Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay.
As an architect, in my early practice I designed a few homes with their kitchens, while I focused my initial years even more so on Commercial Architecture and Design.
I designed a few restaurants and food facilities, including their Kitchens, with the support of specialists, in addition to many stores. Here is the floor plan for a restaurant kitchen. Restaurant capacity 200 seats + 30 at Bar.
While I was designing Restaurants and Food facilities, I took a Cornell University Diploma on Restaurant Planning and Development. I was very interested in Hospitality and Restaurant Design.
One suggestion is looking at and considering Restaurant Kitchen consultants and planning.
Commercial kitchens are obviously a totally different scale and production type, but you can bring some of that knowledge into the Home Kitchen.
Gradually I focused more on Residential Design.
These Kitchens were done in a 30 year period to yesterday. That might make a point. Some are new, from the ground up. While others are remodeling of existing kitchens which had the right structure and potential. Ideally they should look timeless. or last a long time anyway.
Here are 10 or so Kitchens of different types we have designed for our residential projects. We also include 5 or so Wet Bars.
Are all kitchens New?
When you do a full kitchen and replace everything inside a room it becomes a new kitchen. This was a designated room by the home architecture and you fitted the New Kitchen into the space. This is essentially the same as if you Gut the entire existing kitchen in an old house and put the new one in designated Plumbing and Cabinetry specified.
A remodeled kitchen then should referr to only when there has been a kitchen before, in the same space, however you might opt for changing the location of an appliance or fixture, or extend the space, move some wall or another.
Partial fit or renovation is always a remodel. Also the plumbing and wiring often needs replacing or it is the best time to do it. when the walls are open. Before the backsplash and other hard surfaces.
Luxury Kitchen Design.This kitchen top is stainless steel incorporation cook top and sink.
Kitchen detail at Casa Lila, Mexico City. High-Tech, 1988.
At about the same time I designed restaurants I designed a home for myself. I ordered a Stainless steel kitchen top with built-in sink and cooktop. Just like in the professional kitchens I was designing then, and by the same fabricator to the restaurant in turn. It has worked well for the last 30+ years.
Casa Lila home architecture Mexico City
One of my first residential kitchens is very small and open (I opened it) into the family room of a One Bedroom Condo in Tiburon-Belvedere, San Francisco Bay. The apartment was a total remodel and the kitchen was new from the ground up.
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay. Small open kitchen for a 1 bedroom condo. Mirrored backsplash reflects Bay. Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Open Kitchen at Tiburon one bedroom apartment. 1992 bullnose edge.
Very small kitchen initially enclosed. Very simple. “L†counter, Peninsula and Built in wall. The Cabinetry is beige laminate, the tops Ming green marble. Backsplash is mirrored to reflect the water view and make room look bigger.
By opening up the little kitchen into the living area both areas became bigger. No dining room as the coupe who live in Austria generally go to restaurants while in Tiburon or San Francisco.
This was done from the ground up totally gutting all existing, the sink remained around its previous location, the Refrigerator wall backs on to the office and wet bar making better use of  the space. Bullnose edge doubled at Peninsula looks and works great after 25 years.
Belvedere Tiburon condominium Interior Design
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay. Small open kitchen for a 1 bedroom condo. Floor plan, wet bar behind refrigerator. Jerry Jacobs Design ©
See. Wet Bar for this kitchen bottom section.
New construction. Building and kitchen space were there but no kitchen before.
A few years later I was invited to design an Hacienda on the Beach for a Country Music and Hollywood Star. The Building shell was there. We enlarged the kitchen shell by relocating a laundry room, carved more space, remodeled it and did all the interiors, Kitchen, bar, baths, bedrooms, pool and outdoors.
Because of certain other materials such as volcanic stone in the plazas and local limestone elsewhere, we selected “Rojo Alicante†or “Rojo Navona†marble for countertops and full backsplash, as a contrasting color the client liked.
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay. Hacienda style kitchen with Rojo Alicante tops and slash. Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay. Hacienda style kitchen with Rojo Alicante tops and slash. Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Hacienda on the Beach Cancun*. 1998
At Hacienda on the Beach, we were a bit conservative with the budget, and as a second home to the client, not much personal cooking was to be involved.
The Backsplash in slab made the statement. We used the house as guests many times and the kitchen worked very well for all purposes. Notice the Volcanic stone floor which was part of the home purchase. Over the years we gradually replaced it in the interiors for a softer more comfortable local limestone floors.
Sub-Zero side by side and professional gas cooktop.
See. Wet Bar for this kitchen at the bottom section.
We wanted the kitchen cabinetry to be in a color for the 2 sibling College girl residents, so we selected blue. While we wanted to see the kitchen from the great room. However to contain the cooking smells, hence we glazed the enclosure between the Kitchen below and the dining room and great room. The Island in butcher block is rotated, and ends in a round table shape accommodating 5 places.
Upper cabinets with frosted glass doors.
Bar stools by Brueton.
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay. Blue kitchen glass enclosed butcher block tops. Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Loft apartment Kitchen, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, MX. 2002
ContemporaryCountry Club loft apartment
In this Villa we designed the entire Architecture and Interiors from the ground up and turn key service. The house has a Classic Tuscan and Georgian inspiration, so we wanted the kitchen cabinetry to work together with it. The Character the clients had in mind was always classic.
We certainly had ceiling height around 12′ height on the ground floor or piano Nobile which we had created architecturally for the Kitchen and took advantage of it, providing it with a rolling ladder. Tons of storage and display.
The 10’ long Island has two under-counter refrigerators and an inlaid border marble top. While the top and floor are Bulgarian White limestone, the details and backsplash are Rojo Alicante or Navona again.
The kitchen is glass enclosed on two ends, first facing the Ocean for view and connection to the breakfast nook and pool loggia. At the other end, not shown is the family TV room also separated by glass and shutters and raised to look over the kitchen to the Ocean.
This house has 6 suites with en suite bathrooms and each room with walk in closets, wet bars with counter sinks and built in refrigerators.
The kitchen cabinetry extends to the breakfast nook. There are 2 dishwashers, a Fisher & Paykel drawer set form everyday, and a Miele near the view sink. Sub-Zero refrigeration includes Island ends set.The rolling ladder fits vertically away behind glass door.
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay.Tall kitchen with rolling ladder, ocean view, island top inset and refrigerator drawers.Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay.Tall kitchen with rolling ladder, ocean view, island top inset and refrigerator drawers.Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Classic style. Timeless.
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay.Kitchen floor layout.Jerry Jacobs Design ©
The sequence from left  Family room, kitchen centered and Nook on left and not shown Loggia in a step down is to allow Ocean view  from all of them, the rooms only divided by structural seamless Glass and Counter height Cabinetry.
Villa on the Beach. Cancun Hotel Zone.
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay.Townhouse Kitchen Red amrble splash and top..Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Amuch smaller size than in a Cilla this town house kitchen includes a built in wall with Sub Zero built in refrigerators and ovens.A full back splash with side cabinets and a Smeg Range.
The new kitchen cabinetry was salvaged from a previous apartment the owner had planned it for but never installed.
Granite top and baseboards. Mirrored backsplash returns. Custom crown molding, with 45Ëš set backs so it transitions.
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay.Very small Presidio Heights kitchen.Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Calacatta Gold Marble tops a full slab backsplash. English sycamore cabinetry Pull out hood. Sub Zero 700 series Refrigerator and freezer.
The client wanted to have coffee at the kitchen Island while viewing over the dining room toward the Boulevard. While sometimes there would be formal entertainment. Hence we glazed the kitchen entrance pair of swing doors and sidelight in “Molecular Glass”: so at the turn of the switch they become transparent or frosted.
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay.Callacatta gold on walls and tops. Telescopic hood, bowed island.Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay.Kitchen seen through Inteligent gass on and off.Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Bottom pair of Images shown, on right Glass doors clear. On left doors are frosted. Molecular or switchable glass use. Top kitchen seen from dining room entrance. Campos Eliseos, Mexico City. 2010
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay.Kitchen Kitchen dining floor planJerry Jacobs Design ©
Contemporary apartment design remodel.
Brown cabinetry color is extended to doors and wall to integrate better. Tiled back splash extended around windows. Cabinetry transom over sink to tie both ends. Extending the color of the cabinetry into the wall, replacing doors and other details make a big difference. Two tone, the island base in Zinc venetian Plaster to tie with the appliances and balance the color.
Lighting pendants by Leucos. Kon.
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay.Brown walls and cabinets Larkspur kitchen.Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Larkspur California. 2013-2014
This small open kitchen was in the right place and the right size when we remodeled it. We decided to keep it provided it should look and work well. The cabinetry was improved and painted. The appliances and countertop stayed.
As it was just the wrong color, and had the wrong lighting and wasted space so we did only the improvements necessary to make it look and work better. So far so good. Most important is not to waste resources, be sustainable when you can. This helped the client’s budget, while it helps the planet. However little we can contribute to “Sustainability” that is great. Sometimes it is very little sometimes it is more. If we all help things will be better.
Notice the Gray color is just a tad different to the walls color, so as to make it disappear. Dilute it more into the space.
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay.Tiburon kitchen.Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Tiburon Waterfront Condominium, 2018-2019.
Most important trend in Kitchen Design, is incorporating adequate space for your pup/s.
Tiburon waterfrontapartment design.
7/7/2019 Country Life UK on Canine cubbyholes.
Wet Bars are not only for drinking purposes, liquor or not. The are also an extension of a kitchen as well. Sometimes work as a pantry kitchen too. Particularly when the kitchen is not so close to the dining areas. When a Bar area has a sink and a faucet it becomes a “Wet Bar”. Then the services it can provide are much more than that of a counter or credenza where you could always sit drinks or a buffet. If you don’t want to redo the kitchen but have room for a Wet Bar, then it is a great idea.
Often we have the opportunity to extend the kitchen either immediately adjacent to it but into another room, or sometimes a bit further away. Quite often wet Bars serve some of the Kitchens and Pantries purposes.
The photos below show 2 wet bars we did for the same home we call “Buena Vista Deco”, on Buena Vista Park, San Francisco, California. While the Penthouse had a great kitchen already, we carved a corner behind a dining booth and took over a closet, to fit it in right there. Red Bar on the right. The other wet bar was added downstair at the Library- Home office, far from the kitchen. Photo on left.
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay.Corner wet bar floor plan Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay.Corner wet bar behind dining booth Buena Vista Park SF Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay. Wet bar into library, glass floor above.Buena Vista Park SF Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Buena Vista Penthouse. Wet Bars.
Wet Bar at the Tiburon. Relates to kitchen # 2 above.
One of my favorite aspects here is closing the bar. That is when not in use it gets 100% concealed. The built-in wet bar disappears when not in use… This is a second home for a European based Austrian businessman, so it is quite often that it is closed.
Fireplace and Furnace to the left, entertainment system underneath.
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay. Belvedere Tiburon Wet bar conceald cabinetry open and closed. Jerry Jacobs Design ©
A sit down bar. Wet Bar with Counter at Hacienda on the Beach. Relates to kitchen above section #3.
This wet Bar has everything, a copper sink and faucet, Sub Zero Refrigerator, ice maker and wine storage. Mirrors back shelving. Entertainment system by swing door into kitchen with porthole.
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay. Belvedere Hacienda style carved Wet bar.. Jerry Jacobs Design ©
Luxury Kitchen Design San Francisco Bay. Carved Wet bar with sump pump.. Jerry Jacobs Design ©
At the Condominium apartment we couldn’t redo the Kitchen which was too small, cluttered and 23 stories up. So we carved a Wet Bar with full height Sub Zero 700 series refrigerator freezer, serving both as kitchen extension and Bar. there was this was no drainage or water supply in the Dining Area, so we brought them in through the ceiling and out with a pump. Rotating bar table at front, for sit down or buffet.
While in most of our projects we do all the interiors and sometimes the Architecture, we try to be consistent and use in the kitchen some of the same materials as in other parts of the House. Most notably Bathrooms, the term Kitchen and Bath design applies here.
I guess I like Porthole windows, and will use them whenever I can. It is both first of all a connection between the two spaces the interior of the kitchen and the exterior or other room. Then it is also a safety device for swing doors.
I guess as designers we got carried away enclosing everything we could in uppers. Then came having the upper doors with some glass first translucent and transparent. And finally the return to the open shelving. Here are some points:
If you stand at your task a few hours the best you can do is increase comfort for your feet
