Mattucci-Orton Kitchen and Patio

This kitchen and patio project was a remodel to an iconic Mid-Century Modern home designed by noted Eugene Architect Otto Poticia and built for the Rubenstein family in the early 1960s in the south hills of Eugene.

The clients came to us in need of a major kitchen makeover. Not only did the kitchen have damage from a recent flood but it was also original to the house and did not meet the needs of a modern kitchen. One of the clients is an accomplished cook and the other a professional dog trainer and they wanted a kitchen that stayed true to the modernist style of the original home but also met their specific needs.

In the kitchen we kept the same footprint and openings but moved things around to open the kitchen up, make it more functional and create more effective storage. We replaced the old, hard to operate, metal sliding glass door with a modern four-panel slider and replaced the old single pane windows with new insulated casement units. We replaced the peninsula and small island with a large island that references similar shapes designed into the original home and landscape, and installed a new 36” induction cooktop under a 42” island hood, special pullouts for spices, knives, cutting boards, and cooking oils, a pop-up outlet tower, and hidden storage on the back.

For cold storage we used Sub-Zero column refrigerators, placing a wine column between panelized refrigerator and freezer columns. We designed large, multifunctional, floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinets to store dry goods and also house a panelized vacuum sealer. Other features of the main kitchen space include a panelized dishwasher, double wall ovens with a convection steam oven, a mixer lift, a glass rinser, and three-stage water-filtering systems under each sink. We replaced the old indoor grilling counter with a beverage bar that includes a panelized beverage refrigerator, panelized drawer dishwasher, sink with an instant hot water dispenser and plenty of storage for coffee-making equipment and an extensive collection of spirits and glassware.

To accommodate the client’s kitchen knife collection, we designed a special storage cabinet with a glass front to display the knives and three side pullouts that store not only the knives but also the sharpeners, oils, and other specialized equipment. The kitchen was also designed to be dog-friendly with special storage and prep areas for dog food, four hidden, retractable dog bowls, and a dog watering station. Cabinet faces are made of Sapele with a double ebony satin stain which makes them look black at first but when looked at closer reveals a deep warmth and almost iridescent figuring in the grain.

And outside, we removed the old rectangular concrete slab and replaced it with a curving sand finish concrete grilling patio that mirrors a large curving wall in the living room. A low retaining wall doubles as a sitting wall, and the patio is covered with a butterfly roof structure made from powder-coated steel, stained CVG fir, and heat-reflecting polycarbonate roofing.

The new kitchen and patio harken back to the Mid-Century Modern glory of the original home but with updated functionality tailored specifically to the clients’ needs and all concealed beneath an elegant modern facade.