Ideal kitchens offer space, multifunctional uses

If you could have a kitchen that had everything, what would it have? A trend-setting showcase kitchen built for the recent National Homebuilders Show in Houston provides one set of answers.

Barry Berkus, a California architect, drew up initial plans for the 18-by-20 -feet kitchen. Most people live with far smaller kitchens, but almost anyone can take some good ideas from this one. Whirlpool Corporation and Metropolitan Home Magazine sponsored the project.

Kitchen editor Donna Warner and her staff pooled their ideas and came up with the ingredients of this particular ''ideal'' multifunction kitchen for 1983.

Here are the highlights:

* Pink is the major color, and this dusty old-fashioned version, shown in all the St. Charles cabinets, is called ''rose ash.'' It is made more dramatic by the use of all-black appliances; by high, black-lacquered stools for the eating end of the center island; and by the striking black network of Italian track lighting called Structura that has individual fixtures that can be repositioned to focus on any working area in the kitchen or to spotlight any segment of it.

* This kitchen combines a variety of textures: black- and almond-colored Italian tiles for the floor; some glass doors on cabinets and appliances; textured marble, Corian, and butcher-block countertops; ash wood trim on cabinets; and shiny chrome trim on stoves, ranges, and other appliances.

* There are four distinct areas of the kitchen. The left side, designed for entertaining, has a convertible cooking top with interchangeable modules that include a grill, rotisserie, and griddle as well as standard surface units. An island that is 6 1/2 by 9 feet acts as the working center of the kitchen. A double sink and dishwasher on the other side of the island, facing the work space, is the third area.

A fourth area is designed to function as a den-study-library-office-greenhouse area. It includes a computer, a 25'' Sony TV monitor that allows viewing from anywhere in the kitchen. A compact access tuner handles video cassettes, discs, and games. The desk area has many deep drawers and cabinets, as well as bookshelves. The easy-to-install, insulated greenhouse windows (by Lord and Burnham) flank each side of the desk area and are filled with plants and herbs. These particular windows sell for $396 each, add greenery and decorating warmth, and seem to bring the outdoors in.

* Everything is stored in slide-out trays and drawers, including pots and pans, linens, silver, and canned goods.

* The island itself is divided into two work stations: a butcher-block area for chopping and dining, and a marble-top area for pastry and sink areas. The kitchen has one bar sink and one double sink.

* Pink is the major color, and this dusty old-fashioned version, shown in all the St. Charles cabinets, is called ''rose ash.'' It is made more dramatic by the use of all-black appliances; by high, black-lacqured stools for the eating end of the center island; and by the striking black network of Italian track lighting called Structura that has individual fixtures that can be repositioned to focus on any working area in the kitchen or to spotlight any segment of it.

* This kitchen combines a variety of textures: black- an almond-colored Italian tiles for the floor; some glass doors on cabinets and appliances; textured marble, Corian, and butcher-block countertops; ash wood trim on cabinets; and shiny chrome trim on stoves, ranges, and other appliances.

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