I think I could make it work! It's gorgeous!

Bookmatched slabs with floor returns. My favorite!

I have been pushing both for years on this forum.

Like stacieann, I think I could muddle through with that kitchen. Spectacular.

There nothing else in the room because they didn't have the money to buy anything else. They spent all their $ on that marbelicious marble!

I LOVE the marble and LOVE the floor, but I'm not crazy about the marble AND the floor. One snazzy item per room is plenty for my taste. Did I mention I LOVE the marble though? Really nice. I so wanted floor returns on my end runs but it's too modern for my space and I just didn't think my old house could pull that one off. Maybe in my next home. All modern and square in the next house. That's my plan for when I win the lotto.

Ne

I could make do.....

Don't forget the ceiling and the lighting fixture. Not much light and no venting on what I assume is the cooktop wall.

I suspect they order takeout once in a while and the rest of the time the servants work in the summer kitchen out back.

Looks like a conference. meeting or other event room, not a kitchen. Pretty marble though.

I almost thought that it's photoshopped. How can two slabs be so, so, so identical?

Aside from that, it is a pretty kitchen. I agree though that floor does not quite match, although herringbone floor is gorgeous!

hee hee - thats my marble.... :D

The marble is breathtaking and absolutely worthy of being showcased, but if that were my marble and my room I think I would prefer to have put the marble on the wall behind the range and have a more classical worktable/island. JMHO.

Wow - that is a showstopper. It's very pretty! I think the way they do that is a very careful cut through an area they know will have veins, and then after it's cut and polished (or honed, whatever they did), they just swivel one piece out like a butterfly wing.

What they did with the marble is very similar to a traditional technique that is used in woodworking using fine beautifully grained woods -- the wood is cut into very very thin slices for veneer. The pieces are then turned around so that the grain matches symmetrically -- sometimes two and sometimes four pieces in a square. It is called "book matched" grains and is often seen on fine furniture, especially table tops.

Wow. Love it! That marble is just delicious. And the sparse furnishings mixed with modern and traditional styling is fantastic. Wonder where the fridge is? Maybe drawers?

I love bookmatching and floor returns. We did floor returns on the sides and people thought I was nuts for wanting that (inc dh) and now it is one of the features most appreciated.

I think the floors would work fine if they were a shade darker and less yellow toned.

I'd make do with this kitchen ;) The view out the windows alone is spectacular, but the island is the crowning jewel.
I'd want to put something on the walls such as shelving or something decorative. The walls are a little bare for me but I love the lowers only layout. I probably would use a paint with only a hint of a color to it in a very light tone or a deep rich eggplant.

The marble is stunning - really beautiful. I'm not a fan of the floor. The marble says it all.

Looks like a mausoleum!

I agree with florantha: I doubt there's much more than tea and toast being made in this room. It's the extreme of the minimalist shiny-surface kitchen that doesn't want to admit that actual cooking is messy.

The marble is all fine and well but it's the symmetry of the whole picture that has me drooling. The island positioned between those two gorgeous windows with the chandelier over top. Oh my!

The marble island is really beautiful but the bank of cabinets on the right looks a little sad in comparison with the rest of the the room. Love the floor..

What do you mean by floor return?

Floor return means that the marble wraps all the way down from the countertop to the floor. It's sometimes called waterfall.

Here is a link to a story about the house and the family that was in the NYT magazine. Wow...

Here is a link that might be useful: Dinder House - Marble Kitchen

Well, that explains it....
It was a BALLROOM in a former life.

That's a beautiful estate. Not my style (although, agreed, the marble is breathtaking), but definitely looks designer.

WOW it gets even better! This is my ultimate "dream house". Old Georgian architecture inside and out with modern finishes and decor. Leave it to the Europeans! We are so worried here in the States about "keeping with the house's roots". I say do what you love and screw the rules!!

Wow, sparklekitty, thanks for posting the article with the additional pictures. What a house. I'm with coastal on this one, that is pretty much my dream house too (assuming the (used) rooms are well heated in winter, my main fault with big old homes in the UK).

Pharaoh, I love the marble return and you evidently do too- do you have any photos of a marble end on a peninsula ? I think I need to have my counter guy price that out for me.

Happy to show off my book matched serpentine slabs anytime ;) The bookmatching happened for the floor return so that the figure would continue down from the countertop...

It can definitely work with a peninsula although I have an island.

here's one I'm wrapping up right now in Paradise Valley, AZ :

{{!gwi}}

Calacatta Oro 2CM - Honed, Book-Matched with vein matched edges (DOUBLE Ogee with 2nd Lamination of square bottom reveal)

I'll post finished pics tomorrow.......

enjoy!!!!!

kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: Big Island Installation

Pharoah - reposting your kitchen should be required every 30-60 days. I never get tired of your beautiful counters ;)