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Kitchen West designs, combined with Magnolila + Clavus handcrafting, have created this eating/living area in limited space at 34 Center St., Douglas, to be showcased as part of a west Michigan kitchen tour Sunday, Oct. 23. |
Douglas tour combines two firms' works Oct. 23t A Douglas stop on Michigan Home and Lifestyle magazine's "Signature Tour of Kitchens" Saturday, Oct. 23, will showcase work designer Kitchen West Life-style Studio and Magnolia + Clavus handcrafters. The public is invited to enjoy the two local firms' collaboration at 34 Center St. from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Kitchen West's Marilyn Nagelkirk was posed the challenge of creating an efficient kitchen for people who love to entertain within limited square footage—in this case at Magnolia + Clavus founder/owner Robin Bauer's 1,100-square-foot second-story condominium. Bauer asked that Nagelkirk use sustainable materials whenever possible and maintain the historical integrity of building, first built in 1902 as The People's Store of Douglas. It has since had housed drug and clothing stores, a manufacturing facility, Catholic school and township offices downstairs, plus residences upstairs. Restoration in 1992 by Edward Sisk and Edward Strange brought the building back to its original facade with retail businesses and upper-level apartments. Magnolia + Clavus draws its name from "Magnolia," reminiscent of historic beauty (the longest-living plant on earth) and "Clavus," Latin for nail, signifying simply essential creation. The firm was created in 2006 to launch renovation of "The People's Store of Douglas Condominiums" at 34-36 Center St. It has won two Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Preservation Awards: one in 2008 for the historic preservation of historic built environment and one in 2009 for new construction. Upon conversion of the Center Street property to multi-use condominiums, Magnolia + Clavus began renovation of the second-floor residential units. What began as the proposed updating of one bathroom resulted in total renovation of three residential condos in the main building. The luxury in-town homes, celebrated as a "pied-a terre," serve as full and part-time residences for the owners. Three units on the ground floor remain commercial/retail shops. Magnolia + Clavus added a second-story studio suite above the pre-existing back building, which had originally served at the boiler room for the Catholic school. The firm contracted with Kitchen West to design the owner's kitchen and master bath in one of the three second-story condos. Nagelkirk created a hallway with eight-foot high bamboo pantry closets. Original brick walls were left exposed to provide a backdrop of texture and warm colors for the kitchen. The kitchen island, made of contrasting rustic alder, houses a wine refrigerator and bookcase to store owners' cookbooks. Commer-cial-grade appliances were selected for the serious cook, while flamed granite on work surfaces added another element of warmth and texture. In the corner of the kitchen, a European banquette was included for a small eating area that overlooks an outdoor rooftop patio. Thick, floating cherry shelves along the back wall emphasize lines that also support the homeowner's artwork. The Douglas stop is one of many throughout west Michigan included on the kitchen tour, which will donate half its proceeds to the Susan G. Komen "For the Cure" Campaign. Tickets can be bought in advance for $10 at Kitchen West, 10 Blue Star Hwy., Douglas, or on Oct. 23 at 34 Center St. for $15. For more information about the tour, visit kitchentour.org. |
