When you think of kitchens, meal preparation comes to mind, within a home. Most people will say that the kitchen is the central room for home living. But there are no rules about where a kitchen can “reside” and how it can be used.
Recently, I was asked to design a barn kitchen. This request was a first for me. I’ve done pool house kitchens, patio kitchens and in-law suites but never a barn.
The first task was to collaborate with the Owner to determine how this one-of-a-kind room will be used. The purpose of this unique space was to extract and jar the Owner’s award-winning honey.
The inspiration of the design was found in the corner of their existing barn. Two simple workbenches made of construction grade lumber proved to be a simple solution for this space’s base units. Two cast-iron sinks that were cast in Baltimore and salvaged by the Owner needed to be incorporated into the overall plan.
Chesapeake Crafted designed and fabricated a sink stand of structural steel, painted black and fitted to support the sinks at the proper height for the counter tops. The focus of Chesapeake Crafted is to design and construct one-of-a-kind pieces that clients may not be able to find to suit their unique needs.
This steel sink base anchored the south facing wall under a casement window. 4×4 construction grade posts and construction grade 2x10s and 12s were used for shelving with brackets of the same material. The countertops are 16-gauge copper, custom formed and soldered over plywood templates that were cut and fitted onsite.
Remembering this was a kitchen with a very specific purpose, copper countertops were selected because copper has natural antimicrobial properties that can help prevent the spread of bacteria. According to the U.S. EPA, copper can kill 99.9% of harmful bacteria in two hours. This can help prevent food-borne illnesses – and in this case, provide health benefits in the production of honey.
This project was a true collaboration between the Owner, David Sutphen Design and Chesapeake Crafted. Incorporating simple materials and fabrication with the Owner’s needs and existing products (sinks, fixtures), it will be a “Sweet” space to work and should age gracefully over time.
If your home, farm, or garden needs something that can’t be found, a well-designed and quality-built original piece, made from natural materials, can become an enduring solution to your unique space.
