Keys to a More Spacious Kitchen

With simple changes, you can have more room without adding on.

A family of six and a small kitchen is not the best combination. Adding on may seem like the only solution, but sometimes that's not practical. A kitchen can be redesigned so that it feels more spacious.

In Julie and Tom Cowin's kitchen, the floor plan remained the same, but that was about it.

Stylish Storage

Designer Cheryl Kees of Pensacola, Florida, introduced some clever ideas to gain storage. Two glass cabinets sit directly on the kitchen's large picture window. "These are a great solution because you don't give up light or views," she says. Cheryl also took the new cherry cabinets up a foot higher than the original ones. The closet-like pantry was replaced with a built-in glass-front hutch, giving a custom look without sacrificing storage.

Additional Workspace

With no room for an island, Cheryl created an innovative substitution. She added a butcher-block-topped peninsula that angles out from the original front countertop. The peninsula fits in without interfering with the traffic flow through the kitchen. "It's a great place for chopping, and it's convenient to the stove," says Cheryl. The butcher block is slightly lower than the adjoining countertop. "It's a more comfortable height for a prep surface," she adds. "It also allows the two different countertops to integrate without creating a seam problem."

Other convenient changes included a pass-through window to the family game room, a television niche, and granite countertops. While the space's size is the same, the kitchen is definitely not. With all of the changes, it now functions much more efficiently for the Cowin crew.

ALICE WELSH DOYLE

Page 118: Kitchen by In Detail Kitchen and Bath, Pensacola, Florida, (850) 437-0636.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Nov 2004
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