Kitchen Sink

It’s clearly more contemporary than most mountain homes. Yet this Park City residence still has a strong sense of place, especially in the kitchen. “I wanted a lot of wood so it felt like it was in the mountains,” says the owner.

Hand-planed American cherry floors underscore the setting while custom cherry cabinetry is accented with zebrawood inserts. The warmth of the wood is balanced beautifully, though, with the cool hues of the countertops, executed in black granite with blue graining. Stainless steel appliances and a hand-painted mosaic tile backsplash (Ann Sacks, annsacks.com) do their part, too, to keep the room’s visual temperature down, as do the frosted glass cupboard doors.

But this spacious kitchen isn’t entirely task-oriented. At one end of the room is a comfortable sitting spot, where the family can read or relax by the fireplace. “Ninety percent of our TV watching happens here,” says the owner. “The kitchen really is the new living room.”