Perhaps music photographer Paul Natkin has dealt with one too many prima donna rock stars who specialize in preposterous requests. That might explain why his kitchen requests were simple and subdued.
Not surprisingly, he likes an abundance of natural light, and he isn’t partial to one particular color palette. For Paul, all colors are equal, or as he plainly stated when asked if he had a favorite color, “I'm a photographer, I don't believe in that stuff." Still, even though he’s not hung up on the color spectrum, Paul is fond of green design and sustainable living, which designer Kelly Morisseau was able to seamlessly incorporate. Her thoughts on Paul's kitchen are below:
- “Since Paul’s a single person who cooks fresh when he can, he doesn’t need the largest refrigerator available,” Kelly explained. And even though Paul lives in Chicago, he likes to grill year round. This led to Kelly creating an outdoor kitchen that transitions easily to the indoor kitchen. “The Fleetwood patio doors slide completely into the wall turning both patio and kitchen into an extended entertaining area,” she said.
- “Since Paul has an eye towards environmental concerns, many of the items were chosen because they used recycled products, like the recycled aluminum used in the patio doors and cabinet handles,” said Kelly. She used “woods and materials with an eye towards lower VOCs and proper wood stewardship, like cabinets and flooring.”
- Finally, Kelly tried to incorporate just a hint of Paul's musical ties. “Since this is (hypothetically) the room that music built there should be at least a nod towards a memorable career,” she said. “Small touches would include…a pair of guitar handles for the refrigerator.”
