Photo: David Duncan Livingston
You could say that an obsession or two fueled the creation of Glen Gormezano and Masae Kawamura’s kitchen. Given Glen’s passion for cooking—he almost abandoned medical school to become a chef—their inefficient kitchen equipped with outdated appliances and cabinets had become intolerable. Besides, it faced the street, screened by cypresses that blocked the light. “The house has incredible views of Mt. Tamalpais,” says Masae, also a doctor and an accomplished cook. “When you spend most of the time in the kitchen, you want to spend it looking out and really enjoying where you are.” The couple took their time settling into the Mill Valley, California, spread, landscaping the hillside property to create terraced gardens and ponds. Seven years after moving in, Glen and Masae were ready to relocate their cooking space to capitalize on those eye-popping panoramas. Working with Robin Pennell, an architect with Oakland-based Jarvis Architects, they opted for an open-plan kitchen with an updated Arts and Crafts look. The couple looked to a pair of influential early-20th-century architects for inspiration. “We liked Greene & Greene,” says Glen, of the brothers known for their Arts and Crafts bungalows and custom furniture designs. No doubt the Asia-suffused look pleased Masae, who is of Japanese descent. “I really wanted a stone-and-wood theme, which is very Japanese,” she says.
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