In this state-of-the-art kitchen featured on February’s Belvedere-Hawthorne Nursery School Tour you’ll find (1) natural beige Anealaya limestone countertops, (2) a Rohl faucet, (3) an Anealaya limestone backsplash, (4) a Miele dishwasher, (5) a Dacor six-burner cooktop, (6) a Dacor double oven, and (7) a Kitchen Aid refrigerator. Not pictured are the Dacor microwave and a U-Line wine refrigerator. Most or all the appliances can be purchased from Standards of Excellence (San Rafael), 415.453.6070, standardsofexcellence.com and Bay Area Built Ins (San Rafael), 415.457.2226.
Entertaining Spaces
Kitchen tour designer builds from the ground up
“I started at 18 buying houses,” says Tami Gendel, owner of Marin Fine Living, a real estate brokerage and design group. Gendel sells and lists houses for clients as well as redesigns to maximize returns. “We might tear down a house and then rebuild it. We can do kitchens or an entire house, whatever scope of work they want — even something as simple as just painting and redoing the hardwood floors.”
At this year’s Belvedere Hawthorne Nursery School Kitchen Tour, one of Gendel’s refinished homes (pictured at left) will be featured. “I found the house for the client, he bought it, I put a tenant in for six months while I designed the new house and got it approved. When the tenant moved out we took bulldozers and started rebuilding it.” Gendel says previously the home was a “lava rock and dark brown type” that was on a good lot but needed to capture the views. “I’m all about indoor and outdoor living; previously the home just had a galley kitchen.” Gendel transformed the kitchen into a naturally flowing space that includes a family room and dining room that opens up to the outside area, where there’s a grill and fireplace, giving the owner, a local restaurateur, one large place to entertain.
“I like timeless design. The cabinetry and stones in a home should be very neutral; that’s why I chose limestone countertops in the kitchen.” Gendel also included a large island with a second dishwasher and sink to provide two complete workspaces.
The Belvedere-Hawthorne Nursery School celebrates the 31st annual kitchen tour on February 3. Tours leave continuously from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. from the San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere. Admission is $45 at the door. 415.490.2767, belvedere-hawthorne.com
