New Orleans; Los Angeles – House Beautiful’s “Kitchen of the Year” has been an inspiration since it debuted in 2008 in New York City’s famed Rockefeller Center. This year, the tradition comes to New Orleans’ Uptown neighborhood. For the first time ever, the kitchen is being built inside the home of a real family, with homeowners Helen and Scott Jenkins being the lucky winners selected to receive the renovation. Their historic Italianate residence dates back to the 1860s, and was the feature attraction of the Junior League of New Orleans’ 10th Annual Kitchen Tour, which was open to the public on May 2nd and 3rd. The newly upgraded kitchen is the brainchild of Designer Ken Fulk.

The San Francisco-based Fulk was able to preserve the historic beauty of the residence while integrating modern elements, such as the four distinctive GROHE products that span across the large-scale kitchen renovation, encompassing a family room and dining area.

“We wanted to preserve the sort of rustic, charming feel of this 1860’s space and not turn it into one of those all-white, über modern homogenized kitchens,” Fulk said. “GROHE has been an important part of bringing a contemporary feel to the space and making it not only beautiful, but highly functional, too.” In addition to these spaces, the designer also utilized GROHE product when remodeling the adjoining parlor room into a library with a full wet bar.

“We are especially excited to be a part of this year’s House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year because it serves a private residence in the local community for the first time,” said Cheryl Dixon, U.S. head of brand trade and marketing for GROHE. “This kitchen is the perfect blend of design, technology, quality and sustainability and was designed with a real family in mind who will get to enjoy the benefits of these four industry-leading products in their home for years to come.

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