MY KITCHEN
Dalia designed her kitchen exactly as she wanted it
Dalia Dogmoch Soubra Cookbook author Dalia Dogmoch Soubra shows Nicola Monteath around her beautiful custom-made kitchen where she tries and tests her recipes.
The cupboards were off-white and the flooring was made up of light coloured tiles. The reason we moved to this house was because we needed more space, as our family was growing.
Photographs ANAS CHERUR
D
alia Dogmoch Soubra, author of Food, Love & Life from Dalia’s Kitchen (CPI Media Group) and founder of Kitsch Bakery and Café and food blog daliaskitchen.com, is a bit of a nomad. She was born in London, grew up in Paris, spent a fair amount of time in New York, and is of Syrian heritage. Dalia loves cooking and shares her eclectic mix of everything from French and Arabic to international recipes. Here she shows us the heart of her home in Jumeirah Islands, which she moved into in 2010, where she lives with her husband and two children Phares, 2 ½, and Joanna, 1 year old. She not only uses this kitchen for cooking, but also entertaining and spending time with her kids.
What did the kitchen look like when you moved in? Nothing like this! It was a closed kitchen and there was a little natural light but the space still felt dark.
Where did you start? To be honest, to own the kitchen of my dreams I need to have about eight houses! I cook a lot and didn’t want to be locked away in a closed kitchen, so the first thing I wanted to do was break down the walls. This kitchen is a mix of both modern and rustic elements, as I love to mix and match. My custom-made kitchen is from Beirut – we got it shipped in. I basically gave them the design I wanted and they made the piece and fitted it accordingly. What was your thought process behind designing this? I chose a custom made kitchen because I knew exactly what I needed in my cooking space. I wanted to make sure this kitchen was not only beautiful but practical as well. I went with a white and grey colour scheme as white gives a more clean and pure feeling, while the grey countertop works as a nice contrast. I also desired something quite simple so that the food, and all my bits and
pieces in the kitchen would stand out – it's almost like a blank canvas. How did you plan your space? It's an open kitchen so I made sure it was planned in a way where I could entertain while cooking and chopping. This is why the chopping board area is right beside the stove. I also have bar stools on the other side of the counter (near the dining table) so friends can sit and chat while I prepare. So, what was the most important thing for you when designing your kitchen? It’s the heart of the house, and my son who is now two and a half is used to being around the kitchen all the time. We broke down the dining room walls as well – that were in front of the kitchen – to make it a big open space. I needed more natural light in the kitchen, so I increased the size of the windows. I made sure the dining table was placed right in front of the kitchen, as I like to chat while cooking. I love that dining table! Could you tell me more about it? The table is from Marina Homes Furniture. It’s funny, I actually bought the table before we even
68 BBC Good Food Middle East July 2014
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6/29/14 9:00 PM