Design Dissect 2 - Kirsten Dunst - Kitchen
AD (nov 2021) - jane hallworth design
Let me just say, I have involuntarily become a Jane Hallworth fan. Without planning, I am doing two back-to-back Halloworth deep dives! Something about her knowledge of people and knowledge of design marry very well and it seems like my subconscious just knew…
Let me also say, I came across Kirsten’s spread as I was vision-boarding for 2022, so this Design Disect feels like a very fateful one.
User Bio/User Goals - Kirsten Dunst - ever heard of her? Well, this version of Kirsten is a 2.0 one. Kirsten has depth and soul not very well portrayed in the media. Kirsten, like many actors I presume, has a deep emotional range. What makes her a perfect client is that she also has a deep emotional connection to things. She knows she wants something because she can feel whether it's hers or not. Thinking about this, it gave me pause… Just knowing when something is yours. Because you know yourself that well… But I digress.
Kirsten is a mother, a wife, an artist. She’s settling in to a new, exciting chapter where depth is more important than being hyper-visible (I’m assuming). She’s collected furniture and art throughout her early adulthood but hadn’t been in a place to curate it until she and her husband Jesse Plemons moved in to their L.A. home in San Fernando Valley. Her things and stories of their past will finally be showcased for her and her family.
Kirsten wants her home to feel romantic and mysterious. She wants her objects to tell her family stories for years to come.
Architectural Bio - The bones of Kirsten and Jesse’s ranch house date back to the 1930s. Some inherent influence will come through the rustic feeling of a ranch. There is also an inherent California influence, multiple windows, beautiful, intentional, light. The effect of being in a ranch adds a cabin-like element that contrasts from the cold and modern theme seen everywhere today.
Materials Bio - The materials that write the story of the kitchen are in the tile, the marble, and the wood. Aubergine tile, 18th century majolica, a dark marble island, and a wooden kitchen table are each critical to the success of the flow and feeling of the space. The tile adds mystique, the wood grounds the kitchen for what it is, and the marble adds weight to drive home a darker theme Kirsten loves in the space.
Color Palette Bio - Given Kirsten’s ode to emotional objects, it makes sense that the palette in her kitchen is cooler and deeper. A generous use of maroon on the kitchen cabinets, aubergine tile, and black counter tops solidify Kirsten’s fearlessness for a darker theme in her kitchen and across her home.
Furnishing Bio - Perhaps the star of the show, Kirsten’s furniture is where true design risk is taken. Although not a ton of Kirsten’s furniture pieces are featured in her kitchen, a standout was her popsicle stick lamp, part of the tramp art movement. Given how the dark, mysterious theme is so overwhelming in the kitchen, a small popsicle stick lamp doesn’t feel like such a risk.
Kirsten again breaks traditionional expectations by substituting a bar and barstools with a wooden table and mismatched stools. In a room with such conflicting concepts and ideas, I wonder how it all fits together so cohesively…
Overall Impressions - I’ve truly never seen a kitchen like Kirstens and I’m really lucky I did. The mysterious and dark theme isn’t one that is seen in a lot of homes, especially in kitchens. Dark colors are contrasted with the light coming from the massive windows so at the end of the day the kitchen still feels welcoming. I feel transported outside of LA and in to Italy or Spain, not in 2022, but in the 1960s.
Architectural Digest Article - https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/step-inside-kirsten-dunsts-charming-ranch-house
