The process of this charming Seattle home’s kitchen remodel began when the owner became interested in different ways of decreasing the ecological footprint of her small 1920s house, including new insulation and windows.
Two spacial adjustments allowed us to almost completely reconfigure the layout of this small (8′-6″ x 11′-9″) kitchen:
First, the room’s previous window had been set too low for a 36″ counter to fit beneath it. Every inch of wall space in a small kitchen is precious, so we raised the sill of the double-glazed replacement window and installed a full bank of lower cabinets along this wall, housing the sink and dishwasher.
Second, we removed an old decommissioned chimney that stood in one corner of the room, creating a spot for the fridge and a new pull-out pantry cabinet where there had previously been room for just the oven.
Passageways to rooms off of the kitchen were resized to suit the new layout. The upper corners of these simple wallboard-wrapped openings were rounded to match existing passages from the living room.
The new kitchen offers a vast increase in storage, better flow to and from its neighboring spaces, four ample work zones for preparing meals, and a pleasant spot to look out the window while doing the dishes.
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Close-up view of the southwest corner, showing the Japanese tile backsplash and some of the custom maple cabinetry, here displaying part of the owner's Depression glass collection.
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View to the southeast shows the simple rounded upper corners of the opening into the next room, a detail that found its way into the valances of the upper cabinets. Counter edge is cherry; countertop and floor are marmoleum; custom cabinets are maple.
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View looking east from the sunroom. A deep bank of floor-to-ceiling cabinets, including a pull-out pantry and tray storage, encloses the refrigerator.
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'Before' view looking east.
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View to the northwest. The maple side panel of the fridge enclosure can be seen on the right. The lower cabinet to the left ends in a set of open shelves that are radiused to keep from jutting into the space. The opening to the sunroom beyond was shifted to center on the space, and its corners were rounded to match other passages in the house.
