Synopsis: The kitchen in Chris and Tim’s house suffered from water damage in the counter’s particleboard substrate, drawer fronts that were falling off, and harsh track lighting. Its biggest problem, however, was that it lacked the function and flow that Chris and Tim wanted, so they hired Jesse Rozay to help them design a new kitchen. Because Chris and Tim eat outside most of the time, Rozay began with a folding patio door that opened the kitchen completely to the deck. New headers opened up the spaces between the kitchen, living area, and dining area. Because Chris and Tim enjoy cooking, baking bread, and brewing beer and mead, they need cabinets to hold lots of equipment. Rozay created lower cabinets with large drawers, and he included in the upper cabinets a unit that extends down to the countertop. He also designed a lower countertop along one wall that not only is the right height for Chris but also makes the space more interesting. A custom island with a built-in range holds the most-used cookware and ingredients in large drawers and is positioned in front of the patio door, which creates an atmosphere of cooking outdoors.

My clients’ kitchen was constructed in 1978. When I was called in to look at it, the redwood drawer fronts on the original cabinets were falling off. After more than 30 years of wear, the grout in the tile countertops had dissolved, and water that splashed from the sink had settled into the particleboard substrate, resulting in major rot. A vintage table from the 1920s served as a makeshift island under harsh track lights that highlighted a hardwood floor begging to be refinished. The space was dark, the layout was ill-conceived, and the fixtures and finishes were worn out. The core issue, though,…