Anne Watson

A Light and Bright, Functional Home Studio for the Incredible Anne Watson

The incredible Anne Watson… Who is she? Anne Watson is a food stylist, professional food photographer and content developer. She is a wine grower and a wine seller. She is the owner of Watson Wellness, a reiki master, and a wellness enthusiast. She is the owner and caretaker of Watson Ranch. And most importantly, Anne is an amazing mom.

It’s safe to say that Anne Watson wears many hats, and it was time for Anne to upgrade her kitchen to better suit her lifestyle. Not only is her kitchen the place where she makes delicious food to nourish herself, her family, and her friends, but it’s also her workspace. “It was time for a fully built-out home studio where I can create recipes for clients, test recipes, and shoot professional food photography, which is what I have done for over a decade now,” explains Anne.

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Anne's kitchen before PIRCH

Prior to the remodel, her original 1991 kitchen was a cramped, confined space with outdated appliances. It also had very dark, reflective surfaces, which made food photography quite challenging.

Anne was craving a bright, open space with a lot of natural light. Not only did she need a new kitchen, but she needed a functional home studio to help facilitate recipe development, food photography and content creation. One of her must-haves was a large, double oven to assist with all the baking and recipe testing she does. She also really wanted non-reflective quartz countertops, and much like a professional kitchen, she wanted separate cooking stations to facilitate a seamless flow while cooking.

To pull her vision together, Anne enlisted the help of architect and designer Robert Puertas of Puertas Design. She told him she needed a beautiful kitchen that was photography friendly. “Robert really helped to solidify in plans, on paper, what I couldn’t even fathom in my own imagination,” explains Anne.

Photo: Kate Noelle Photography

When it came to the remodeling process, Anne knew very little about what it entailed. “I didn’t know where to start, how to select, or where to go, but I knew that I wanted to invest,” Anne remarks. “This was an investment for a lifetime. I wanted this to be a kitchen that I have until I’m old and grey. It was a true adventure I was embarking on,” explains Anne.

Anne didn’t know where to shop for kitchen appliances, but luckily her architect and designer Robert Puertas told her exactly where she should go. “Robert took me by the hand over to PIRCH in Costa Mesa and introduced me to my sales rep Alyson Delanty. The rest is history as they say!”

Anne really enjoyed her experience at the PIRCH Costa Mesa showroom because of the vast array of kitchen displays that allowed her to explore her options in real, lifestyle settings. “My experience at the PIRCH Costa Mesa showroom was like a dream come true. I felt so at-home,” explains Anne.  “It was very easy, fun, and helpful to be able to see things side-by-side, and to be able to touch and feel. I’m a very tactile person, so I like to be able to touch something and see color differences, so that was so helpful,” explains Anne.

PIRCH Sales Consultant, Alyson Delanty helped guide Anne through the appliance selection process at the PIRCH Costa Mesa showroom. “What I really appreciated about Alyson was she took the time to listen to what I wanted, not just sell me on what she thought I needed. She really worked with me and got to know me as a person,” explains Anne.

Halfway through the appliance selection process, Anne fell head over heels in love with a Sub-Zero refrigerator that she saw on display. “I walked past this bad boy in the showroom, and I had to have it. It just stopped me in my tracks!” Anne remarks. However, she realized she would need to make some adjustments to her selections in order to stay on budget. “What I really appreciated about Alyson is that she sat with me and said, ‘let’s create your dream kitchen and get you this Sub-Zero. How can we make this happen?’ She really helped me configure things so that budget-wise, I still came in exactly where I needed to be, but I got everything that was on my dream list,” Anne explains.

“What I enjoy most about my new Sub-Zero refrigerator is… let’s be honest, it’s beautiful. Who knew that a refrigerator could be beautiful?” Anne remarks. “It feels industrial, yet beautiful at the same time, explains Anne.

Anne also really appreciates the fact that her Sub-Zero is much more than a refrigerator, it is a food preservation system. Sub-Zero refrigerators keep food fresh longer with precise humidity control, temperature control, and an air purification system that systematically scrubs the air of all contaminates, odor, ethylene gases, and bacteria. “It’s just incredible to me how fresh and cold it is. It just feels solid and well-built. I could gush for days about how much I love this refrigerator,” expressed Anne.

When it came to selecting a cooktop for her new kitchen, Anne chose a Thermador induction cooktop. “What I enjoy most about my new Thermador induction cooktop is how intuitive it is to use,” Anne remarks. I found it to be very user-friendly, and the precision. I can’t get over how precise it is as you’re cooking,” she continued.

Anne was locked into using electricity for her kitchen because her property is entirely solar powered. “But still, I was really leaning toward induction because of its clean lines, and the fact that when you’re not using it, it can be used as extra countertop space,” comments Anne.

Anne was really looking forward to upgrading her oven because her previous oven was extremely small, it took a long time to heat up, and it didn’t cook food evenly. She ultimately decided on a Viking double wall oven for her new kitchen. “I didn’t realize how amazing an amazing oven can be,” comments Anne.  These ovens heat evenly, and quickly! I bake a lot, and I love making pizza with my son. Everything bakes so evenly. Plus, I love the size. That was something that really drove me towards Viking, was the space that is allowed. You can fit nice big sheet pans in there and that was a big plus for me,” explains Anne.

Also from Viking, Anne decided on a microwave drawer. “What I love most about my Viking microwave drawer is the space saving aspect of it,” Anne remarks. “For years, I always had a microwave that sits up on the counter, and that’s a lot of counter space. So, to have it underneath the counter, it looks really cool, it works phenomenally, and it doesn’t take up valuable countertop space,” Anne explains.

After exploring many different options for dishwashers in the showroom, Anne ultimately decided on a Miele. Alyson Delanty also helped guide her on this decision. I didn’t know where to start to be honest,”  Anne expressed. “Alyson has one of these herself, and she said, ‘look, I love this dishwasher so much. I can vouch for it myself.’”

She also loved that the Miele dishwasher was panel ready. “I liked the idea of the dishwasher fading into the cabinetry. That was one of the appliances I wanted to try to blend more,” commented Anne.

She was also astonished to find that her new Miele dishwasher transformed the look of her dishes and glassware. “I thought that I needed all new dishes and glassware when I built the new kitchen because my dishes were all covered in this film, they were scratched, and they looked so dirty,” Anne stated. “I washed them once in the Miele, and now I have new dishes. I have new glasses. It completely transformed all my dishes,” says Anne. “I now realize my old dishwasher was a dish dirtier, and now I have a dish washer, and it works so beautifully.”

Since Anne lives on a farm, she knew she wanted a farmhouse sink.  One of the things she loves most about her new sink is how spacious it is. “I wash a lot of things by hand, like large pans, so I love the space that this massive sink has,” Anne explained. She also loves that her new sink is large enough for her to bathe her dogs in. “I loved the idea of having a beautiful sink that could double as a sweet little bathtub for my sweet little dogs.”

At PIRCH, we love when delivery and install goes smoothly, and that was certainly the case for Anne’s kitchen remodel. “My experience with the PIRCH delivery and installation team could not have been better. Flawless is the word I would use. Efficient. Kind of mesmerizing to be frank,” explains Anne.

“I also really appreciated that they sent someone out beforehand to measure and ensure that when the team showed up for installation, everything was going to fit,” says Anne. “That gave us time to make a couple small adjustments to the cabinetry, so that when things did arrive it just went straight in. I said, ‘wait, you’re done!? I thought you’d be here so much longer.’”

“The appreciation I have for this kitchen is such deep gratitude to the universe, to every single thing that has led me to this moment in my life,” says Anne. “I’m going to make sure that I use this kitchen for good, to help people, and to help put good out in the world. My appreciation for my new kitchen will be life-long. It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of. It is so deeply meaningful to me to have this opportunity. It’s a great opportunity and I do not take it for granted,” Anne expressed.

Now, not only does Anne have the light, bright kitchen she always dreamed of, but she has a functional studio space that suits her lifestyle and her work. “My new kitchen complements my lifestyle in that it literally touches my life in every way. My kitchen is not only the heart of my home, but of my life. It’s where I nourish myself, my son, my friends, my family. It’s where I work. It’s the heart of my job,” explains Anne.  “But it’s so much more than that. It’s a gathering place for friends and family when they come over. And it will be something that I hope will touch other lives virtually, through the camera, through online outreach, through the projects that I’ll be working on here. So, how does it complement my lifestyle? In every way.”

“I would absolutely recommend PIRCH to friends and family, and the list of reasons why is a mile long,” says Anne. “Some of the top reasons are because of how well you’ll be taken care of, and because you will have access to the most incredible appliances from all the different brands. It’s a one stop shop for having all your needs met for your entire project,” explains Anne.

Anne concludes, “It’s hard to pick one thing that I enjoyed most about working with PIRCH. What I really enjoyed was the personal touch of really feeling like I was cared for during a big investment process.”

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Anne puts her new kitchen to the test

Follow along as Anne puts her new kitchen to the test making one of her favorite recipes, a vegan taco bowl.

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