Three Rooms Become One: After
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Open up three spaces arranged like a barbell and suddenly you've got breathing room. For 10 years, Michael and Susan Assadi, serious cooks, parents of two young children, and owners of a 1924 house in Seattle, fought a skinny little kitchen that had a breakfast room stuck at one end and a dismal den at the other. The kitchen had an electric cooktop with a downdraft vent embedded in a traffic-slowing peninsula, and not enough storage or prep space.
Finally, Michael, an engineer, tapped his computer-assisted design skills to help solve the problem, deleting walls at either end and a door to the basement in the middle. Working with cabinet designer Lisa Wilson and her design-build firm Builder Showroom, the couple gutted all three rooms, added insulation, pipes, wiring, and ductwork, and reorganized the layout so that two could cook at once. The den became a dining and homework spot, and the breakfast room an airy walk-in pantry. “The island gives us extra prep space,” says Michael, “and when guests arrive we simply wheel it to one side.” Boom—room for everyone.
Shown: Opened up at each end, the kitchen has a cleanup zone on one side, prep and cooking space on the other, and an island floating at the middle.
Island: Crate & Barrel
Pendant lights: Restoration Hardware
Paint: 2028-30 Tequila Lime (walls); benjaminmoore.com
Sink: julien.ca
Refrigerator and dishwasher: kitchenaid.com
Three Odd Spaces: Before
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It was a challenge for two people to cook and keep an eye on the kids.
It's a Reach
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A library-ladder rail runs between two rows of upper cabinets. Twin wall ovens and a pro-style cooktop with a pot filler and a stainless-steel-tile backsplash make meal prep a breeze.
Cooktop: Wolf
Wall ovens: GE
Range hood: Vent-a-Hood
Tile: Eden Mosaic
Library ladder and rail: putnamrollingladder.com
On the Surface
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A countertop beneath open shelves in the pantry, near the door, catches keys and cell phones. The library ladder slides along a rail anchored just under the top cabinets on 2×4s masked with trim pieces.
Spacious Nosh Nook
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Banquette seating and built-in storage maximize space in the eating nook.
Homeowner Tip: “To keep our galley kitchen from looking like a bowling alley, we ran beadboard across the ceiling, perpendicular to the floorboards, to help the room feel wider.” — Michael Assadi, Seattle
Cabinets: Canyon Creek Cabinet Company
Butcher-block table top: johnboos.com
Banquette fabric: maxwellfabrics.com
Flat screen: sony.com
Paintings: threebirdshome.com
Beautiful from Top to Bottom
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New red-oak floorboards blend in with existing flooring. The ceiling was finished with beadboard running in the opposite direction to help visually widen the long, narrow space.
Pantry, Plus Party Bar
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The former breakfast room became a spacious walk-in pantry with a hutch-like built-in. During parties it becomes a bar.
Knobs and pulls: Schaube and Company
Compact Mudroom
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The mini mudroom has hooks, drawers, and baskets to catch bags and outerwear just inside the heavily trafficked back door.
Coat hooks: restorationhardware.com
Gleaming Ceramic Tile Accent
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Bright white subway tile sets off the light-filled cleanup zone.
Sink: Julien. Faucet: Grohe. Paint (walls): Benjamin Moore's Tequila Lime
Microwave Niche
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A niche for the microwave gives it a built-in look. The custom appliance garage has its own outlets and a stainless-steel roll-down door.
Microwave: whirlpool.com
Flip-Down Island Countertop
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The island's solid-plank countertop mimics butcher block. It has a side that flips down to ease traffic flow when not in use.
Barbell Shape: Floor Plan Before
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The kitchen was small and trapped between rooms.
Easy Flow: Floor Plan After
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A 360-square-foot open plan holds the new kitchen, eating nook, pantry, even a mini mudroom.
1. Removed a wall to open the space and allow the eating nook to move to the former den.
2. Eliminated the peninsula, making way for a small island.
3. Tucked a mudroom built-in behind the back door.
4. Rejiggered this area, relocating access to the basement and removing a partition wall next to the old fridge.
5. Added prep space (and a gas line) to serve the relocated cooktop.
6. Took out a wall and cased opening to the breakfast room to create a wide-open pantry.