Visual Thinker: Michelle Jacobson
Michelle Jacobson ’18 (MPS-S), NCIDQ, WELL AP, LEED AP ID+C, ASID, was working on this kitchen project while she was still in school. An interior designer with 20 years experience, her studies in sustainability at NYSID have changed her perspective on what’s possible in design.
PHOTO: BETH SINGER
PHOTO: JENNYFER PARRA
Minimalist Kitchen
Michelle Jacobson, principal of ML Jacobson Design, was called in for a gut renovation of this kitchen after it flooded. She normally reuses as much as possible, but the space had to be opened to the studs. Her clients were recent empty nesters in their 60s who expressed that they love “clean lines, stainless steel, and modern furniture, but also the warmth of wood and antiques.” Jacobson often uses arresting artwork, but this couple wanted views to the outdoors—the forest, sky, and wildlife—to dominate. They requested clutterless countertops and a space in which everything is tucked away. The clients wanted the kitchen to convert into a party space when the kids came home for the holidays. The key to the clean, balanced look of this kitchen is the custom walnut cabinetry set against white walls and marble counters. Jacobson lets us in on her thinking, sourcing, and sustainable choices here.
The windows and skylights have a low-E glazing, which is spectrally selective and helps to make the space energy efficient all year by blocking heat and radiation in the summer and insulating in the winter.
The walls are painted with low-VOC Benjamin Moore Aura paint in pure white.
Jacobson salvaged these pears from a forgotten corner of another room because “they added organic shape to the horizontal and vertical lines of the cabinetry and counter.”
The cabinetry was made by Millennium Cabinetry in Michigan. Jacobson says, “I chose walnut so the flat panels would have movement. An entire wood kitchen seemed too dark so we broke it up with high-gloss white panels.”
The dark brown oak floors are stained with a water-based product. “The darkness of the flooring helps ground the soaring space and white walls,” says Jacobson.
