The kitchen always has been, and always will be, the heart of the
home. It’s where family members cook, do homework, host dinner
parties and go over the highlights of the day. The only thing
better than a kitchen that can accommodate all these activities is a kitchen that
can accommodate them in a well-organized manner—and be attractive to
boot. This kitchen succeeds.
Design it right: Loads of storage space and a lot of light
Cabinets designed for optimum storage can’t do their job without optimum light.
Spectacular windows bring in loads of daylight, while three rows of unobtrusive
recessed fixtures work the late shift (see lead photo, above). The recessed lights directly over the sink contain
spotlights and provide focused, shadow-free illumination for food prep and cleanup. The
other two rows are centered over the “traffic patterns” and contain floodlights for general
illumination of the floor and upper cabinets. Pendant lights over the island hang
low enough to illuminate the countertop and cooktop, but high enough to avoid shining
directly into anyone’s eyes.
Bye-bye, living room
The homeowners wanted a larger kitchen, a larger dining room, a butler’s
pantry and a dedicated “communication hub”—all without adding on. Something
had to give. For this busy Upper Midwest family, the thing that “gave”
was the formal living room; in fact, it was eliminated (see illustrations below).
“They gave up a room they underused and gained space they’ll use every
day,” explains designer Pat Undlin. “The new spaces better fit the way they live
and entertain.”
Without adding a square inch of space, the
design team from Pappas Inc. were able to accommodate
the family’s love of cooking and entertaining.
Reconfiguring the existing space involved:
1. Narrowing the existing living room space and
converting it into a spacious formal dining room.
2. Extending the kitchen into the old dining room area.
3. Adding a butler’s pantry and communication
hub to space “stolen” from the old living room.
Maximum storage
Behind the simple white doors are hard-working
cabinets, each designed for maximum storage, efficiency
and utility. Base cabinets with rollout trash
and recycling receptacles are positioned next to the
sink. The cabinet with the butcher block top at the
end of the island has drawers with sliding plastic
tops to store snacks and to keep bakery goods
fresh. Full-extension glides were used for all the
drawers and rollouts to provide complete access to
storage spaces.
This high-energy, high-tech family also needed a
communication hub near the kitchen for holding
computers, charging cell phones and leaving messages.
Filing drawers disguised as cabinets, a builtin
desk and plenty of counter space for homework
are all within whispering distance of the kitchen.
Storage & Other Amenities
Click Image to enlarge.
Shallow drawers directly
beneath the cooktop store spatulas,
tongs and other cooking
utensils in the area where
they’re used. Deeper drawers
below keep pots and pans neatly
stored and easily accessible.
Warming drawers, directly across from
the cooktop and kitty-corner to the
ovens, are a near-necessity when you’re
hosting large dinner parties.
Double-decker drawers with sliding
trays store two layers of knives, utilizing
valuable drawer “dead air” space.
A corner appliance cabinet hides
coffeemakers, toasters and other
small appliances while making
efficient use of often-wasted
corner space.
The above-refrigerator cabinet
contains vertical partitions for
storing trays, flat pans and
cutting boards.
A media cabinet holds a TV, a
DVD player and DVDs. Flipper
doors swing open, then glide
back into the sides of the cabinet
to provide an unobstructed
view.
Do it right the first time:
The well-planned
communication hub
It’s impossible to predict what
computer and communication
equipment will be like in a few years.
If you want to be wired for anything, install
a distribution box in an out-of-the-way
location and run conduit to it so you can
swap out wiring and make connections
later on as necessary. At a minimum, have
your contractor install CAT-5e cable for
your phone lines and RG-6 coaxial wire for
your cable; they should take care of most
future needs.
Smart design:
A hard-working island
The cabinet island houses a cooktop, pan storage and snack bar
area. To make the snack bar area look more table-like, the space
below the bar was left wide open and massive natural wood posts
were used for the legs.
Space-saving detail:
Hidden outlets, handy location
Continuous electrical strips with outlets spaced
every 12 in. are positioned along the back lower
edge of the wall cabinets. A valance built into
the cabinets helps hide the
strips—and the undercabinet
lighting—from view, and
the close spacing provides
power for small appliances
wherever they’re used.
Design it right:
A zillion
questions
equals the best
kitchen
Before the designers
from Pappas Inc. break
out the drawing board,
they sit down with the
clients and go through
a six-page questionnaire.
Are they right or
left-handed? Do
they buy in bulk? Are
there special physical
or sight considerations?
Finding out
more about the clients
— right down to where
they like to store the
dog food — helps create
a more efficient, user-friendly
(and user-loved)
kitchen.
The role of the butler may be long gone, but that
of the butler’s pantry remains alive and well. The
pantry provides a space for staging dishes and
making final food preparations close to, but not in,
the dining room. It contains nearly 20 sq. ft. of
counter space, a wine chiller, under-counter refrigerator for keeping beverages close at hand and a
small sink. The dishwasher serves as a backup during
large dinner parties.
Glass-front upper cabinets provide a convenient
place to store dinnerware while helping give the
room an open feel. Pocket doors on both ends of
the pantry close off the after-dinner mess and help
control “helpful” guests who want to pitch in.
Space saver:
Disappearing pocket doors
To help separate the butler’s pantry and
communication hub from the adjacent
spaces without taking up valuable floor
space, pocket doors were used.
A special sterling
silver drawer in the
butler’s pantry has
a lining and flap
made of Pacific
Silvercloth, a felt-like
material that
helps inhibit tarnish
and corrosion. The
drawers are deep
enough to accommodate
serving and
eating utensils, as
well as small pieces
like creamers and
condiment trays.
Product Showcase
Countertops: Silestone No. 1211,
Tebas Black.
Kitchen appliances:
Dishwasher, Bosch SHY56A05UC stainless
steel.
Refrigerator, KitchenAid KBFA20ER
French door with bottom drawer freezer.
Wall oven, KitchenAid KEMC307KSS combination
microwave upper, electric convection
lower. Under-cabinet oven,
KitchenAid KEBC101KSS electric oven.
Cooktop, Dacor PGM365S, gas.
Warming drawer, KitchenAid
KEWD105HSS, 30 in.
Butler’s pantry appliances:
Under-counter refrigerator, KitchenAid
KBCA06XPBS.
Wine storage, KitchenAid KUWA244PBS.
Dishwasher, Bosch SHUY56A05UC stainless
steel.
 |
Pantry sink and
faucet: Elkay
ELUH1316, undercounter
stainless
steel sink with
Price Pfister
No. 532-70SS
Marielle pull-out
faucet. |
Click Image to enlarge. |
Backsplash: White 3 x 6-in.
tile with beveled edges and
TEC No. 949 Silverado grout. |
Click Image to enlarge. |
Farm-style stainless steel
sink and faucet: Kindred
KCFS36A/10 sink (exposed
apron) with Price Pfister No.
532-70SS Marielle pull-out
faucet. |
