Designing a kitchen usually begins with a set of questions: How do the clients use their space? How do they like to cook and entertain? What matters most to them? When California designer Anne Sage renovated her own kitchen, she already had the answers. She knew how the room needed to work for her family and how she wanted it to feel — warm and inviting, but also clean and modern. Her biggest challenge was to tackle this wish list while simultaneously navigating her cooking space’s limiting railroad-style footprint. In other words, the project was exactly the type of assignment that luxury appliance brand Dacor specializes in. After all, its products pair innovative technology and top performance with refined style that allows them to integrate seamlessly into homes of any shape and size.

The unobtrusive appeal of Dacor’s designs was especially critical in this context, since the wrong appliances would have drawn too much attention away from the restrained, organic style that Sage had in mind. Her house’s mountain locale, near Lake Tahoe, had served as a key starting point for the project, inspiring a soft palette of blonde wood and off-white stone — materials that match the natural textures of their outdoor surroundings, while also complementing the home’s exposed, white-painted beam-and-plank ceiling.

Thanks to Dacor’s “Invisible Kitchen” design philosophy — which prioritizes elevated performance without sacrificing the beauty and flow of a space — products like the brand’s 36-Inch Column Refrigerator fit right in with the clean-lined cabinetry. “So often, appliances either detract or have a net neutral effect on the aesthetics of a space; however, our Dacor pieces actually enhance the beauty of the kitchen,” explains Sage. “Being able to hide the refrigerator, freezer, and dishwasher behind oak panels was critical.”

But for Sage, the idea of an “Invisible Kitchen” went beyond simply hiding appliances. “The topography of surfaces was something I really honed in my design,” she says. “The inset panels and raised drawer handles that are flush with the counter were key to the realization of the vision — and the true-flush integration of the double oven was the icing on the cake.”

Of course, visual integration is only part of the equation in a room that works as hard as the kitchen — especially for Sage, a busy working mom who prepares most meals from scratch. “The fridge and freezer are so spacious, with sleek interior compartments that are easy to keep clean and organized. The cooktop with its five burners allows me to get dinner on the table quickly. And my husband (our one-man cleanup crew) says he’s never seen a dishwasher get things so sparkling!” she says. In every product, professional-grade technology meets refined design, with intuitive features that are user-friendly for both novice cooks and expert entertainers.

Where appliances couldn’t be hidden, their sleek design adds to, rather than detracts from, the overall vision. Dacor’s innovative 30-Inch Microwave-In-A-Drawer tucks neatly into the kitchen island, with a minimalist design that belies its multifunctionality, while the powerful 36-Inch Gas Cooktop holds court at its centre.

“Dacor was the only brand I looked at that literally checked all the boxes,” says Sage. “The highly customizable nature of each appliance allowed me to get exactly what I need to satisfy both my design vision and my dimensional requirements — without having to sacrifice high-end style or innovative function.”

This content was published by Azure on behalf of Dacor.