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High-design, Homemade

High-design, Homemade

New York–based architecture and interior design firm CetraRuddy teamed up with IRP Designs for Kitchens & Bath to launch INSPIRA, the firm’s first publicly available kitchen design. INSPIRA blends scale, proportion, and handcrafted quality to create a central living space in any home. Nancy J. Ruddy, founding principal of CetraRuddy, gave The Architect’s Newspaper an inside look at INSPIRA and the firm’s upcoming projects for 2016.

The Architect’s Newspaper: What was the inspiration behind the design for INSPIRA?

Nancy J. Ruddy: Our goal was to create a truly original product with integrity and quality that could be purchased by people not working with us directly: homeowners, developers, and designers. With this in mind, we looked at some of our latest ideas in kitchen design, some based on themes we’d been exploring for years. For the kitchen—the real heart of the home—it seemed so important for people to be able to have the hand-wrought materials, custom-made cabinetry, and crafted design that one really only sees in custom-designed homes or the great manor houses of yesteryear, but with an up-to-date and more modern feel. With INSPIRA, more people benefit from the research and thought that went into the design.

What was it like collaborating with IRP Designs for Kitchens & Bath?

We have a shared vision of bringing new things to market based on quality, integrity, and advanced design. IRP understood our requests for getting the detailing perfect and, after many samples and friendly sparring, we created a product that we are all proud of. The line’s name, INSPIRA, comes from the hope that this unique kitchen line—with three hand-selected finish packages and a variety of exciting details—will provide design inspiration to the purchaser.

How is INSPIRA different from any other kitchen?

INSPIRA is a high-spirited and sophisticated line of cabinetry that captures forward-thinking design with the traditions of fine cabinetry detail. With a rich palette of materials, we conceived INSPIRA first as a bold gesture: A crafted, architectonic proscenium in warm wood or bronzed metal that surrounds the cooking center, reflecting the home’s spiritual core. It’s a true cook’s kitchen in an American style, but it’s the allure of craft and spirited design that makes INSPIRA really special: Hand-tooled with uniquely crafted metals, woods, lacquered finishes, and the glisten of back-painted glass.
What can we expect to see from CetraRuddy in 2016?

We are designing a new multiuse building in the Hudson Yards containing a hotel and a 75-story tower in Manhattan. In addition, we’re designing three K-12 schools for Choice Schools in Kerala, India, which are built on sustainability and new ideas in learning environments. Also, our hospitality work will continue on at least two continents, and we even have a major office building in North America—too bad I can’t tell you where!

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