If you've ever gone to dinner at Blackbird and thought to yourself "gosh, I just wish I could move in and never leave," well — here's the closest you'll get without hiding under the table until the doors lock for the night. Demian Repucci, who won a James Beard award for his design of the restaurant's dining room designed the restaurant's private dining room, had his own home featured on Apartment Therapy this week.
Repucci's overall minimalist style carries over from Blackbird into his home life — sleek lines, monochrome fabrics — but it's the kitchen, oh the kitchen, where we feel our heart go a-flutter. Repucci lives in a tiny apartment in New York's Chelsea neighborhood, and the kitchen takes up no more than a sliver of space. But given his restaurant background, the kitchen was non-negotiable space. "I wanted our kitchen to have a modern feel and the serious functionality of a restaurant kitchen," he said, and utilized a variety of space-saving techniques to create a space in which we have no doubt Paul Kahan would find himself at home.
Compare and contrast: Repucci's kitchen, above, with Blackbird's kitchen:
House Call: Demian's Chelsea Renovation [Apartment Therapy]
[Damian Repucci's kitchen, via ApartmentTherapy; Paul Kahan in the Blackbird kitchen, via Battman Studios]
