Kelly Wearstler is taking luxury kitchen design to another level: In a new collaboration with luxury appliance brand JennAir again, the design star has conceived a virtual concept kitchen inspired by the brand’s industry-exclusive statement piece the Burlesque—a refrigerator and freezer combo with a burgundy and snakeskin interior, of which only 13 models were produced. Yes, you read that right: Forget stainless steel—the new luxe kitchen material is snake.
“The snakeskin detail on the interior brought our imaginations to an arid desert setting, and from there, our concept expanded,” Wearstler tells House Beautiful of her vision. "We began with a modernist frame—cavernous and embedded into the natural rocky environment—and created architecture that would blur the transition between the interior and exterior spaces.”
Imagined in the Southern California desert, the virtual kitchen boasts a color palette that’s “driven by the neutral tones of the stones and sand, which allowed the rich burgundy colors of the refrigerator to pop like a piece of jewelry,” Wearstler says.
Not only is the appliance a work of art, but it has various high-tech features including trinity cooling that allows you to manage the temperatures within three zones, a frame made of more than 650 LEDs, and a waist-level control panel for easy operation. The virtual kitchen also comes complete with a JennAir 48-inch commercial range, a double wall oven, and a dishwasher.
Wearstler previously designed a virtual concept kitchen around JennAir’s Smoke & Brass range that emphasized subdued tones, burnished brass, and sharp black contrast. “They are statement pieces, and as such, are focal points,” Wearstler says of the brand’s limited-edition appliances. “When designing, it is important to begin with your source material, which may be a very special family heirloom or in these instances standout appliances that bring a special element to the kitchen.”
Wearstler’s work with JennAir often tests the limits of what a kitchen space could be. “The brand encourages the industry to break away from the status quo, which aligns with my design ethos of constantly evolving and pushing boundaries,” the designer says.
While Wearstler tends to steer away from trends, she’s currently seeing that new builds and renovations are moving away from open floor plan kitchens. As for what’s next, she emphasizes that kitchens are often entertaining hubs that require exciting design. “I love to pick an exciting material, such as a stone or marble, and see it blanket lots of surfaces,” she says. “Or in the case of this concept, an appliance that really makes a statement.”
Love looking at designer spaces for inspo? Us, too. Let’s obsess over them together.
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