Gather Round: A Rallying Cry in Modern Kitchen Design

Nobody ever refers to a square of friends. And the shape that comes to mind when you think of an embrace is – a circle. As you gather around a campfire, you encircle it.  A theater in the round provides a more intimate setting than a traditional theater with its proscenium stage set far from the audience.

There’s no doubt about it. Circles and curves are friendly comforting shapes that draw us in. Chicago’s famous landscape architect Jens Jensen knew that when he included “council ring” seating areas in many of his public parks and private estates. And today’s designers understand that as they increasingly embrace circles, curves and so-called soft geometry as key elements in luxury kitchen design.

The very softness makes the circle a shape that can equally at home in contemporary or more traditional kitchen designs. Rounded counters give the entire room a feeling of flow and facilitate entertaining. It’s easy for guests to feel a part of it all when they are standing around a curving island or seated at a round high top table..

In designing the ideal kitchen for the Merchandise Mart DreamHome, Neff of Chicago turned to round and curving shapes to produce a room that would be  elegant and accessible. The design goal was  to create a warm, inviting space for elegant gourmet cooking, very comfortable dining and enviable entertaining.

“To create warmth, we cut down on straight angles, designing sensuous, flowing curves into the cabinetry and accenting the doors with exotic woods – Dark Olive, English Sycamore and ebony-stained Rift-cut Oak.”

Here are some key elements of  the fluid elegance you will find in the Neff  DreamHome kitchen:

• Curving Neff cabinetry.
• A circular island featuring a stunning translucent quartz gemstone countertop from Cosentino.
• Sculpted curving chairs by TCD/Ello. 
• Lighting fixtures from Lightology and Westwater Patterson that subtly continue the feeling of flow.