Two Cooks, One Small-Space Kitchen

Limited Room

When quarters are tight, layout is critical. Consider this hardworking kitchen, configured by designer Heidi Piron for serious cooks Liza and Peter Tulloch. Owners of a 70-year-old Colonial Revival in Summit, New Jersey, they had two kids, one dog, and lots of ideas when they asked Piron to improve the workings of their 110-square-foot kitchen. She did so without changing its footprint, and left the sink under the window so Liza could keep an eye on the kids.

She also converted an out-of-the-way broom closet into a message center that doubles as a storage-packed serving area. To make the room seem larger, she suggested glass subway tile and other light-reflecting finishes, like pale granite and red-oak flooring. The cabinets fit together precisely, with a pullout for spices and oils, squeezed in near the range, "in a frameless cabinet, which offers a bit more space inside than one with an inset door," Piron notes. Says Liza, "As the space was quite limited, every inch was thoughtfully maximized."

Pictured: In a space that is all right angles, rounded shelves soften the cabinets' crisp lines.