The original kitchen of this 1978 home was built with the dark and cramped design ideas popular at the time. It was a typical U shape, restricting access to the cooking area and inhibiting access to the dinette. In the original kitchen, there wasn't much room for additional cooks or guests in the food prep area. The refrigerator was too close to the inside corner and the sink, and the central overhead fluorescent light box was uninviting.

The goals for this project were to ...

Improve traffic flow

·   We opened the cook preparation area to the eating table by removing the peninsula

Create a better lit, more inviting atmosphere

·   Several can lights were added to spread general lighting throughout the work space

·   Undercabinet task-lights were added to brighten the countertop

·   The bar invites social interaction and provides a place to visit with the cook

Improve workflow

·   We moved the refrigerator from its corner location and grouped the cooking features together,      instead of the ovens being half way across the room from the cooktop

Increase the island

·   We made the island wider, with a 42" raised area to hide kitchen preparation. By making it longer,      it doubles as a casual sitting area

Create more of a sense of space

·   Fluorescent light box in the center of the kitchen was removed

·   One hard flooring surface was used for the entire kitchen work area and dinette

·   We lightened the dark woodwork

Storage

·   Previously, there was limited access to the "dead" corner. Now the lazysusan allows for easier     access to the storage, along with additional storage under the island