Inside a Minimalist Florida Kitchen

For the 470-square-foot kitchen of her family’s home in Coconut Grove, Fla., interior designer Catalina Echavarria wanted a room that merged seamlessly with the rest of the house’s natural materials, white walls, and wrap-around views of Biscayne Bay.

To make it “the hang-out space without feeling like the kitchen all the time,” she selected a thick, frosted tempered glass for the counters, cabinetry and sliding doors. When the light is right, those surfaces reflect the ocean outside.

Wine Cellar

The 700-bottle wine cellar, designed by Ms. Echavarria's son, film producer Alejandro Landes, is made of planks of whitewashed oak and wooden dowels, which give the illusion of floating bottles. Cost: $100,000

Born in Colombia, Ms. Echavarria, 61 years old, attended college in the U.S. and launched a career in design in 1985. In 2004, some of her Andes-inspired furniture was featured in Donna Karan’s Urban Zen line. She encountered Balinese raw material and craftsmanship through Ms. Karan’s line, and it became an important influence on her work. Ms. Echavarria now divides her time between Florida and Bali, where she works with local artisans who execute the minimalist designs of her recently launched CEU Studio line.

Of her product line, which includes curvaceous wooden spoons and hand-blown glass the color of the sea, she says, “I can’t really say I designed them myself.” In collaboration with the artisans she works with, she says, these objects take on both the style and “spiritual way of living,” she admires about Bali and its craftspeople.

1. Frosted Glass

Ms. Echavarria’s idea was for a full hideaway kitchen behind matte frosted glass. The glass was made by Modulnova, Italy, an Italian kitchen manufacturer, and purchased through MiaCucina, a kitchen wholesaler and installation company. Cost: $340,000

2. Wood Slab

A cantilevered slab of reclaimed wood, set into the glass kitchen counter, adds a touch of warmth and blends with the wood features throughout the house. It was sourced and finished by local carpentry workshop Miles of Wood. Cost: $10,000

3. Bar Chairs

Bar chairs from the CEU Studio line, made in Indonesia from antique dark reclaimed wood from Java. Cost: $1,450 each

4. Ventilation Shield

 The large, single sheet of curved stainless steel was made by local furniture maker Henrique Production and Design. Cost: Approximately $7,000