The homeowner approached us wanting:

•  Designated areas for food preparation and home administration

•  Increased workspace

•  Increased storage

•  Increased routes to kitchen

•  The design to integrate the kitchen with the surrounding areas

Our goal was to integrate the kitchen with the unused formal dining room and provide a clean design that expressed the clients taste and personality. The result was an upgrade that made the house feel new.

Two cabinet finishes, a creamy white paint with a glaze and a medium-toned stain, were incorporated to add visual relief from the monotony that can occur when a kitchen has too much of one color, or in this case, a stain color

The cabinet heights were staggered to avoid the kitchen from feeling too formal. Doing this also provides an interesting frequency in the kitchen.

We opened up the kitchen and the seldom used formal dining and living room to integrate the two rooms and make use of an area that previously wasn't being used. As a busy working mother of two, the homeowner loves the fact that as that as she is standing at the island she can easily see the back, side and front of the house. So as she prepares dinner it's a breeze to keep an eye on the kids as they play outdoors.

Safety, as well as aesthetics, were a concern when designing this island. The island is split into two levels so when sitting at the island the person isn't on the same level as the cooktop. It also prevents people from potentially burning themselves when walking on a main traffic pattern on the back of the island.

Splitting the island into two levels serves some aesthetic and functional values as well. When the family is sitting at their table located in the now adjoined dining room, the cooktop, and any pots and pans associated with making the meal, are conveniently hidden from view. The 42" raised area also plays the role of a buffet table when guests come over  

Because we opened the kitchen into the existing formal dining room, the dinette area was no longer needed. A desk was designed to follow the angles of the existing bay window. Some highlights of the area include: •  The desk has a filing cabinet •  There is a hole in the countertop so that their laptop can be permanently plugged into an outlet •  The Wenge wood countertop is custom made. It adds beauty and contrast to the kitchen while providing the functional benefit of being a surface that doesn't get extremely cold, like granite would, under the large windows. •  It utilizes the available space and avoids and "dead areas" in the kitchen