Our Focus series shines the spotlight on the details: the extraordinary materials, spaces, and ideas that take great projects to the next level.

When Aya Amornpan and Note Mansawataphaiboon bought a home in Oakland, California, they knew they wanted to renovate the kitchen first. After all, as restauranteurs who opened three Thai restaurants, including Yimm in Oakland, the place where they cook is the center of their home. It’s where their family of four gathers, and where they entertain.

The original Italian-style kitchen featured dark wood and open shelving, but Aya envisioned a contemporary, black-and-white space. “I dreamed of something very simple and minimal,” she says. “I wanted to hide everything that we use for cooking and make it look cleaner.”

Custom white oak cabinets with push latches provide plenty of storage space. " layout="" credit="Photo by Gregg Segal" photoUserId="6133433496925790208"/>

Aya interviewed several firms, looking for architects who would understand her cultural needs. Asian kitchens often make use of an abundance of ingredients such as sauces and condiments—and Aya wanted a way to hide them all but access them easily.

The renovated kitchen features a counter-to-ceiling backsplash. Aya liked the look of marble, but the material is heavy and costly. Blue Truck Studio sourced a porcelain stone finish, which is much lighter." layout="" credit="Photo by Gregg Segal" photoUserId="6133433496925790208"/>

The couple tapped San Francisco–based Blue Truck Studio for the renovation, and Aya showed the firm their tall pots and large woks. “I even showed them a fish sauce bottle, like how tall it is. And then the soy sauce, like how big it is,” she says, referring to half-gallon-sized jugs.

Blue Truck Studio designed a kitchen with marble-look porcelain countertops and custom white oak cabinets where there’s a place for everything. Sauces can be found in two tall drawers adjacent to the stove. Sliding doors hide a mini bar when it’s not in use. Dishes live in a drawer on one side of the nine-foot-long island and can be easily fetched for those seated on the other side. This set-up makes it convenient for Note to serve a chef’s table to dinner party guests without leaving the range.

But the most interesting challenge was finding a spot for the all-important rice cooker, says Peter Liang, principal of Blue Truck Studio. The family usually makes rice in the morning in their Zojirushi induction rice cooker, then they keep it warm for six to eight hours as they eat throughout the day. Aya didn’t want it sitting out on the counter all the time. But no one makes a built-in rice cooker, Liang says.

“It’s an appliance that’s always in use because it’s warming rice or it’s actively cooking and steaming,” he says. “So we came up with this little garage where it slides in and out.”

A door adjacent to the counter opens up, revealing the rice cooker. It’s easy to pull the appliance out, which is plugged into an outlet in the cabinet. When it’s done steaming, the rice cooker goes back into the cabinet where it waits in warming mode until it’s time to eat.

More Focus stories:

This Off-Grid Design Studio Feels Like It’s Floating in a Forest

The Site Was Long and Narrow, so They Cut the Home in Half

The Coolest Indoor Tree House Is Tucked Away in This Stately Tudor

Project Credits:

Architect: Peter Liang, Blue Truck Studio / @bluetruckstudio

Contractor: MN Builders / @mnbuild

Photography: Gregg Segal /@greggsegal

Also Appears In

Angular Multi-Generational Home in Washington