Plan + circulation
Work zones, clearances, seating, entertaining, pantry relationships and movement through adjacent rooms.
Interior Design · Kitchens
A kitchen composed as architecture, not fitted into it.
Custom kitchen design in Malibu and Southern California, bringing plan, millwork, stone, appliances, lighting, storage and gathering into one resolved room.
The idea
The center of the home deserves more than a finish schedule.
A successful kitchen is simultaneously a working room, a social room and a major architectural element. Its proportions affect the entire house; its technical systems must disappear into the composition.
Apel Design develops the kitchen with the surrounding architecture and interior story, so sightlines, circulation, storage, light, material and daily rituals reinforce one another.
Knowledge + experience
Designed from room to hinge.
The decisions are coordinated at the scale where elegance and everyday use meet.
Cabinetry + millwork
Door proportions, concealed storage, hardware, internal organization and custom details developed with fabrication in mind.
Stone + surfaces
Slab selection, seams, edges, backsplashes, durability and the transition between materials.
Appliances + systems
Appliance packages, ventilation, electrical, plumbing, lighting and controls coordinated before they become field conflicts.
Light + atmosphere
Daylight, task light, decorative light and evening ambience treated as layers of the room.
Procurement + installation
Selections, lead times, shop drawings, mockups and installation review carried through to completion.
Selected work
Many kitchens. One standard of resolution.
The style changes with the home and client. The discipline behind the room remains consistent.
The path
Begin with life. Resolve the room around it.
Listen
Understand cooking, gathering, storage, collections, habits and the visual role the kitchen should play.
Compose
Test layouts, openings, island proportions, materials, cabinetry, light and connections to adjacent spaces.
Coordinate
Align appliances, millwork, stone, structure, ventilation, plumbing, electrical and lighting.
Complete
Review samples, shop drawings, fabrication, installation and the details that determine the finished room.
Kitchens
Kitchens we designed and built.
Islands, ranges, storage and the millwork behind them, from Apel Design projects across Malibu and Los Angeles.
Questions
Useful clarity before the first conversation.
Can Apel Design handle the kitchen as part of a full home?
Yes. Kitchens can be developed within a new custom home, renovation, addition or complete interior-design commission.
Do you design custom cabinetry and islands?
Yes. The design can include cabinetry layouts, island geometry, millwork intent, materials, hardware and coordination with fabricators and installers.
When should appliances be selected?
Early enough to coordinate dimensions, ventilation, electrical, plumbing, cabinetry and lead times before construction decisions become expensive to change.
Kitchens we built
Kitchens from our own projects.
Every image below is from an Apel Design project.