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NO "IKITCHENWISE.......................... .................................................................

Mexico inManhattanZarela Martinez designed her kitchen and dining room with party time in mind

BY KATHLEEN BRENNAN PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDRE BARANOWSKI

OHE WHOLE FLOOR my kitchen is on was designed for en-tertaining, because that's what I'm all abour," says ZarelaMartinez, the New York-based chef, restaurateur. and cook-

book aurhor. Martinez, who also produces a line of Mexican-inspiredhousewares for Wal-Mart called Zarela Casa, has hosted coumless

parties at her Manhattan town house since she moved in, 11 ~'earsago. The four-story structure, which dates to 1866, has an imeresr-

ing past. It was one of the last wooden houses built in New Yon;.has been home to some notable figures, including the aurbo.longtime New York City Ballet general director Lincoln Kinethe socialite Muriel Draper, and the writer Perdita Schaffner an.Ihusband, John Schaffner, a literary agent.

Afrer Marrinez bought rhe property, she remodeled the lo\Per I

where the kitchen and rhe dining room are located. Limited ~- ~

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she's received over the years. On the dining-room table, forinstance, are plates from Mexico, a Zarela Casa runner,and four 30-inch-high candlesticks. ("They're fabulous forseated dinners," Martinez says, "because they don't blockyour view.") She initially swathed the chair backs in vibrantMexican scarves to conceal some holes in the fabric; every-one loved the look, so the scarves stayed even after Martinezrealized she could simply have the chairs reupholstered.

She admits that the space isn't perfect; for starters,she wishes it were bigger and that the ceilings weren'tquite so low. BUt once the candles are lit, the mariachimusic is playing, and her guests are milling about en-joying homemade huitlacoche casserole and mole verdewith sea bass, those things are easy to overlook. (Fordetails, see THE PANTRY, page 94.)~Would you like to share your own kitchen design ideas with otherSAVEUR readers? Send us photos of your kitchen, both overall andin detail, along with a few lines telling us what you think is specialabout your kitchen. Please note that submissionscannot be ac'knowledged or returned. Our address: Kitchenwise, S AVEUR, 304

Park Avenue South, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10010.

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m1. Tile Tale Martinez liv-

ened up her counter andbacks plash by inter-spersing glazed terra-cotta-colored tiles withdecorative Mexicanones.

She chose yellow, gumball-shaped cabinet pullsbecause they're easy tograb and clean-and be-cause she loves yellow.2. Dish Display Custom-built cabinets hold Mar-tinez's collection of Mex-

ican dishes. She l1ainted

their doors in ~1j;?s thatmatched those of a favor'ite platter inside.3. Comfort Zone Mar-

tinez spends hourshere every day, testingrecipes and preparingmeals. Although shemakes everything fromIndonesian to Italian for

her family, the menu isalmost always Mexicanwhen she entertains.4. Mixing,Not MatchingMartinez (at the counter)does not shy away frombright shades and bolddesigns. "Mexicans havea very particular sense ofcolor and pattern," shesays. "It doesn't matterif things don't match."5. Handy Corner Sur-rounded by carved chairsand currently outfitted ina striped Zarela Casa ta-

blecloth, the table in thebreakfast nook is often

used as a prep space be-fore a party and then as abar during the event.6. Devotional Decor Mex-

icans leave ex-votos (vo-

tive offerings) at churchin appreciation for bless-

ings bestowed. Martinezhung this 1924 ex-voto

in her kitchen; it depicts

a housewife thankingSan Pascual Bailon for

blessing her cooking

because it always bringsher husband home.

and wanting controlover the oUtcome, she

became both designerand contractor. Because

this 18-by-30-foot spacewould be her main en-

tertaining area, Mar-tinez planned for it tohandle as much traffic as

possible. She didn't wantguests tripping over oneanother or, worse, trip-ping over her while shewas at the stove. For that

reason, she left the kitchen relatively open and confined thecooking and cleanup area to one wall, between a breakfastnook and the dining room. (She pUt the refrigerator oppo-site the sink only because it wouldn't fit anywhere else.) Anextension of the main counter provides extra stOrage andwork space and is ideal for hors d'oeuvres or a buffet.

For Martinez, designing a room for successful emertain-ing doesn't stOp at layout planningor even lighting choices (she likesrecessed lights on dimmers and lotsof candles). It also demands person-alization. Indeed, what is the most

striking about the entire area is howit reflects Martinez's creative, play-ful, oUtsize spirit-and her heritage.She grew up in a family of cattleranchers in Sonora and is passionateabout her country's arts and crafts.In decorating the lower level, shejuxtaposed pieces from her colorfulcollection of Mexican textiles and

pottery with items from her ZardaCasa line and a few cherished gifts

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