2017 Kitchen of the Year

Preparing restaurant-caliber meals for a crowd goes faster with Thermador’s 60-inch Pro Grand range, which includes six burners, a steam/convection oven, an electric griddle and a grill. To add character to the space, de la Cruz used two finishes on the cabinets: weathered white oak, and Farrow & Ball’s Cornforth White paint in Modern Eggshell. “You see that kind of make-do cobbling together in old kitchens,” he notes. The vent hood, which de la Cruz designed, is zinc with a blackened finish. The luminous backsplash tiles are an upcycled product from Fireclay Tile, which glazes thin bricks with a glossy coating.

Thermador Freedom refrigerator.

The distressed bronze of the Altamont pendants from Hudson Valley Lighting echoes the grays of Thibaut’s Treviso Marble wallpaper. “Since you can see the bay,” says de la Cruz of the house in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, “I wanted colors reminiscent of the fog and clouds rolling in from the water.”

De la Cruz extended the chunky 1¼-inch-thick Caesarstone counter up the wall to the base of the window to create a ledge. “You can park a soap dispenser there or use it to hold a glass of wine while you’re cooking,” he says. A modern spin on farmhouse style, DXV’s stainless steel Hillside sink minimizes splashes with its 10-inch depth. The Blue Pure faucet by Grohe with built-in water purifier is available at Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery.

Trim painted in Farrow & Ball’s Off-Black. Roman shade in an Élitis fabric with Samuel & Sons’ Cambridge flat braid trim. Cutting boards, The Mine.

Housing the toaster and coffeemaker in an appliance garage reduces counter clutter.

A spring-loaded shelf pops up from a base cabinet to effortlessly bring a stand mixer to counter height — no heavy lifting required. The Thermador Professional Series Triple Combination oven stacks a microwave, convection oven and warming drawer into a single vertical unit.

The wire-mesh doors on the JWH Design & Cabinetry china cabinet nod to old-time pie safes. The paneling is in Farrow & Ball’s Cornforth White.

Grothouse’s extra-tall black-walnut shelving “emphasizes the 12-foot ceilings,” de la Cruz says.

Pantry jars and labels, Blisshaus. Vernon picture lights, Hudson Valley Lighting.

At a compact 24 inches wide, the Thermador Freedom wine chiller holds 80 bottles in two temperature zones. Mounted on the underside of the Grothouse shelves, CSL’s energy-saving LED lights won’t fade or discolor art, so paintings and photographs can be displayed worry-free.

A Lee Industries banquette is covered in the company’s Harness leather. “Spills wipe off,” says de la Cruz, “and diners can smoothly slide in and out.” The back cushions are upholstered in vintage Belgian flour sacks. Timeworn and durable, the 18th-century Italian chestnut table “has survived hundreds of years,” the designer says. “New dings and stains inflicted by kids won’t faze it.”

Shearling milking stools, Lee Industries. Roxbury pendant, Hudson Valley Lighting. Dinnerware, Lenox. Pillows, Sortie. Nestra jute rug, Ben Soleimani for Restoration Hardware.

The kitchen’s black, white and gray palette is reprised on the patio, where the alfresco seating area feels like an extension of the indoor space. The Hamilton wrought-iron love seat, lounge chairs and ottoman from Woodard, upholstered in Outdura’s sun- and water-resistant Glee Granite fabric, can withstand the Bay Area’s notoriously changeable weather.

Pillows, Woodard. Dinnerware, Lenox.

Jon de la Cruz, who opened his eponymous firm in 2015 after two decades working with some of the city’s top designers, in the home’s entry. Read more about his inspiration for this kitchen here.

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This story originally appeared in the October 2017 issue of House Beautiful.