It is difficult to add space to a kitchen when it is twelve stories in the air. Since we couldn't do an addition, we opened the kitchen to the adjacent dining room and made it a multipurpose space. This was accomplished not only by joining the kitchen and dining room, but by incorporating two movable tables and cabinetry that provides additional storage and can hide the mess when necessary. On a daily basis the adjacent area functions as a work space, a family room, a TV viewing place, and a craft room. Often one table is "attached" to the kitchen island, while the other is in the adjacent area next to a large "L-shaped" built-in banquette. For more formal occasions, the TV is closed, and the two tables can be joined in numerous configurations to create a formal dining area. We also had to incorporate a laundry area in the kitchen, and disguise the rear entrance as much as possible.

The first picture shows the "before" kitchen that we designed in 1991. To view the article on this previous kitchen click here. The earlier kitchen had maple cabinets; the recent one has cabinets in rift white oak with a horizontal grain. A few cabinets were moved or modified, but for the most part only the fronts were redone the second time around.

Kitchens Home

Steve Wettengel of Wettengel Woodworking made these cabinets for us.