Light Industry

Jen Renzi -- Interior Design, 10/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Equal parts kitsch and kitchen, the roadside diner provided an ideal model for a cooking nook in a New York apartment by architect Jeffrey Langsam. The machine-age aesthetic comes through in the rubber flooring, the planes of smooth and perforated stainless steel, and the open-wire shelves, placed within easy reach of prep surfaces. All bear witness to Langsam's preference for "timeless, durable materials with natural finishes" as well as forming a bridge between the SoHo loft's industrial character and the clients' collection of art deco and moderne furnishings. "The entire kitchen is open to the public space, so it needed to blend in," says Langsam. "We kept it clean-lined, with touches of color." These include candy-apple-red vinyl-covered stools. Found at a kitchen-supply store on the Bowery, they were purchased, admits Langsam, to match the knobs on the range.