Our clients have (3) young children and preferred a 3′ wide island to integrate meal prep, art projects and homework. Our initial reaction was the kitchen was too narrow for such wide island. That design challenge made the design much stronger. Behind the island we built a 12″ deep storage wall functioning much like a bar back. The base cabinets contain the pantry goods and the open shelves provide easy access to plates and glasses. A new casement window floods the work area with natural light and views of trees beyond.
The oven with a pot filler is tucked into the old porch part of the kitchen. Two new awning windows flank the oven vent and provide views of the surrounding trees and a peekaboo view of Mt. Ranier in the winter.
Behind the island seating, we added a base cabinet with a pull out counter to create a computer station for the children to do homework in the kitchen.
We created a large cased opening between the kitchen and dining room and then added a (3) panel French door and new cedar deck to better connect to the backyard and increase daylight in the space.
We pulled the window and door headers as high as possible to maximize light and views. Black painted windows and doors focus your eye on the outdoors and create an elegant contrast to the modern white cabinets. The lime green island was inspired by a bold lime green plant visible from the backdoor.
We used 1×4 clear fir cladding on the interior of the porch part of the kitchen on the walls and ceiling to provide visual interest and emphasize the room’s prior life as a porch. This was a cost saving move by eliminating the need for an expensive stone backsplash.
We added a box beam ceiling in the kitchen to match the box beam ceiling in the dining room to visually connect those rooms.
Photography by Aaron Leitz.