USA Kitchen Trends US Kitchen Trends Vol. 30/09 | Page 61

As the hub of the modern home, the kitchen
has to be light and welcoming, with plenty of
room to move. However, when available space
is limited, the options include borrowing from
nearby areas or evoking a sense of spaciousness
through color and tone.
For this contemporary kitchen, architect
Lindy Small followed both these design paths.
The house, which has spectacular views of a
bay, was formerly rather dark, and broken into
small rooms with an inefficient circulation.
“As part of the wider remodel, the owners
wanted a large, open-plan living space with an

airy presence,” says Small. “So there had to be
plenty of natural light and cross ventilation.”
Small gained additional space for the new
kitchen in two ways. First, a double-height
void, rising from the level below, was closed
in, freeing up a corner of the room. Second,
the architect removed two constraining walls
between the kitchen and dining areas.
“We added large windows at the rear of the
kitchen, a corner window in the dining area,
and enhanced the indoor-outdoor flow,” Small
says. “In another move, we raised the ceilings
and installed ash panels on the living room

Preceding pages and above left:
Raised ceilings, new windows and
a two-tone palette of white and
wood give this kitchen a light-filled,
expansive presence.
Top and above: The new kitchen
contains a wealth of storage – both
in the floor-to-ceiling unit and in
the perimeter and island cabinetry.
Long, slender cabinet handles and
a prominent grain in the wood both
emphasize a horizontality that makes
the kitchen seem larger than it is.

search | save | share at my.trendsideas.com

59