Winnipeg kitchen voted best in the world

[Anna N]

"The best contemporary kitchen in the world is right here in Winnipeg's River Heights, according to an international design contest.

Appliance makers Sub-Zero and Wolf put on the contest and received 1,700 entries from 16 countries. Architect Dov Secter is the winner, and the kitchen he designed is his own, which also serves as his office as he brings clients in to show them his work."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/kitchen-in-winnipeg-home-named-best-in-the-world-1.3342468

I didn't get to vote but to me it looks colder than Winnipeg in February and I didn't think that was possible.

Edited to add quote marks!

Edited November 29, 2015 by Anna N (log)

[Chris Hennes]

Any idea what they were judging on? It doesn't really even look that unique to me. It's got that sterile "modern" look going on, maybe just taken to the extreme. It doesn't seem any more or less functional than many other kitchen designs I've seen.

[IowaDee]

Who knew you could cook inside an iceberg?  Maybe it is just me, but I dislike the trend for open kitchens. I don't consider my cooking to be "theater".   If I screw up, and I do, it will be behind the scenes.  If you want drama, go watch Iron Chef. It looks like the type of place  that cooks only precious  food and no bacon splatters will be allowed.  I want wood and plants and things that make it the most welcoming room in my home.  Makes me a bit curious to see the rest of the house. 

[Martin Fisher]

I sure wouldn't describe it as warm and inviting, or the heart of the home, which is my idea of what a kitchen should be.

[gfweb]

I think that this was judged by the same people who yearly name Nashville or Pittsburgh as the best city in the US.

[Anna N]

Any idea what they were judging on? It doesn't really even look that unique to me. It's got that sterile "modern" look going on, maybe just taken to the extreme. It doesn't seem any more or less functional than many other kitchen designs I've seen.

From the Subzero website:

"The Contest is judged by a panel of esteemed professionals from the architectural, interior design and kitchen design disciplines from around the world. Designers' Choice Award will be determined based upon feedback from those registered as trade professionals with the Sponsor. Trade professionals may provide their feedback by logging onto the Contest website, clicking through to the Designers’ Choice Award page and choosing the kitchen design they determine to be the best of the best. All votes and decisions are final."

Of course Subzero appliances were required!

It is worth a quick visit to their website and a look under Trade Resources for contests to see the other winners and categories.

[dcarch]

I like two things in that "kitchen"

 

The wood cutting board.

 

The wood "breakfast" table.

 

Everything else I would immediately demolish and renovate to make it into a real kitchen.

 

dcarch

[BeeZee]

I like modern design but that kitchen bears a strong resemblence to a medical lab.

[Tri2Cook]

Clean, efficient and spacious... in general, I kinda like it. After years of working in restaurant kitchens, when cooking at home, I sometimes find myself getting irritated by all the stuff that's part of a lived-in home kitchen getting in my way.


 

[blue_dolphin]

I'm not such a minimalist that I could maintain that kitchen as it's styled for the photos but it certainly suits the home and presumably, the owners.  The island pop-up appliance garage is sort of gee-whiz but the pantry-type space next to the fridge seems to have ample space for various countertop appliances.  Aside from needing to completely clear the decks to maintain the look, it seems fairly functional. 

 

Interesting to look at the other entries and read what sort of requirements these designers were asked to fulfill.  

[huiray]

Clean, efficient and spacious... in general, I kinda like it. 

 

I kinda agree.  A little on the overly Modernist side but it is sleek and appealing in its own way.

 

However, it is not practical for me, or for folks similarly-inclined to do typical E/SE Asian cooking.  No stir-frying appears feasible in that kitchen without MAJOR cleaning and wiping of everything within 50 feet of the stovetop, even if Induction stir-frying was attempted, especially if you are using the space to receive clients on a regular basis. Unless that exhaust sucked a major storm up the vents, but somehow I don't see this family doing much more than gentle simmering and not-quite-sautéeing and low-heat cooking. 

 

What if they had a power failure? Eh, I suppose they would simply get in the car and go out to eat - provided they can get the garage door open. It does look a bit like more of a showcase, even though he says they live in it.  But then many years ago, I had a dinner with a young architect just starting out (in NYC) and he was raving about a just-completed building and complex which he described in glowing terms regarding the design and this and that.  I passingly knew of the place and asked him how the people who worked there and used the spaces thought of it and whether it was user-friendly and welcoming. He replied, in all seriousness, "What's that got to do with it?"  I could only blink a few times and change the subject of conversation.

 

ETA: Another link with some more shots of the kitchen and surroundings.

Edited November 30, 2015 by huiray (log)

[Shalmanese]

It looks like Patrick Bateman's kitchen.

[liuzhou]

From the Subzero website:

"The Contest is judged by a panel of esteemed professionals from the architectural, interior design and kitchen design disciplines from around the world.

 

 

No cooks then.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

It's interesting to see what architects and designers think is the ultimate kitchen, but it would make me miserable. It looks like a hospital or prison kitchen with amped up appliances.

 

I guarantee that this panel of judges would equally despise my country kitch kitchen. It has real natural wood cabinets with antiqued brass pulls. There are four small framed prints of vegatables, a painted wooden apple clock, a wooden apple cheeseboard, and a painted wooden cutout basket of apples, complete with copper molds of fish (2 different designs), a lobster, a heart and a rooster hung on the walls. There are two ceiling fans on opposite ends of the room and plants on the window sill above the double sink. Also hung at that window is one of those crystal prisms suspended on fishing line from the curtain rod and it splashes multi-colored light all over when the sun hits it right. There's a baker's rack, large old-fashioned copper and stainless cookie cutters hung on the wall in the dining room end. It's where our largest TV is, an electric fireplace and both our computers. Also in the dining room is a very large original oil painting of a horse's head, a medium framed needlepoint of a horse's head my sister made and gave me one birthday years ago and a framed photo of her, my brother and me at her wedding. Heaven to me, and 180 degrees from the award winner, but we're all different, and I hope they enjoy their kitchen as much as I do mine.

 

Just writing this description has really made me appreciate what I have more, and remind myself to quit carping about what I don't have. 

[liuzhou]

It worries me that the designer of that kitchen's main desirable quality for a kitchen seems to be that any sign of any nasty stuff like cooking can easily be hidden away.

 

I wouldn't let him anywhere a kitchen.

[IowaDee]

Several years ago I saw an article about one of Paula Deen's sons, Jamie I think.  There were photos of his newly remodeled kitchen.  It mentioned that frying was banned from the kitchen because it was too messy.  Sure not his mother's son is he?  

[rotuts]

I thought the Appliance garage was interesting.

 

at least they had a flush induction cook-top.

 

no mention of a Combi-Oven, full sized.

 

I didn't see their espresso machine, probably just as well.

 

do they offer white, starchy lab coats ( 100 % cotton, with those cotton knobby buttons ? ) for anyone to wear while in this kitchen, cooking or not ?

 

but so what.  looks like that guy in black had a good time getting this done

 

hope he has shares in the local Electric Company.

 

anyway, thanks AnnaN for pointing this out.

Edited November 30, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[Arey]

Did anyone else notice how the three blue balls,  the woven basket with the chia pets, and the cutting board with the orange on it kept changing location.  It's the sort of kitchen where the placement of blue balls, chia pets in a woven basket and the cutting board are vital, and once the perfect placement is found, one can relax and send out for a pizza for dinner,  and eat it outside or in the bathroom, or the garage or someplace safe, because two toddlers wandering around that kitchen while eating pizza would be disastrous.
ETA One of those Chelsea Miller knives featured in a thread last Spring would look nice there.  The knives are not particularly functional but they do make a statement.  I wouldn't put it near the cutting board with the orange lest someone actually try to use it, but it would look nice next to the woven basket with the chia pets.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Arey (log)

[ElsieD]

I dislike sterile looking kitchens. They make me think no one really cooks in them, although I do like the that appliance thingy in the island. That and the wooden table.

[IowaDee]

Wonder if they have a rotation chart so they can keep track of balls, chias and the orange?  A gooey slice of pizza draped artfully over the edge of a counter would really dress the place up.  They could anchor it with a chia pet!

[dcarch]

I dislike sterile looking kitchens. They make me think no one really cooks in them, -----------------------------------

Not true.

 

People who have a kitchen like this use the kitchen all the time.

 

They have hired home cooks, and house cleaners.

 

dcarch

[Porthos]

Disclaimer: I did not bother watching the video. I just looked at the 2 pictures shown.

 

This "Contemporary" kitchen has the visual feel of the kitchenette in a nice hotel. To my eye it lacks the personal elements that define a home kitchen. It may have wiz-bang features but it looks cold, cold cold and hence no interest in the details..

[Porthos]

Added thought: Even my ren faire kitchen has a personal touch: I have a small stuffed Remy doll (from Ratatouille) who sits in a wooden bowl holding a small wooden spoon presiding over our kitchen.

[lindag]

That kitchen would certainly not be my choice, it's much too cold and sterile.

I like a more 'homey' feel where people would like to congregate.  And I like some color, not just glaring white.

[liuzhou]

Apart from saying "hide' or "hidden" on average every 1.8 seconds, he comes out with "you can't burn yourself" on an induction cooker. You most certainly can. I'd bet he never cooks.

 

I gave up counting how many times he says "actually".