Heritage Meets Modernity in a Richly Crafted Kitchen

French-born…

architect and designer Valerie Chomarat is a purveyor of warm minimalism, an uncluttered style that cultivates a sense of security, intimacy, and wellbeing thanks to well-curated and intentional design choices that favor pared-back forms, natural materials, and a reduced color palette. She learned from the best, having worked for British architect and doyen of reductivism John Pawson in his London studio for nearly a decade before establishing her own practice in 2012 in Geneva. There, she developed her own take on this ascetic style, adding softness, elegance, and a touch of old-world grandeur to the stringent simplicity of Pawson’s design principles.

This kitchen, which is set in a 19th-century villa on the banks of Lake Geneva and entirely redesigned by Chomarat and her team, immerses visitors in an atmosphere of serene calm, where, as the designer puts it, “material and lines enable tranquility and lakeside reverie.”

Produced by…

luxury Belgian kitchen specialist Obumex, the room exudes a certain drama thanks to oversized elements handcrafted in solid American Walnut. These include a generous number of below-counter drawers finessed with a delicate fluted surface and hefty bronze-cast handles.

Blurring the boundary between cooking space and living room, Chomarat has chosen a vintage crystal drop chandelier as a main light source and organized the layout around a stylish multipurpose central island. Part cookspace/part social hub, the U-shaped island has a sleek Art Deco-inspired silhouette with a strong linear base and sweeping curved edges.

Also hewn…

from American walnut with a richly toned Emperador marble countertop, this bespoke unit provides functionality without overwhelming the room. It features discreet shelving on each side and doubles up as a seating area thanks to an integrated cream leather banquette that faces a window view of Lake Geneva. Narrowing the gap between kitchen and lounge even further, Chomarat has increased the seating capacity with a round walnut GUBI breakfast table and four mid-century leather cushioned chairs, enhancing the importance of this family kitchen as a place of affection and exchange.

Obumex Kitchen by Valerie Chomorat | DPAGES

Bringing…

visual weight and balance to the kitchen space is a grand-looking ‘barista’ bar cabinet that Chomarat designed specifically to sit between the kitchen’s two original large French windows with restored walnut millwork.

Inspired by Scandinavian sideboards and buffets, the sculptural storage unit has a curved profile with smooth-sliding tambour doors. This deceptively simple opening and closing mechanism required meticulous engineering due to the length and weight of the fluted walnut doors, which sweep dramatically back into a compressed C-shape and tuck neatly inside the cabinet’s rounded sides. A work of quiet sophistication, this noble furniture piece is a testament to Chomarat’s skill at conveying complex ideas in a visually concise and impactful manner.

As Chomarat sees it, the right aesthetic formula is about removing unnecessary elements and adding soul and character to a home. As she explains, “Design is about shaping natural materials and dressing up interiors with grace and elegance.”