• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents New York Shop
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
  • Cityscape
  • Design Hunting
  • The Real Estate
  • Best of New York
  • About
  • Newsletters
  • NYMag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
Subscribe Give A Gift
  • Cityscape
  • Design Hunting
  • The Real Estate
  • Best of New York
  • About
  • Newsletters
  • NYMag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
Advertiser Content From
This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and our sponsor, without involvement from Vox Media editorial staff.
Sponsored By KitchenAid Sponsored By KitchenAid
Sept. 30, 2021

A Colorful Kitchen Designed for Connection

How an ‘enriched environment’ helps calm the mind.

When Kate Arends, founder of the lifestyle brand Wit and Delight, began her home renovation, she ran into one big problem: the kitchen. She originally removed an island from the L-shaped kitchen to create more room for a dining area, separated from her “working” kitchen area, but was unsure what to do next. “The biggest concern is how the flow of these spaces connect,” she says. “We divided it by use [cases] … but how does it tie together? And that’s where I’m stuck.”

The kitchen is the heart of her home, she says, and she dreams of a space for everyday cooking and elevated entertaining. Arends wanted the ability to cook for family and friends who pop in on a whim, and emphasized the need to have the kitchen feel like one big gathering area. It’s also a place she turns to for creativity and collaboration, often spending time there running her business and hosting get-togethers. So she turned to KitchenAid for help. KitchenAid’s design philosophy sits at the intersection of art and science. It’s rooted in the belief that our spaces should not only look beautiful, but also make us feel inspired and connected — and the brand brings that philosophy to life through amazingly crafted collections that support both our aesthetic and emotional needs.

That’s why Vox Media and KitchenAid worked with Sabrina Soto, interior designer, and Itai Palti, architect and scientific researcher, to bring Arends’s kitchen to life — finding that perfect blend of art and science to create one cohesive, inviting space designed for gathering. Soto and Palti combined their unique experiences and passions as they tackled the challenges of Arends’s kitchen. Read on for key tips on how to tap into art and science in your own home.

1. Curate an enriched environment.

“Kate’s space is interesting because we’re talking about the social dimension — what is it about a space that brings people together?” says Palti. Enriched environments prioritize stimulation that allows for different types of interactions, he says. It’s a theory that’s now gaining traction in architecture and residential home planning because of its effects on the brain; recent research has revealed that “EEs” can help reduce stress and affect emotions. Everything from lighting to colors to layouts can evoke different emotions, and over time, an EE can improve brain plasticity.

2. Embrace color to anchor the room.

Arends’s first big decision for the kitchen was choosing colors for her appliances. Surprising? KitchenAid’s ink blue range collection was the jumping off point for her design and aesthetic. That pop of color from the KitchenAid® 36” Smart Commercial-Style Gas Range will be the centerpiece of the entire space that draws people in, Palti says. An unexpected color for appliances can also boost the space’s creativity and inspiration.

Photos: Wing Ho.
Photos: Wing Ho.

3. Use materials to tie spaces together.

Soto and Palti found an unusual textile to bring into the kitchen space because Arends had noted that she wanted to bring in textiles and patterns from the dining area. The large-format, hand-drawn textile with a William Morris-like print brings cohesion to the entire space. You can also bring natural textures throughout the space with panel-ready appliances. The KitchenAid French Door Refrigerator seamlessly fits in with Arends’s cabinets, letting the light wood shine through.

4. Create a space for collaboration.

Soto and Palti’s main priority was to make an easy gathering place for family and friends, far from the bustling action of the working kitchen. A counter-high island allows for flexible seating and collaboration for whatever the day brings. “It’s an opportunity for all these different experiences in one space — a place where they can come together, but also a space for their day-to-day [lives],” Palti says.

Check out another kitchen renovation story here

Learn more about KitchenAid’s design philosophy and how you can transform a space with both art and science at kitchenaid.com.

This advertising content was produced in collaboration between Vox Creative and our sponsor, without involvement from Vox Media editorial staff.

Tags:

  • advertiser content
  • new york stories
  • home
  • retail
  • kitchenaid
  • custom video
  • kate arends
  • design minded
  • More
Show Leave a Comment
A Colorful Kitchen Designed for Connection

Latest Stories

environment Yesterday at 7:32 p.m.
Scenes From a Flooded NYC: Live Updates The city is having a wet, chaotic day.
politics Yesterday at 2:10 p.m.
Eric Adams Was Missing During a Natural Disaster — Again This is becoming a pattern.
street fights Yesterday at 12:30 p.m.
How to Fake-Own the New Yorker Hotel A fraudster got himself a rent-stabilized lease at the Hell’s Kitchen landmark. Then he tried to take it over.
street fights Sept. 28, 2023
A $50,000 Permit May Have Killed the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade But there may still be hope for your bichon frise dressed as Oppenheimer.
listings edit Sept. 28, 2023
This Week’s Worth-it New York City Listings Some not-terrible finds in a terrible week.
the business of brokering Sept. 28, 2023
I Didn’t Know My Broker Was a Bot Renters hoping to meet Brook E. and Emily O. at that Greenpoint open house will be sorely disappointed.
the myth of trump Sept. 27, 2023
Trump Doesn’t Own the Most Expensive Apartment That’s Ever Existed in NYC If a judge’s ruling stands, Trump, who committed fraud by exaggerating the value of his real estate, may even lose control of Trump Tower.
street view Sept. 27, 2023
Light-Drenched Offices Fill the Shell of Domino Sugar A refinery with a dirty past, spotlessly reimagined.
great rooms Sept. 26, 2023
It’s Giving Halston Evoking “the spirit of a bygone hedonism” in a sensible mid-century West Side co-op.
books Sept. 25, 2023
Dory Fantasmagory Is Some of the Best Children’s Literature in Years In the six-book series, author Abby Hanlon embraces the messier parts of childhood and raising children.
By Genevieve Smith
the approval matrix Sept. 22, 2023
The Sun Sets on WFH Our guide to what’s highbrow, lowbrow, brilliant, and despicable.
the group portrait Sept. 22, 2023
Give the Liberty Their Crown How New York’s WNBA team became the hottest ticket — with the rowdiest crowd — in town.
By Emma Carmichael
shopping Sept. 22, 2023
Beverly’s Is Making It Permanent Beverly Nguyen’s roaming homewares pop-up signed a lease at 27 Orchard.
developing Sept. 21, 2023
Eric Adams’s Big Housing Plan Is 100 Small Ideas in a Trenchcoat A lot of them are good. But can he push them through neighborhood resistance?
the eavesdropper Sept. 21, 2023
Listening In At News Corp A few hours after the news broke that Rupert Murdoch would be stepping down.
look book Sept. 21, 2023
The Look Book Goes to the Luar Fashion Show  At a warehouse in Bushwick, Raul Lopez’s line closed out Fashion Week with a runway presentation, rooftop after-party, and performance by Doechii. 
a truly terrific new york listing Sept. 21, 2023
A Gramercy Park Apartment With Two Private Terraces (and a Key to the Park) The combined 11th-floor unit also comes with two kitchens.
new york jobs Sept. 20, 2023
An Out-of-Work Prop Maker Will Build Your Bookshelves As the strikes continue, New York’s set decorators and prop makers are making the awkward adjustment to building real walls and houses.
openings Sept. 20, 2023
Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake’s ‘Golf-Infused’ Midtown Bar An entire block filled with golf simulators and New York’s largest indoor TV.
street view Sept. 20, 2023
Louis Armstrong’s Wonderful World Was in Queens A museum to a cultural legend emphasizes his unpretentious life at home.
See More Stories
  • Cityscape
  • Design Hunting
  • The Real Estate
  • Best of New York
  • About Curbed
  • About New York Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • We’re Hiring
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Accessibility
curbed is a Vox Media Network. © 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.