Neo-Classic Kitchen in Del Mar, CA (and a rant about MDF!)

For some reason most woodworking companies have a different standard for kitchen cabinets than for other furniture and built in furniture. This evolving construction has led designers and homeowners to believe they are getting high-end quality construction when in fact the opposite is true. MDF (medium-density fibreboard or particle board) whether with a melamine, painted or wood veneer surface is not quality construction. It has no integral strength and does very poor around water, and anything made out of it will not last. You will never see anything made of MDF as an antique in the future. Woodworkers started making products out of it because it is the least expensive material you can get. Wood core plywood and solid woods are many times more durable than anything else, not to mention the beauty of solid woods. Quality construction furniture and built-ins last many generations.

Above and below are photo's of such a kitchen, made for a client of mine who really cared about quality for her custom home in Del Mar, CA. She enjoyed the feeling of being in rooms full of quality workmanship. The Neo-Classic kitchen is made of solid cherry and detailed in ebony. The curved cherry doors, door panels, drawers, and glass add dimension. The custom-made matching door and drawer pulls were all made in my shop. The wine and plate racks add functionality.

I wanted to add a bit of a nature theme to the kitchen so I added my artistic touches to some of the glass. There is a display cabinet with glass shelves and lighting and a glass cabinet door with Torry pine branches carved into the glass. In the breakfast nook I designed and built a cozy booth, and a table with a 1-1/2" thick glass table top. I carved deeply into the bottom of the glass Torry pine branches. Nature is one of my favorite subject matters to incorporate into my work, and by simply adding some hand-carved glass with tree branches, I achieved the look and feel that my client and I were striving for.

This is a kitchen that will get more beautiful with age and become a future antique for the next lucky homeowner who moves into this house.