Cabinet Ideas for Every Room

A Real Life Kitchen - Before and After

A spacious kitchen is the envy of many a homeowner who suffers with a cramped kitchen that has nowhere to expand. What Terry and Lida Cotton learned was that big doesn´t necessarily translate into smart.

Their kitchen had more than 180 sq. ft. of space and it was equipped with all of the amenities typically included in kitchens 40 years ago. But for the Cottons and their two children living in the year 2000, it was neither comfortable nor convenient. Changing lifestyles have created different expectations for our homes and consequently, what was acceptable in 1960, may not function as well for a family living at the dawn of the 21st century.

The story of how the Cottons got the kitchen they wanted originally appeared in Today´s Homeowner magazine. We´re sharing this story because it has valuable Organomics™ lessons for anyone planning a kitchen, whether you´re building or remodeling.

Living with the "Before"

The kitchen´s 13' x 14' dimensions and the location of the range, refrigerator and sink, each on a different wall, required too many steps for an efficient work space or work triangle. Lida Cotton described the refrigerator as "out of the loop," and she wished there was a better place to conceal the trashcan than in the pantry, next to the food.

Then there was the planning desk that took up valuable counter space. A pass-through right next to the door to the breakfast room made no sense.

At the same time, the space felt dim and claustrophobic, with cabinets on all four walls, a standard 8-foot ceiling and very little natural light. Although the room adjoined both the family room and breakfast room, the kitchen’s four walls isolated the cook from family activities.

Formulating the Plan

The Cottons´ top two priorities for their kitchen were to make it more functional and to open it up so that it would "flow" into the adjoining rooms. Certified Kitchen Designer Laura Lawrence came up with a plan that envisioned removing the walls that separated the kitchen from the breakfast room and the family room/den, relocating doorways and adding a second sink.

1. A large, new L-shaped island replaced two walls and defined the boundaries of the kitchen while leaving it comfortably open to the other rooms. The side of the island adjoining the family room has a raised snack bar that is a favorite place for the children to do their homework. The other leg of the island forms the boundary between kitchen and breakfast room. With the wall removed, light from the breakfast room floods into the kitchen. The cabinets facing the breakfast room provide additional storage.
2. Although the range and refrigerator remain near their original locations, they are now linked by a continuous countertop into which a second sink has been incorporated. The addition of this second sink creates a food prep center strategically located between the food storage and cooking zones.
3. The main sink has been relocated and positioned on a diagonal, at the opposite corner of the kitchen, creating a sink zone that is easily accessible to both the breakfast room/eating zone and the cooking zone. Yet it is out of the way of the main food prep zone, and creates space for the kids to help themselves to refreshments or snacks without getting in the way. It´s also a second work space whenever there´s a second cook in the kitchen.
4. A small second island at the center of the kitchen centralizes the trash and recycling bins and creates an additional work surface convenient to all the other kitchen zones.
5. The planning desk was moved out of the kitchen to the breakfast room, away from the most intense area of activity, but still in close proximity.

Details

The Cottons selected Merillat´s cherry cabinets in a traditional raised-panel style for their new kitchen. Because the Cottons selected Merillat, Designer Lawrence had access to a whole collection of Merillat Organomics™ solutions that could be applied to make their new kitchen more functional and efficient.

• The food preparation and cooking benefited most from the Organomic redesign of the Cottons´ kitchen. The two zones flow logically into one another in one corner of the kitchen. There´s a Cutting Board Kit near the prep sink.
• Positioned strategically in the corner, between the two zones, is an Appliance Garage concealing blender, food processor, and other small appliances.
• In the cooking zone, a base cabinet fitted with deep drawers provides efficient, pull-out storage for pots and pans on one side of the range. On the other side, a Base Tray Divider Roll-out provides storage for baking sheets and other large flat items.
• The small center island, which is easily accessible to both the preparation/cooking zone and the sink zone, houses a Base Recycling Center and trash compactor - away from any food storage.
• In the sink zone, the dishwasher has been raised six inches off the floor to make it easier to load and unload. A Tableware Tray tucked into a nearby drawer keeps flatware organized.
• A key storage addition is the island cabinetry facing the breakfast room. Here Lida Cotton found space to store her five sets of china, convenient to both the eating and sink zones. There´s also an Open Shelf that keeps cookbooks neat and readily accessible.
• Roll-out Trays in the pantry and other base cabinets maximize storage and minimize the effort needed to reach each item. "Roll-out Trays, deep drawers and carefully chosen accessories make each cabinet more functional," observes Designer Laura Lawrence.
• The relocated planning desk now includes a File Drawer to keep family records organized, and organizers for bills and other current paperwork.

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