When the fridge blocks an exterior door and the counters are so shallow that the dishwasher sticks out, you know you’ve got problems. But for Aida Pollard and Jon Maloy, the cockeyed configuration of their kitchen was the least of it. "I love to prepare quick, easy meals," says Aida, "but with only one small window for ventilation, it got so hot I could barely be in there 15 minutes." After 20 years of living with the pinched cooking quarters in their 1949 cottage, the couple knew where to turn: the Austin, Texas, design-build firm CG&S, where Aida works as business manager.
Architect Stewart Davis devised a plan to take down the wall separating the kitchen and dining room, bringing in air and light by allowing the kitchen to annex a window and expand by about 50 square feet. "Meal prep no longer feels like solitary confinement," says Aida, pointing to a peninsula that allows her to chat with friends and family while dicing onions.
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