Take a look at some inspiring details that make these kitchens look great and work harder. In this collection, you will find tips on how to fine tune cabinets to make the most out of your space, how to balance style and accessibility, and how to bring an older kitchen up to date without sacrificing your home’s classic character.
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The front of the unit has a 3⁄4-in.-thick maple butcher-block counter-stained American walnut-that houses the home phone. Above the counter are mail slots and some open shelving. Below, is a much-needed junk drawer and a cabinet that has a pullout drawer where cell phones and cameras can be charged out of sight.
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The 5-ft.-wide by 5-1⁄2-ft.-tall window, which is actually a modified storefront door, sits atop a poured-in-place concrete countertop that cantilevers over the adjacent deck space. The resulting outdoor bar space has room for three people.
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Accessibility is a prominent feature of this space’s design. To make the kitchen safe and easy to use, the builders integrated an anodized steel grab bar into the 1-1⁄2-in.-thick ApplePly island top.
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Above a Sub-Zero refrigerator drawer and a maple butcher-block prep surface, a secret solid-paneled door reveals a slide-out plywood platform that supports a toaster and a coffeemaker. Hiding these appliances not only cleans up the look of the kitchen, but it also increases prep space on the butcher-block countertop.
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The drawer is a small box with 3/4-in. plywood assembled with screws. Inside the box are individual knife dividers of 1/4-in Balticbirch plywood. The bottom is open to prevent anything from getting stuck in the box if it fell through. The sides are dadoed for side-mounted drawer slides, maximizing the width of the drawer. It has a maple top with 3/16-in kerfs that the knives could slide into. Two holes in one of the slots allow space for kitchen shears and the honing steel.
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The Midcentury Modern Kitchen Relocated
This remodel pulled the kitchen from the peripheral and into the present with a better workflow centered on a large island at the core of the house.
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Awkwardly placed doors and circulation paths wasted 75% of the potentially useful space in the kitchen and dining room area; reclaiming unused space was a viable solution and also more cost-effective than a kitchen addition. The removal of a mudroom off the kitchen allowed the installation of French doors that, along with a new window over the sink, bring in plenty of natural light.
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The upstairs of this carriage house is dominated by the kitchen, so to make it as efficient a space as possible, its island has drawers that allow it to be used as workspace as well as a food-prep and eating area.
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A woodworker turned home-remodeler creates custom-refrigerator panels. The panels are quartersawn white oak with a custom-blend stain of traditional cherry, rich cherry, and American walnut. Stained-glass inserts and hand-hammered wrought-iron accents and pulls complete the custom-furniture look of the panels.
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