Desert Casita

A MODERN WABI-SABI DESIGN: The Guest House Kitchen

Mountain Center, CA

The Guest House: The desert landscape truly inspired this kitchen. The guest house kitchen needed to be a place for guests to retreat and unwind. The movement of the sun’s light and the architectural feng shui of the guest house called for an open soft feel. The priority was that none of the design elements would take attention away from the natural landscape. The colors of the desert rocks truly played a role in the materials I selected for the cabinetry and stone. The end result is a balanced feel of modern organic design with the approachability of wabi-sabi styling.  

Design Elements:  The integrated minimalist appliances, no hardware cabinetry, and earthy layered decor styling is aligned with my design approach of functional simplicity and love of kitchens that don’t look like kitchens. The natural materials, such as the wood cabinetry, curved shelving, bring a warm welcoming feel to this home. I chose minimalist kitchen layouts for both kitchens that include clean lines and no upper cabinetry so as to not distract from the desert views. The asymmetrical yet balanced shelving throughout creates an effortless unrefined feeling meant to encourage laid back ‘only bring what you need’ living. The natural honed matte finished stone surfaces reflect the wabi-sabi philosophy of authenticity and uniqueness while bringing ‘untouched’ nature inside.