A Creative Dream Team Constructs a Kitchen That’s a Work of Art

After an initial site visit to the early 1900s Victorian with the client, McGukin sat in his car with McGriff and excitedly sketched out ideas. “We never deviated from that back-of-the-napkin design,” says McGukin. The lack of change is especially remarkable given that the project, a 375-square-foot kitchen renovation, took two years due to post-COVID supply chain issues. “It just speaks to how good the original concept was. Over that amount of time, designs usually morph and evolve far from initial ideas.”

Such a departure from the norm made sense; there is nothing typical about the kitchen, which was built by a collection of artists. McGukin acted as curator, as if orchestrating a group show that had no closing date. “Every single element in the space has been made by hand, right down to the screws that are holding in the coping,” he says.

Out of 35 sheets of fine copper sourced from Japan, Chris French of Chris French Metal built frames for woodworker and designer Caleb Woodard’s wondrous carved panels and cabinet fronts. “When I first saw his pieces, I had just seen the film Dune, and they reminded me of those cosmic landscapes,” says McGriff, whose namesake firm has offices in New York and
San Francisco. Jeremy Anderson, cofounder of Apparatus, who channels his unparalleled creativity into ceramics, made the drum lights and sconces.

Decorative artist Caroline Lizarraga developed a wash to apply to the black tongue-and-groove ceiling, the design of which was inspired by an old board found in the rafters during the demolition phase. She worked her magic on the ocher walls, too. Here, she took her cues from the undertones in the copper as well as the surrounding landscape and the alpaca drapery to strike gold in the Venetian plaster. “The energy behind the creativity was through the roof,” says McGriff, who points to McGukin’s approach for the project’s success. “He is a maximalist. No idea was a bad idea.”

McGukin, on the other hand, credits the artists for their willingness to collaborate so intensely and the client for letting the process play out relatively unimpeded. “It was a dream of both Benjamin and mine to be able to nurture artistic talent this way,” says the designer, who relied on contractor Jeff Jungsten to bring every element seamlessly together.

Indeed, everyone involved let their creativity, artistry, and imagination do the talking, thereby filling McGriff with pure joy. “If I could bottle that spirit and uncork it for every project, I would die a very happy architect.”

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2025 Spring Issue under the headline “Chef d’Oeuvre.” Subscribe to the magazine.