Imber Akse House
Burlington designers Leslie Akse and Barry Imber were in the midst of building their dream home with area builder Branthaven Homes when we were contacted to craft their kitchen. The house was designed to LEED for Home specifications which meant it had to adhere to high standards of interior environment health as well as being sustainable and long wearing.
We worked with the designers to refine their modern design to achieve the right balance of simplicity and practicality while also adjusting to maximize materials. Once designs were finalized, materials were chosen and sourced from local resources to satisfy the owners views on sustainability. We proposed black walnut as a solution as it is commonly available from fallen trees in Southern Ontario and in this case found in Dundas. Walnut was used for the cabinet faces and details as well as the 10’ solid walnut bar top. A bold horizontal grain pattern was hand selected to provide the room with a graphic nature to balance the rugged natural stone wall opposite the kitchen in the living room.
We also proposed and sourced the work surfaces; the cooking surface being charcoal grey Kodiak marble from Northern Ontario — a hard working but easy to maintain surface for adjacent the stove as well as the solid maple prep surface flanking the sink in the island.
All kitchen surfaces are finished with no VOC coatings or oil rubbed and designed to be easily maintained by the owners without the need for chemical cleaners or finishes.
Features/Highlights:
+ horizontally matching grain
+ solid floor to ceiling 2" framed gables
+ hand selected veneers and solid material
+ 2" frame work for bar stools and frames on cabinetry from same tree
