Kitchen of the Week: A Hip, Low-Key Kitchen in Topanga Canyon, Hidden Fridge Included

Serena Mitnik Miller Topanga Canyon Kitchen, Photo by Nicki Sebastian Courtesy of Rip and Tan

For months we’ve been catching Instagram glimpses of the 1920s hunting cabin that California couple Serena Mitnik-Miller and her husband, designer and builder Mason St. Peter, have been remodeling in Topanga Canyon. We were especially interested in the kitchen—taken down to the rafters, rebuilt with custom plywood cabinets, and stocked with eclectic wood and ceramic finds—that Mitnik-Miller (who owns General Store, the housewares shop with locations in SF and LA) posts under the hashtag #ourtopangahome. So when we spotted the finished project on Jenni Kayne’s blog Rip & Tan, we turned to Instagram to sleuth out all the details—and find out where they hid the appliances. Here’s a look.

Photography by Nicki Sebastian, courtesy of Rip & Tan.

“After years of searching, bidding, winning, and heartbreak, a friend tipped us off to this house and it was exactly what we were looking for: a fixer-upper with good bones and history,” Mitnik-Miller says. But the original kitchen had limited cabinets and a large, clunky refrigerator that took up most of the footprint. The couple knocked down some surrounding walls, then had marine-grade Douglas fir plywood cabinets custom-built in a U-shape configuration to maximize counter space and create a sense of division from the rest of the living area. An under-counter fridge and freezer system (artfully concealed behind wood doors) saves space.

Above: The shelves look textured and eclectic, rather than overcrowded, thanks to the natural materials and neutral colors of the kitchenware.

Among the stacks: Wine Cups from Wheel Ceramic Company ($30), a well-patinated Athena Brass Summer Mill ($85), and Dry Goods Vessels by Fort Standard ($88 each), all available via General Store.

Serena Mitnik Miller Kitchen, Photo by Nicki Sebastian Courtesy of Rip + Tan — Above: Near the kitchen, brass hooks by Counter-Space hold small brooms and market bags. For more of our favorite made-in-the-state hooks, see Made in California: 8 Design-Worthy Wall Hooks from the Golden State.

Shiplap-style boards add subtle texture to the walls. “The whole house had many different iterations of wood paneling from the past 80 years. It didn’t age well but we felt it fit the house, so we painted it white [Behr’s Swiss Coffee],” Mitnik-Miller says. For more, see Expert Advice: The Enduring Appeal of Shiplap.