Just 11 years old, this kitchen had a different problem than age. “The kitchen before the remodel was what we called a builder special,” says Patton. Although the client initially wanted to simply install new cabinets and an island because of the kitchen’s age, “her wish list went beyond the consideration of a partial remodel,” explained Patton. “She just wanted it to coordinate with her existing family room. That’s where we picked up.”
The previous kitchen had a raised eating bar that backed up to a dining nook. “If you placed chairs at the dining nook, there was no room for the dining table,” said Patton. “So the eating bar went unused.”
To accommodate the client’s affinity for cooking and entertaining, a dining table surface was attached to the island for one L-shaped piece, which can seat up to eight people. “The combination of the island workspace and built-in table eliminated a walkway between the two to give us more usable space in the kitchen,” said Patton.
Before, the kitchen disregarded its available space by placing the sink a full seven feet from the prep area. “The homeowner is of small stature, so the walk between the cooking surface and the sink was way too far,” commented Patton.
Since the island had to fit the parameters of the previous because of tiling, the plumbing was reconfigured so the sink now lies directly across from the hood. A pony wall also supports the table and houses some of the plumbing.
Two open-shelf cabinets over the wine refrigerator display wine glasses to lighten up the corner wall and still provide storage.
To blend with the living area’s traditional oak balusters, gold drapes and taupe walls, warm woods in a grazed alder frame the perimeter, complemented by barn wood melamine cabinets.
“The corner refrigerator was tricky,” commented Patton. “This was actually a full-depth, freestanding refrigerator that we turned at a 45-degree angle.” This angle created a larger void to accommodate the appliance. The same detail is used at the opposite end with a wine refrigerator.