Welcome to Design Details, where we look at a standout project feature and explore what it took to make it special.

The Detail

A section of this Houston kitchen's marble backsplash slides open on a hidden track to reveal a spice shelf, then fully closes again to preserve the appearance of an unbroken run of book-matched stone.

The Vision

Frankel Design Build, led by Scott and Kevin Frankel, designed the overall kitchen and adjoining breakfast room with the feel of an art gallery but with the ability to still serve as an everyday space. Marble runs continuously across the countertops, backsplash, and up and along the island, and a custom brass vent hood floats above the range against deep black cabinetry.

Oversized windows bring natural light into the breakfast room, where a sculptural pedestal table reinforces the gallery-like feel of the space.

The Challenge

The idea was to hide a working spice shelf behind a slab of marble that slides open and shut without ever looking like storage.

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Marble at this size is heavy, of course, and standard sliding hardware is made for cabinetry, not stone slabs of this weight. Off-the-shelf track systems risked having the hardware fail under that load or the marble chipping if the track allowed for even the slightest wobble. 

Either one would have broken that monolithic look the client desired, since the whole effect depends on the backsplash appearing as one continuous surface without visible seams or hardware.

Book-matched marble added an additional challenge. Book matching means the veining on one panel mirrors the panel beside it, so any misalignment when the slab moved would be immediately obvious. The track had to move the slab the same way every time, without any wobbling that could misalign that careful match. 

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Frankel's team worked with engineers and fabricators to build a custom track and gliding mechanism sized for the marble's weight. The finished system runs smoothly, and is fully recessed behind the stone, so, from the front, the panel appears to open and close on its own.