John Legend and Chrissy Teigen's sexy new Beverly Hills Kitchen on the cover of September's ad shows all that curvaceous trend. The entire home, created by his designer Jake Arnold, is full of rounded shapes, including stucco staircases and gently curved velvet chairs.
But the highlight is the luxurious kitchen, where a swirling 15-foot island of rounded-cornered Caramel Calacatta Macchia Vecchia marble dominates the space. The striking hood above the island's firing range has a parchment-colored plaster cover with rounded corners, rather than the industrial look of most exhaust hoods. Additionally, brass bar stools made by (Wh)Ore Haüs Studios feature fluffy upholstered seats upholstered in Pierre Frey's Yeti fabric, a mix of wool, mohair and long-haired alpaca. I am.
“The architecture was very modern and angular, so my goal was to soften the space,” Arnold says. “We wanted to add lots of roundness to the house and make the kitchen island inviting and sculptural. Chrissy loves to cook, so she wanted everything to be beautiful, yet very functional.”
“Most of the islands I make now have soft corners,” he added. “I tend to avoid very clean lines; I feel it's too harsh. This is more family-friendly and makes it more livable.”
Curves in kitchens are both practical and aesthetically appealing, Jen Nash, head of design at Magnet, a leading British kitchen specialist, wrote in an email. “It softens the space and acts as the focal point of an open-plan space, but can also be integrated with other design features such as curved walls, furniture, and light fixtures, creating a consistent and slightly playful design theme. ,” says Nash. Say.
Just as a curved sofa looks attractive and comfortable, a kitchen with soft edges can give a more inviting feel. Also, the rounded edges and spherical shape allow you to connect the kitchen, created for family gatherings, with the living area, an open-plan space.
“Without hard edges, the kitchen transitions seamlessly from the dining area to the living room,” says Thomas Morbitzer, co-owner of New York-based architecture and interior design firm AMMOR.
Morbitzer and co-owner Goyle Amonevivat recently remodeled the walled kitchen of their one-bedroom apartment in New York into an open design that blends in with the living area. The new space includes a round kitchen peninsula, curved backsplash edges, and round cabinet doors. The brushed brass hardware is also curved. Morbitzer said the peninsula was pushed further into the dining area to break things up. “Rounded corners help you navigate the space.”
Curves make sense even in small homes, says Amornvivat. “When space is limited, curved counters improve circulation. When you're moving around, you don't bump into corners.”
Ami McKay of Vancouver's Pure Design revisited her memories of a trip to England and a cafe in Paris for her recent kitchen design. She started with her green sage cabinets (painted with Sherwin's Rosemary by Sherwin), made her encaustic concrete tile archway over the stove, and hung her large round white bistro lights. I lowered it. “Arches have been around forever, and their origins go back to the Romans,” McKay said. “Our kitchen has a lot of straight lines and has been pretty modern and minimalist for a while. It would be nice to have something more interesting.”
Krista Alterman of Krista + Home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, included circles in nearly every room of a home she recently designed for a young couple. She installed a large round backsplash made of porcelain slabs above her induction cooktop in the kitchen and above her tile walls of frosted white glass.
why? “Circles lend integrity and perfection to a space,” says Alterman. “They're pleasing to the eye, more youthful, and don't have sharp angles.” She says part of the escape from the sterile white environments that have long dominated kitchen design is due to the pandemic.
“The circle represents community and connection. Emotionally, we've been disconnected for so long that things that come from a deeper place are starting to show up in fashion and interior trends,” says Alterman. , added that that's also why kitchens have become more colorful in recent years. “People want to feel real peace and joy. Curved edges feel good and feel safer and more comfortable than angled, sharp edges.”
But even if you can't do a complete renovation or buy custom curved cabinets, the designer says there are other, easier ways to incorporate this look into your kitchen, starting with your countertops. Masu. “Counters are usually made to order anyway, and cutting the counter to a shape rather than leaving it rectangular doesn't necessarily increase cost,” Morbitzer says. . “It feels sculptural and unique and special.”
Alterman suggests round penny tiles for backsplashes and wallpaper with round patterns. Polka dots, anyone? “Choose fabrics with round patterns for windows,” she says. Or place a large white ceramic bowl on your kitchen island to make a powerful – and very budget-friendly – statement.
Or maybe you're worried about making a trendy choice now that will look like a 2023 relic in five years.
“Curved cabinets are especially trendy, so they're likely to go out of style quickly,” says Charlottesville architect Carmel Greer. But there are other times, she says, where the curve makes a lot of sense, such as when there's a “circulatory pinch point” in the kitchen. She also notes that “islands are better for curves than things like kitchen cabinets because it's easier to circulate around round objects.”
Her favorite soft-edged sauce is the table. “Oval and round tables reinforce the casual nature of an in-person gathering,” Greer says. “There is no top of the table and people are gathered together as equals.”
But McKay dismisses the idea that it's a trend that will soon disappear. She says curves are timeless. “Think of a Smeg refrigerator. It has very soft corners. It always looks good,” she says. “We're just doing a classic form in a modern way.”
correction
A previous version of this article contained incorrect credit information for a photo of a kitchen in a New York one-bedroom apartment designed by AMMOR Architecture. Photo was taken by Garrett Roland. The article has been corrected.
