Smooth lines

Achieving the most from a modest-sized space can be approached on several fronts. Everything from designated cabinet interiors to extended sight lines can gain space, or the illusion of it. However, the layout presents the best opportunity to utilize all of the available floor area.

This small, two-bedroom home has a combined study-kitchen-dining-living space. The interior designers, Simona Castagna and Darren Genner, were asked to make the room more user-friendly and gain maximum mileage from the limited area.

"Our first step was to completely reorganize, removing the existing U-shaped kitchen, which encroached heavily on the room," says Genner. "Instead we ran the new kitchen along one wall, reclaiming the room's central floor space. We also remodeled the adjacent laundry room, and the new kitchen's linear countertop is extended past the door jamb into this area.

"This creates a mirror image of the kitchen along the laundry room wall, allowing the rooms to run together visually. The laundry space was also used as a home for the new pantry."

The original kitchen had not only interrupted the through-flow, it also had dead areas of cabinetry space in the two corners of the countertop.

"Because the cabinetry now runs along the wall, there are no hard-to-access nooks," Genner says. "The new design uses space efficiently, with the aubergine laminate cabinetry featuring the latest Blumotion organizational interiors. Everything has a specific purpose, including the end piece a utility drawer serving the perpendicular bench that the owners use as a desk and computer station."

With space gained by the reconfiguration, the designers were able to extend the countertop from a depth of 24in to 30in. This gave more workspace, and drawers and cupboards below reach the full depth again maximizing storage capacity.

"Overhead, the wooden cabinetry doors open out and up," says the designer. This means someone at the counter can leave these cupboards open without having to dodge them as they work."

Above the wooden cabinets are white lacquer cabinets that are used for general storage.

"Every aspect of this remodeling project works to maximize a sense of space," Genner says. "The white, uppermost cabinetry has a reflective sheen that bounces light around the room. Similarly, the back-painted, green glass backsplash reflects the garden beyond the windows on the opposite side of the room."

New floors were also laid, matching existing floorboards in the hallway. The new boards continue from the living room into the laundry room. The sight line created by the layout is accentuated by this extended run of floorboards.

"Even the elongated cabinetry handles add to the impression of a long, linear space," says Genner. "We also integrated the appliances, to give a furniture-like feel to the kitchen. This was particularly appropriate given the room's diverse uses."

Story by: Charles Moxham