Urban solution - light filled remodeled kitchen by Matt Gibson

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Light filled remodeled kitchen by Matt Gibson

Glazed walls. Wood floors and decking. Island calacatta interior design, living room, real estate, room, gray, brown — Glazed walls. Wood floors and decking. Island calacatta marble. Dark tinted mirror splash back.

Glazed walls. Wood floors and decking. Island calacatta architecture, daylighting, floor, flooring, hardwood, home, house, interior design, living room, real estate, wood, wood flooring, gray

Glazed walls. Wood floors and decking. Island calacatta architecture, ceiling, floor, flooring, hardwood, home, house, interior design, laminate flooring, living room, real estate, wood flooring, white

Glazed walls. Wood floors and decking. Island calacatta floral design, flower, home, interior design, plant, window, brown, white

Glazed walls. Wood floors and decking. Island calacatta architecture, ceiling, countertop, floor, flooring, hardwood, house, interior design, kitchen, laminate flooring, wood flooring, white

Glazed walls. Wood floors and decking. Island calacatta floor, flooring, furniture, hardwood, interior design, kitchen, laminate flooring, living room, room, table, wood, wood flooring, white, brown

Glazed walls. Wood floors and decking. Island calacatta countertop, house, interior design, kitchen, real estate, gray

Glazed walls. Wood floors and decking. Island calacatta architecture, ceiling, daylighting, floor, home, house, interior design, living room, real estate, window, gray

Glazed walls. Wood floors and decking. Island calacatta apartment, architecture, countertop, home, house, interior design, kitchen, living room, real estate, white

Many townhouses are long and narrow, which can pose a problem getting light into the center of the house. This becomes even more critical if the house is extended at the rear.

To solve this conundrum in a remodeled townhouse, architect Matt Gibson enlarged an existing small inner courtyard and provided fully glazed walls to the new living area.

"The house was originally a rabbit warren of dark, enclosed spaces that were very compartmentalized," Gibson says. "The kitchen was in a small extension that was probably added in the '60s or '70s. The owners wanted a much more contemporary, light-filled interior that would be open to the outdoors."

However, Gibson says the extension needed to marry the new with the old.

"Creating a long glazed wall to an inner courtyard was a way to provide a view of the distressed brick walls of the neighboring property, and the existing plastered walls of this house, so you get that sense of history. It also allows light to fill the new kitchen and living space, and provides an outlook to a vertical garden there is a strong link to nature."

Continuity between inside and out is further enhanced by a seamless concrete banquette seat that runs the length of the property, and by the use of similar wooden flooring.

The kitchen island is positioned on the long axis of the house, so it doesn't interrupt the flow of circulation from front to back. A mirrored front to the island and backsplash reflects the vertical garden and natural light.

Because the kitchen is part of the main living space, most of the appliances are integrated into the sleek lacquered cabinetry, with the twin ovens concealed on the back of the island.

Calacatta marble wraps the island, and forms the rear countertop. Here, it has brushed aluminum shadowlines, which complement the crisp, monochromatic look.