A Firm Cooks Up a New Kitchen With $38K and a Dash of Midcentury Magic

Our Focus series shines the spotlight on the details: the extraordinary materials, spaces, and ideas that take great projects to the next level.

It’s not every day that an architecture firm gets to be its own client—and for the office of Tracy A. Stone, designing a new workplace kitchen offered an opportunity to take stock of the past and experiment with new ingredients.

"The goal was to make sure that it spoke the same design language as the rest of the space, which is a converted industrial warehouse," says designer Abbi Nayler of the Los Angeles–based firm.

They also wanted to pay homage to their roots—before starting her own firm, Tracy A. Stone was a project architect for Ray Kappe, and Nayler notes that the firm’s aesthetic is heavily influenced by Kappe’s midcentury designs and use of natural materials.

"Our previous kitchen had 20-year-old Ikea cabinets," says Nayler—and the commercial fixtures were simple and utilitarian. While concepting the look and feel of their new kitchen, the team was excited to introduce more color, texture, and materiality into the high-traffic space.

"We wanted to use this project as a case study to try different materials, appliances, and design details," says Nayler. The team drew inspiration from colorful midcentury kitchens, but added a contemporary twist by mixing wood and stainless steel.