A Sleek Kitchen Renovation in San Francisco

At first glance, the renovated kitchen in a house on San Francisco’s Potrero Hill looks like it belongs in a showroom. But behind the tall white cabinets lies a slew of professional features that allows the residents, two culinary hobbyists, to whip up gourmet meals for large groups of friends. "The residents wanted a functional kitchen with clean lines and a contemporary appearance," says architect Ryan Jang. Before the renovation, the kitchen looked off-the-shelf: stained wood cabinets, a white tile backsplash, and a stone counter. The residents felt the space was lacking a modern sensibility, wasn’t durable, and was poorly laid out for their cooking style. "A lot of kitchens you see in publications and online look good but don’t seem very functional," says Jang. This was a unique challenge in that the owners wanted a kitchen that was functional while maintaining high aesthetic standards."