A Sleek and Simple California Kitchen
Landscape architect Raymond Hansen adds a minimalist outdoor kitchen to a Pacific Palisades couple’s existing dining terrace
Photo by: Raymond Hansen.
When the owners of this Pacific Palisades, California, home wanted to add a small barbecue area to their already existing dining terrace, they turned to San Diego-based landscape architect Raymond Hansen, who had designed their garden 25 years earlier and has been working on the property ever since. The couple entertains a steady stream of visiting children and grandchildren, and wanted a top-of-the-line barbecue unit that meshed well with the terrace and complemented the home’s contemporary, sleek design. With a $25,000 budget, Hansen managed to make only a few changes to the existing terrace and surrounding landscape.
Q: What were your clients’ objectives?
A: The owners requested a top-of-the-line barbecue unit, storage and a refrigerator with counter space. They wanted something simple, clean and contemporary to keep with the feel of the terraces and the architecture of the house.
Q: Where is the kitchen placed within the context of the garden?
A: At the side of the rear dining terrace [where a Richard Schultz dining set was already in place], adjacent to the swimming pool.
Q: Were there any issues or factors that helped inform the placement of the kitchen?
A: Since the terraces were already there, the goal was to produce the least demolition of existing structures. A concrete slab was poured next to the existing terrace to accommodate the new barbecue units, and a new section of terrace had to be poured to reach the barbecue area.
Q: What are the kitchen’s main features?
A: A barbecue, warming tray, refrigerator and storage.
Q: What brand of appliances did you use?
A: Viking, with a custom cast-in-place concrete countertop.
Q: Were there any other furnishings or décor used to complete the space?
A: The planting was existing [a mix of azaleas, Lily-of-the-Niles, statice and heavenly bamboo surround the grill], and only a few rose bushes had to be transplanted. Two lights by Kichler Lighting were installed on cast-in-place concrete bases to illuminate the area and countertops.
