Home design ideas: Adding more light and storage to a cramped kitchen

Hardwood floors were being discovered underneath hidden below layers of linoleum in this Southie kitchen area.DAVID WEST/Born Imagery

This South Boston kitchen offered the common issues: not ample storage, not plenty of counter space, not enough daylight. Katie Boucher, a designer at Right Angle Kitchens & Layout, took down a wall to open the kitchen to the residing place, received rid of an unneeded door to the porch, and included home windows. “The kitchen area was relegated to the again and remaining walls,” Boucher suggests. “We reconfigured it into a U-form.” Not one particular to let prospect for storage go to squander, the designer also layered a pantry cabinet around the chimney next to the fridge. “Space comes at a quality in the city—you’ve obtained to make the most of it,” she states.

1 The group identified primary hardwood flooring beneath levels of linoleum. “Preserving them included so a lot character,” Boucher claims. “You can see each and every nail hole.”

2 The dropped ceiling was torn out to restore the room to its 10-foot height, then the cabinetry was introduced all the way up. “It would make sense to capitalize on vertical square footage,” Boucher says.

3 Boucher centered the sink on the back again wall, enlarged the window, and added sconces, turning the tableau into a focal place that is seen when you wander into the home.

4 Brass bistro cabinets authorized the homeowners to centralize their greenery in one sunny place. “No additional operating from one close of the house to the other to drinking water them,” Boucher suggests.

5 Immediately after experimenting with unique hardware finishes, Boucher chose brushed brass simply because it pops versus the dark grey cabinetry. As for her philosophy on mixing metals, the designer advises incorporating extra than 1 factor in each and every finish.

6 To keep within the spending plan, the owners made and designed the hood them selves applying white birch and crown molding leftover from the cabinetry. Painting it white retains the upper place airy.


Marni Elyse Katz is a regular contributor to the World Journal. Mail comments to [email protected].