San Francisco High-Rise Concrete Kitchen by Fu-Tung Cheng

Fu-Tung Cheng and his design team were asked to bring a fresh perspective to this otherwise traditional, high-rise condominium remodel located in the heart of downtown San Francisco. The main goal of the project was to combine two units into one view-studded home. Areas redesigned included the entry foyer, concrete kitchen, bath, and creating a new master wing with bedroom, bathroom, library and walk-in closets.

The kitchen seems to have a lot of detailed notes, can you describe a few?

Fu-Tung: The client’s husband sits at the island while she cooks and they watch TV. It had to be comfortable because he’s really tall. The reclaimed koa wood island top swales down like a boat-bottom in a sensuous form allowing it to cantilever which allows for more leg room and movement. There’s a beautiful piece of petrified coral integrated at the corner, which is such a special little find—the colors are perfect.

Just beyond the island is the sink area which is where a wall existed, but the idea was to open up the space and bring the cityscape view from the kitchen. It’s dramatic with the natural light now feeding into the kitchen. On the other side of the sink area is a raw steel shelf and a built-in formal dining buffet featuring Charcoal-colored surface wrap. There’s hidden sliding doors that separate dining from kitchen for more formal affairs. And the 3 form translucent panel that is seen in the kitchen hood is the same material as the sliding doors. There’s a hidden spice cabinet behind ceramic tile at wall to the right of the stove. There’s a lot of hidden gems that upon closer inspection, you get these great little aha moments.