Storage reimagined
In this eclectic Chester County home, a new kitchen layout and small bump-out for a mudroom doubles the useable space and greatly improves its functionality. As with many homes, the big issue was the need for more storage. The much-used back door opened right into the kitchen, and there was no good place to put coats, bags, umbrellas, dog leashes and shoes. The new mudroom, created by borrowing space from a long, unused porch, has plenty of storage to serve this family's needs. Transom windows and a beautiful glass door let in natural light, giving the space a bright and airy feeling. Creating this mudroom space was essential in allowing the kitchen area to be designed to house all of the kitchen-related items such as smaller appliances and serving dishes.
There is a pantry between the kitchen and dining room, but the clients needed more cabinet space. We redesigned the kitchen layout to include a long island used for prepping, serving and eating, a 36" range, and tucked the refrigerator into a closet space. We like doing this because it prevents a full-depth refrigerator from protruding past the front of the lower cabinets. Open plate storage, innovative pull-down access for higher cabinet shelves, and a bookcase nestled into the end of the island are some of the nice features the clients requested. The beautiful range hood and pot filler add function and style along with the Monogram Advantium 240--a high tech four-in-one oven, capable of speed cooking, convection, microwaving and warming. This is one of the clients' favorite appliances, and putting it at counter height makes it easily and safely accessible to everyone in the family. The window seat provides over-flow seating for when family and friends visit.
In order to let in as much natural light as possible, we added a new, larger window over the kitchen sink, and worked the back windows (over the bench), and the skylight into the new plan. We supplemented daylight with better recessed lights, under cabinet lights and pendants over the island.
Before the renovation, you can see that many household items lined the countertops, in desperate need of a home. The peninsula cut the kitchen in half, making it feel crowded and small, yet there was a lot of wasted space in the middle.
The large display shelf was turned into a cozy loft area. Before the renovation, a ladder was the only way to access the shelf, so it was difficult to keep clean, or change out the display. By going through an upstairs hall closet, we created a safe, convenient entrance to the space. We also added a few feet to the depth to make it usable, enough to fit a multipurpose sofa, perfect for relaxing, reading, or napping. The kids love it!
Contractor: Jeremy Spisak of the Renovo Group