Synopsis: Sometimes a small addition makes a big difference. For architect Paulo Vicente, it was a matter of adding a 144-sq.-ft. addition. It allowed the home’s kitchen to move, created a better-flowing first floor, opened a new basement access, and made space for a laundry and mudroom — all the while maintaining the style and flavor of a 1920s-era Tudor house. The additions of a butler’s pantry and an outdoor terrace further served to enhance the look and feel of the kitchen addition.

As a residential architect on the coast of southwestern Connecticut, I usually work on projects on a large scale, both physically and financially. It’s a nice change of pace to be challenged by space and budget limitations, both of which existed with this small 1920s Tudor-revival remodel. When I first met my clients, Davin and Julie Gebauer, their goals were simple and straightforward. They wanted to update their small and tired kitchen, gain additional storage space, and have easier access to the often-used basement. In addition to these interior improvements, the couple wanted an outdoor-dining/entertainment area.

They initially focused on renovating the existing kitchen and building an addition off the back of the house to hold a mudroom and a laundry room. But to me, keeping the new kitchen in its existing location seemed a missed opportunity. By adding the new mudroom and laundry room to the rear of the house, much-needed daylight and views to the backyard would be cut off from the kitchen. For these reasons, I proposed that we place the kitchen in the new addition and reclaim the old kitchen space for a new mudroom/laundry room, and also see what else the space could do for them.

Moving a kitchen doesn’t mean making it grow

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