Contemporary Kitchen Remodel: Strategies for Sweet Success

How We Gained a Bigger, Lighter and Better-Organized Kitchen Without Changing Our Home's Footprint

Solution: We knocked down the wall separating the walk-in pantry from the kitchen. Voila ~ our kitchen's footprint increased by about 25 square feet. We were able to move our refrigerator back about 4 feet, and add a smaller, but more integrated, corner pantry. Before knocking down the wall, our contractor determined it was not load-bearing. Other than patching the ceiling and wood floor underneath the former wall studs, this was the easiest and most cost effective way to reconfigure the space in our kitchen without knocking down an external wall and pushing the footprint out.

Insufficient Natural Light

Problem: Our former kitchen had two large corner windows above the sink for natural light, but because of a patio roof, not much sun streamed in. Our sliding patio door opened into the kitchen eating area, but provided only a shaded view and not much additional light. In short, lack of natural light depressed me, and adding a skylight or solatube wasn't an option because of a second floor above.

Solution: We decided to sacrifice wall-cabinet space and add a 55" bay window above the counter, on the kitchen's southern exposure. The new bay window required a minimum of retrofitting, but has really brightened and opened up the kitchen, and has an attractive sill for plants. Additionally, our electrician moved the three existing can lights and added several more on a dimmer. We bought three pendant lights to hang over the island, which provide drama and task lighting for food prep and cooking.

Lackluster Cabinets and Soffit

Problem: The 90's trend of decorating the space above cabinetry is thankfully short-lived. Our former kitchen had a one-foot square drywall soffit which jutted out 12" below the ceiling. The soffit was an eyesore and collected dust quicker than our Dyson. Builder-grade maple cabinets hung beneath the soffit, with the net effect being minimal storage and tons of wasted space. I would have considered refacing our cabinets had I not detested this soffit and desired its immediate demolition.

Solution: Our contractor carefully removed all base and wall cabinets and transferred them to the garage. Luckily, my husband repurposed them for his workshop, so I don't feel they were wasted. Meanwhile, the soffit was demolished which made way for the new bay window, as well as our sleek new cabinets, island, appliances and corner pantry. Also, designing new cabinets to reach our 9' ceilings maximizes the visual impact of our 9 foot ceilings.

Dysfunctional Countertops