Julia Johnston: over 25 years of inspired kitchen design
Philosophy
It starts with a love of food and cooking.
But a good kitchen designer has to do more than just love food (although I think loving food and knowing how to cook are pretty good requisites for a kitchen designer). A good kitchen designer also needs to know ergonomics, aesthetics, math, space planning, colors, appliances, ventilation, family dynamics, kosher laws, plumbing, electrical requirements, environmental impacts, finishing techniques, design trends and fads. To be really good, you need to have been around good design and bad design and be able to know the difference. You need to listen. You need to know when to say no.
Like all designers, kitchen designers need to have a vast knowledge of what is available so we can show our clients all relevant possibilities, and then help them pare their choices down to what is appropriate for their project. What is appropriate will differ depending on neighborhood, family, style, budget. A bad designer repeats the same options for everyone. A good designer listens to your unique circumstances and knows what you need even when you don’t.
Background
I have been a kitchen designer for more than a quarter of a century, including over 15 years as an independent kitchen designer.
Prior to working in kitchen design, I worked in research, economics, and the computer industry.
I received bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Southern California. I then went to Indiana University and worked on the empirical studies that won Elinor Ostrom her Nobel Prize in Economics in 2009. I was the first Director of Research for what is now TechAmerica, and Senior Editor of Research for the first electronic newspaper in the world (Ziff-Davis' & Esther Dyson's Computer Industry Daily). And what I learned about computers, research and mathematics actually does come to play in kitchen design.
I moved from computers to kitchen design as soon as I knew there was such a field. I passed my CKD in the first year I was eligible. I went to work for the best designers in Palm Beach and the best cabinet companies in the world. (peacockcabinetry.com, wmohs.com, siematic.com). And I take what I learned about luxury design and apply it to every kitchen I work on--whatever the budget.
I was showroom manager for Christopher Peacock Cabinetry in Palm Beach for several years, and then went on to co-own and run The Kitchen Strand Boca. My move toward independent design was profiled in Kitchen & Bath Design News (November, 2011):
“People often talk about ‘winds of change’ but for designer Julia Johnston, CKD, CAPS of Kitchens for Cooking, things had to get awfully windy before change took hold. In fact, it took a hurricane—or three hurricanes, precisely—to transform her professional life.
Up until seven years ago, the kitchen designer spent most of her time running a showroom. But after her showroom was hit by three hurricanes in two years, she accepted that the winds of fate were trying to tell her something. And that something, she decided, was that it was time to take a step in a different direction, leaving the showroom and becoming an independent designer.”
One of the challenges of working at my showrooms (aside from the hurricanes) was selling only specific cabinet companies. Especially in the case of Christopher Peacock’s cabinetry, this meant I couldn’t design for the vast majority of people since so few people could afford their kitchens (which, even twenty years ago, started at upwards of $100,000). Being an independent designer, on the other hand, means I can work with any reasonable budget, with any product line (including Ikea, which I’ve done), with jobs where we reuse and reconfigure the current cabinetry (which I’ve also done), and (often) with clients who have their own craftsmen but need a better design.
I’ve worked with tiny cottage kitchens and huge kitchens in historic homes. And while much of my work is in South Florida, I have also designed kitchens in Pebble Beach and Laguna Beach, California; Tucson, Arizona; McLean, Virginia, New Orleans, Louisiana…
Outside the Office
In my own small kitchen I have two sinks, a Jenn-Air Noir refrigerator (which I had the honor of working on when I was on Jenn-Air’s Design Advisory Council), a warming drawer, two combi-steam ovens, Jenn-Air’s induction cooktop, and a dishwasher. In the nearby bar area I have a Sub-Zero wine refrigerator, an oil-rubbed bronze bar sink and a Jenn-Air ice maker. I also have two sous vide circulators, an Instant Pot, a hand-made tortilla press, a Weber Grill, a Big Green Egg, a microwave hidden in a small pantry, and more. It sounds like a lot to fit into a small space, but good design made it work.
I am a residential kitchen designer, but I have been honored to have worked with the fabulous Norman VanAken (pictured above) regarding his teaching kitchen, and to have designed the demo kitchen for the Southern Food & Beverage Museum.
When I’m not designing kitchens, I’m involved with many food or kitchen related charities (see below), and an active member of the National Croquet Club.
Professional Associations and Memberships
Founding Member, Jenn-Air Design Advisory Council
Board Member, National Food & Beverage Foundation:
Past Chair and Chef-Liaison, Boca Bacchanal
Past Chair AIWF South Florida, Bali H’ai at the Kampong, and 101 Zinfandels
Les Dames d'Escoffier International, South Florida Chapter
Founding Member, Coral Gables Tour of Kitchens
Board Activities, Industry Honors, and Cooking with James Beard Winners
