Out With the Old, in With the Minimal
First, the J.R. McDade Company removed all the finish flooring and reinforced the upstairs to accommodate the new hardwood planks selected by Biberger and Ownby. In the kitchen, the company removed the countertops and appliances and, in the bathrooms, the tubs, showers, vanities and cabinets. Then McDade installed new flooring, countertops, tile work and cabinetry while subcontracting the electrical, plumbing and painting. The floors are “Mocha” travertine, and the oak planking has been stained to a deep coffee color.
While a contemporary look was the primary goal, Ownby added softer materials, rugs, furnishings and an off-white Frazee “Moonlit” paint for most of the interior. As a result, the Biberger home offers welcome and warmth as well as clean, crisp lines. “Our primary focus was to maintain the modern look while providing a comfortable space to live in on a day-to-day basis,” she says.
The kitchen and adjacent breakfast niche offered the design and construction team the most challenges — especially as the owner uses the breakfast niche more than any other area of the home, excepting his upstairs master bedroom.
“He enjoys the light that floods the space in the mornings and often reads here for extended periods of time,” Ownby says. Biberger has also found that this is where his guests congregate while he’s in the kitchen preparing food. To accommodate them, she provided a round table from Copenhagen in Scottsdale — large enough for five comfortable club chairs. Designed by Ownby and created by Feathers Design in Scottsdale, the chairs are covered in supple black leather for comfort. Also softening the room are natural fiber shades and maple valances stained in a chocolate hue.
By contrast, the Biberger kitchen is modernist and contemporary. Central to the design are the cabinetry and the island —all installed by McDade. Monroe, Wash.-based Canyon Creek Cabinet Company manufactured the dark brown stained maple cabinets with three-dimensional pitched drawer fronts. The front face of the island also features these cabinets with sandblasted glass inserts. Sokee, from Nagoya, Japan, manufactured the complementary black piano-finish cabinets on the wall. Both styles reappear in the living room bar nook, where two metal stools (that bounce when sat in) were acquired from Thingz in Scottsdale.
Installing the already finished millwork required meticulous care, notes Jack McDade, principal of McDade, as it scratches easily and the finish is difficult to repair.
Some of the eclectic touches in this room include “Absolute Black” granite countertops, with two component sink basins from Franke and a Ladylux Plus faucet from Grohe.
To expand Biberger’s entertaining capacity, Ownby acquired three Copenhagen island counter stools with brushed-aluminum backs. Above the island are three candle-shaped Fire pendants.
Built into the millwork are a Sub-Zero refrigerator, freezer and wine chiller; Gaggenau ovens, cooktop and hood; and a hideaway microwave by KitchenAid.
