New kitchen and breakfast room in large addition, with off-white cabinets, mahogany island

Traditional kitchen remodel with furniture-style island, large pantry, butler's pantry, mud room, vaulted wood-lined ceiling, indoor-outdoor flow

This traditional kitchen offers a wealth of storage, cabinetry, countertop, cuisine classique, interior design, kitchen, real estate, room, window, gray — This traditional kitchen offers a wealth of storage, with cabinets incorporating the latest hardware technology.

While the perimeter cabinetry in off-white lacquer has cabinetry, ceiling, countertop, cuisine classique, interior design, kitchen, room, gray

A new raked ceiling element helps to define architecture, ceiling, daylighting, floor, home, house, interior design, gray

A new addition to this traditional 1980s house ceiling, daylighting, floor, flooring, hardwood, home, house, interior design, living room, lobby, real estate, wood flooring, gray

A mud room with a sliding barn door ceiling, floor, flooring, hardwood, home, house, interior design, real estate, room, wood flooring, white, gray

Corner detailing makes the island seem more of ceiling, countertop, daylighting, home, interior design, kitchen, light fixture, lighting, room, table, gray, white

The cabinetry was painted to match the existing cabinetry, ceiling, countertop, cuisine classique, floor, flooring, hardwood, home, interior design, kitchen, light fixture, lighting, room, gray

Glass sliding doors can screen the pantry on countertop, interior design, kitchen, real estate, room, gray, black

This large pantry occupies the space formerly taken cabinetry, countertop, home, home appliance, interior design, kitchen, refrigerator, room, shelf, shelving, gray

Other features of the family living area include cabinetry, countertop, cuisine classique, home appliance, interior design, kitchen, black, gray

The modern household is a highly social space a place where everyone likes to feel connected and part of the family unit.

So it's not surprising that kitchens cut off from the rest of a family living area are literally on the way out.

That was the scenario that set the scene for this expansive remodeling project, which was designed by architect Jim Rill of Rill Architects. Rill says the existing kitchen had no connection to the family area or to the back yard.

"No communication was possible between someone working in the kitchen and a person in the family room," he says. "And there was no indoor-outdoor flow. The solution required a large addition to provide space for a bigger kitchen and breakfast room."

In designing the addition, Rill created a bank of windows that sit flush with the kitchen cabinets. The connection with the rear yard is further reinforced by tall windows and glass doors in the adjoining breakfast room. The doors lead out to a garden and attractive alfresco porch.

"Built in the 1980s, this is quite a traditional brick house, and the new kitchen needed to work with the architecture," says Rill. "The owners wanted a refined look, but they didn't want the design to be overstated. It needed to be elegant, yet casual, so it would be well suited to formal and informal entertaining."

With this in mind, the design team created off-white cabinetry with recessed panel doors and mouldings that echo the millwork elsewhere.

"The color and the trim tie in with the existing crown mouldings, columns, balustrades and railings, so no one element seems more important than the other," says Rill. "The island, on the other hand, acts as a stand-alone object in dark-stained mahogany. We played up the corners a little with grander detailing so it has a stronger presence, much like a large piece of furniture."

Rill also introduced glass display cabinets, with small panes that replicate the exterior windows. Interior lights help to enliven the look.

The sense of connection between the kitchen and breakfast room and rest of the house is enhanced by a long, raked wood ceiling with off-white beams and trusses. This makes a bold statement in the center of the family area.

"We like to differentiate the spaces within a large, open-plan area by the ceiling treatment," says Rill. "It's also a way to introduce a little playfulness, rhythm and drama to the interior."

Other key features of the remodel include a large pantry that occupies the original kitchen space. This is used for storing items used less often.

"This room has glass doors, so that the light coming in the windows pours through to a new butler's pantry in the passage beyond," says the architect. "Natural light always pulls you into a space, so we have deliberately ensured these areas are light and airy."

The butler's pantry has similar cabinetry, but in dark mahogany. The remodel also includes a mud room with a sliding barn door.