Southern California native and architect extraordinaire Robert Hidey has quite the eye for oceanfront kitchen design. Whether it is a Spanish Colonial home in Santa Barbara or a classic Mediterranean Revival, Hidey stays ahead of the latest trends.
When it comes to design, Hidey thoroughly considers every detail, challenge, and component in creating a homeownerÂ’s dream kitchen. One of HideyÂ’s biggest challenges is utilizing a space while taking advantage of the ocean view.
“Kitchens, just by their nature, require a great deal of storage, basically found in cabinets and walls,” Hidey says. “This can become a contradiction, because you want to have a lot of storage in the house while using glass in the kitchen. I always have to find ways to introduce a lot or enough glass without compromising the volume of cabinetry.”
Along with confronting the obstacles of kitchen design in an oceanfront home, Hidey also gracefully incorporates todayÂ’s latest architectural trends. In larger oceanfront homes, Hidey is able to create two separate cooking areas with dual functions, as well as kitchens that are used primarily for social gatherings. Hidey, along with most of his homeowners, have found that having two kitchens can be very functional for larger oceanfront homes. As for building materials, Hidey says to stick with stainless steel, copper, stone, and other materials that resist corrosion in brutal climates.
“The primary kitchen can be called a ‘show kitchen,’ with a second kitchen behind it, more pushed back, for a caterer’s or server’s kitchen,” Hidey explains. “It’s a very open, functional, and informal design that takes entertaining into account.” Along with dual kitchens comes the outdoor kitchen, which promotes a life of outdoor living, Hidey explains. “Especially in Southern California, where the climate is so mild, outdoor kitchens are becoming very common,” Hidey says. “It’s a place where you can cook underneath a roof, in essence, yet have it be open and transparent.” —By Terri Ogan