Before and After: A Unique Kitchen with Maximum Storage and Giant Island

My clients in Castro Valley had some very unique challenges with their kitchen. They had a ton of kitchenware with no place to put it. With children and pets all taking up space in the home, the kitchen became a central dumping ground for everything.

Challenges

Limited counter space, a tiny island cooktop, and inefficient storage made this kitchen difficult to navigate. And while I personally like glass cabinets, my client didn’t want their mismatching dishes exposed. A hodgepodge of random storage cabinets made the space look chaotic. My client also expressed the need for more seating especially during the holidays

The Plan

1. A Giant Island.
   I designed a giant island to serve not only as storage but also double as seating. My client indicated that she didn’t want people eating on bar stools so I stepped the island down by 6″ on the window side to create a comfortable eating area.
2. Appliance Garage
   My client owned tons and tons of small appliances ranging from coffee makers and stand mixers to rice cookers and soda machines. These things look unsightly scattered all over the counters so I designed an appliance garage to house all the small appliances. When in use, she can open the doors to reveal workstation. And close the doors when company comes over.
3. I moved the stovetop to the wall and included more surrounding counter space for easier cooking.
4. My client requested two sinks so I placed one on the island and one under the window.
5. Long track lighting provides focused and flexible light over the island.
6. A matte off-white geometric tile gives the backsplash subtle interest.

Results

This kitchen looks unrecognizable from before. The custom muted gray green slab cabinets paint a serene backdrop punctuated by warm oak shelving and drawers. Marbled quartz counters provide a durable and beautiful surface to prep food.

Maple floors help to lighten the room. Black fixtures and track lighting add the right amount of contrast. To save money, my client reused their existing fridge. They plan on getting something more built-in once this one breaks.

We added more storage under the seating area and painted it black to add contrast. Wood elbow chairs complement the color scheme. We moved the microwave down into the island by using a microwave drawer.

Final Thoughts

Full disclosure, this was not a cheap renovation. A lot of costs went into labor and moving major fixtures. But regardless of the costs, we can still glean a couple of design principles from this project.

1. Don’t be afraid of doing something unconventional with the floor plan. A giant island with multiple levels can serve as both a prep surface and eating area.
2. Use natural materials like wood to add warmth and texture.
3. In large spaces, use contrasting elements to break up the room.
4. Drawers are more expensive but generally provide more useful storage than door cabinets.
5. When using slab cabinetry, think carefully about how you break up the doors to create balance and harmony

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