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The typical town house has a narrow galley kitchen, lacks natural light and is walled-off from the home’s living area. Some townhouse kitchens are so narrow it’s hard to get a 36” aisle down the middle. A small addition can often make a huge impact. Even a small narrow galley kitchen can be dramatically improved with thoughtful planning and design that maximizes every inch of kitchen space.
A couple recently downsized from a suburban detached home to a 1920s urban townhouse and required a new kitchen. Located in one of the city’s historic districts the couple considered their new abode a long-term “retirement home” and wanted a new design to fit their lifestyle. The dark narrow galley kitchen had to go. The couple enjoyed chatting with guests while preparing meals which meant that the wall between the dining room and kitchen had to be opened up. To provide space for a small breakfast table and expanded kitchen, a small addition was built on the footprint of an old rear porch.
Small Addition
The clients knew that sacrificing their rear porch to build a kitchen extension was a smart use of space. Simulated stucco panels, and casement windows fit gracefully with the older home. The sensitive design easily received approval from the DC Historic Preservation Office.
An existing rear basement stair was accommodated by placing the new addition on masonry piers. Properly insulated at all exposures, heated with hot water baseboard, and supplemented with electric radiant floor heat, guarantees the addition will stay cozy in the winter.
Windows and a glass door wrap the corner of the little addition providing garden views from the breakfast table and ample sunshine. A custom 24” x 30” walnut breakfast table was designed to fit the space perfectly.
Opening up the Wall
Every inch matters in a small kitchen. Taking out the wall between the dining room and kitchen added 6” in width to the galley kitchen. By encroaching 12” into the dining room with base cabinets, storage was enhanced and dining room furniture minimized. Frosted glass cabinet doors provide visual interest with storage for the dining room. The addition provides extra length for the galley kitchen and two straight runs of cabinetry are a most efficient layout; there are no dead corner cabinets to waste space. The kitchen retains visual definition from the dining room because of the wide low-spring arch that divides the two spaces. Defined, but open, the arch resembles others in the residence and acts as a proscenium arch for the kitchen as the couple prepares dinner for their guests.
Details that Maximize
Small kitchens rely on a host of design features to maximize space. Cabinets with roll-out shelving and functional accessories use space wisely. For this kitchen unused space was found under a stair to tuck in a pantry. Glass cabinet doors, mixed with solid doors, create a sense of lightness, pattern, and movement. With glass cabinet doors one can experience the extra depth of the cabinet to create the illusion of more space. In this kitchen oak floors were continued from the adjacent space to enhance the flow. White painted cabinets are always light, bright and traditional; and in this case the backsplash of white 3” x 6” subway tile continues a 1920s period style. A manmade counter top of Caesar Stone is practical and attractive. An existing cooling duct and a new exhaust duct within a bulkhead minimize visual clutter. A steel beam supports the brick above the new opening at the rear addition and allows the new and old spaces to appear seamless.
New Dining Room Furniture Plan
The open plan kitchen fits the client’s informal lifestyle, and spurred our design team to tackle the useless “formal dining room” problem to further maximize space. Their traditional dining room table in the middle of the room was sold, and a new smaller table, with pull-out leaves, was purchased to be placed against the wall. When more seating is required for guests the table is pulled away from the wall, centered in the room, and expands to seat eight. Flexible track lighting suits both furniture configurations. Two upholstered, host and hostess chairs with arms were specified for permanent use and smaller, armless chairs for guests, were placed in various rooms of the house until needed. With some additional upholstered seating the old dining room can double as a sitting room with a character appropriate to the homeowner’s informal lifestyle.
Upon completing the remodeling the homeowners “were pleasantly surprised by the amount of sunlight streaming into the kitchen and dining room – what a difference from their old gloomy galley kitchen.” The design and construction team hit the right balance of efficient use of space and comfortable style.
Bruce Wentworth, AIA is an architect and remodeling contractor. He is president of Wentworth, Inc. a residential design/build firm. Visit www.wentworthstudio.com or www.askthearchitect.org |
