CHEF'S TABLE

This warm and inviting kitchen is designed for serious cooking while dishing up conversation with guests

-  JODY GARLOCK

THE PANELED CABINETRY ENVELOPS THE KITCHEN IN WARMTH TO BALANCE THE INDUSTRIAL FEEL OF THE METAL-CLAD ISLAND." -designer Lori Kurnitsky

There are chef's kitchens where cooking efficiency and culinary adventure are clearly the mission. Then there are kitchens designed more for aesthetics-spaces that emphasize gathering and comfort over any notion of being or becoming a gourmand. And, it would seem, never the twain shall meet.

But this kitchen in a new-build home in Pennsylvania offers both. The homeowners, who love to entertain, desired a space where they could spread out their prepping and cooking and maneuver around while their guests relaxed with glasses of wine in a space that didn't seem overtly kitchen-y. For kitchen designer Lori Kurnitsky and the team at Bluebell Fine Cabinetry & Design in Wayne, Pennsylvania, that meant two things: A smart layout sets boundaries between cooks and guests; materials-including rich woods-provide visual cues as to where those boundaries are.