The existing kitchen in this 1924 craftsman home had not been modified in over 50 years. The ninety square foot room contained only four square feet of actual countertop space and was very cut off from the rest of the home. Additionally, the refrigerator had no real home, so it sat in front of a window. The space was further complicated by a double window and door on the back exterior wall, a third window and an interior door on other walls, and access to the basement staircase. Additionally, a large radiator took up more than it’s fair share of the limited floor space.
The homeowner was seeking a new space which would be open to the dining room, while maximizing counter space, providing ample natural light, and including more cabinets and storage. They also hoped the new space would feel more contemporary than the craftsman styling found throughout the house. Shortly before the project began, the homeowners replaced their radiators with a new forced air furnace. This single pre-emptive decision allowed us many more opportunities to design a space that met their goals.
After much consideration, we made the decision to move the refrigerator out of the main kitchen footprint and into an enlarged alcove at the top of the basement stairs. Although the new location meant there are no counters next to the refrigerator, it was certainly worth the trade off. Annexing three square feet from a bedroom and relocating the refrigerator allowed the main space to have a full run of counters and cabinets wrapping both exterior walls-with the sink below the existing double window and a dishwasher around the corner.
The range was moved to the dining room wall and the wall was opened up to allow a visual connection and convenient pass through to the dining room. In order to open up the kitchen to the dining room and maintain the original character of the home, the original built-in buffet on the dining room side was carefully deconstructed, rebuilt and refinished to frame the new pass through. Connected to either side of the buffet were a door to the upper level and the doorway to the kitchen which were both made taller to match the raised cabinets and maintain an authentic looking built-in in the dining room. At the back of the home, a narrow steel entry door was removed and replaced with a custom Marvin double french door. The double door was chosen because it allowed us to introduce a lot of natural light and shift the circulation closer to the center of the kitchen and away from the refrigerator landing and basement access.
The custom maple cabinet package, with full overlay doors and clean lines, was thoughtfully designed to maximize storage in this very small footprint. A floor-to-ceiling pantry with a built in microwave includes four large drawers with pegs for plates, and a customized drawer for utensils. Pullout drawers were included in the pantry next to the range for easy reach when cooking. A bar of high cabinets runs over the entire rear exterior wall providing additional storage for seldom used appliances and goods. Oil rubbed bronze bar handle pulls throughout are a contemporary element with a gesture towards the aged hardware found in the rest of the home. This contemporary cabinet package provides the homeowner with the aesthetic they were seeking while utilizing almost every square inch of space in the small available footprint. Traditional soapstone counters help the new contemporary kitchen relate to the rest of the house and quadruple the available workspace.