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Kitchen of the Week: Connected, Open Oregon Remodel
Removing a chimney, a half-cabinet and a countertop helped create elbow room and an open flow for a galley-style kitchen in Portland
This previously closed off and outdated kitchen just wasn't working for a family of five in Portland, Oregon. With three home-schooled children in the house most days, they needed a space that was open and connected to the rest of the home. Designer Michael Howells of Howells Architecture + Design wanted to give the family a space that was timeless, durable and practical.
"My goal is always the same with kitchen remodels: to design a kitchen that will be a lasting success," he says. "It's easy to design something that looks good and works well now, but can it also look good and function well for 50 years?" A simple palette, period reproduction accents and connected dining spaces gave this family the style and practicality they were looking for.
"My goal is always the same with kitchen remodels: to design a kitchen that will be a lasting success," he says. "It's easy to design something that looks good and works well now, but can it also look good and function well for 50 years?" A simple palette, period reproduction accents and connected dining spaces gave this family the style and practicality they were looking for.
| The layout of the renovated kitchen is essentially a refinement of the previous kitchen's floor plan. The space is still galley style, set off from the dining room, and runs through to the back of the house. Including the breakfast area, the entire kitchen is about 225 square feet. Gray-blue Heath Ceramics tile and recycled glass countertops add visual texture to the otherwise streamlined space. Durable oak flooring was chosen to match the existing flooring in the rest of the house. Cabinetry: custom cherry, designed by the architect, fabricated by Wolf & Son; backsplash: Blue Fog, Heath Ceramics; countertop: IceStone |
| A custom diner-style Formica table embraces the kitchen's retro roots. Direct access to the outdoors embraces the family's active lifestyle and opens the room up to natural light. To take full advantage of the storage space along the galley kitchen's walls, Howells took out the soffits from the original kitchen and extended the cabinetry all the way up to the ceiling. Table: Bars & Booths; chairs: Fritz Hansen; lighting: Rejuvenation |
The cherrywood cabinetry was chosen based on a beautiful cherry cabinet in the owners' living room and the rich colors of their musical instrument collection. A light countertop contrasts the dark wood. "Plus, food always looks good against a white surface," says Howells. The tile color blends with the warm walls for subtle color.
Sink: Shaws; faucet: Rohls
Sink: Shaws; faucet: Rohls
| BEFORE: Originally, there was a chimney set in the wall between the kitchen and the dining room, restricting the size of the doorway. Howells and his team removed the chimney to open up the space — a bigger challenge than they anticipated. |
| AFTER: Now the two spaces are completely open, yet separate, from each other. "I like that you can work anywhere in it, and be in easy dialogue and eye contact with someone sitting at the breakfast table or dining table," says Howells. Range, hood: Thermador; refrigerator, dishwasher: KitchenAid |
BEFORE: The breakfast nook was awkwardly separated from the kitchen as well. A partial wall and a cabinet separated the eating area from the kitchen and restricted the flow of light from the back door.
AFTER: Integrating cabinetry that extends all the way to the ceiling increased storage space, allowing Howells to take out the half-cabinet and the countertop that were blocking the breakfast area. A built-in cherry bench keeps the flow from the eating area to the cooking area completely seamless. "The bench really transforms what had been a very poky, poorly functioning part of the room," says Howells.
Contractor: Recraft
More: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Contractor: Recraft
More: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Comments
lmdavis1004 Very nice! What is the color used on the walls?
11 months ago · Like
jeffmkeller Gasp! No microwave!
11 months ago · Like
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Angela Todd Designs Nice work Michael Howells. You make Oregon proud!
11 months ago · Like
shawnaleeah Airy and organized. Lovely.
11 months ago · Like
veegeecee What is involved in removing a chimney? We have one stuck right in the middle of our kitchen wall, that will seriously limit our options if we try to open the wall up to the dining room. It is a chimney from a now defunct oil heater. Goes from crawlspace floor and out the roof (of course) of our one story home.
11 months ago · Like
Howells Architecture + Design, LLC Veegeecee, without seeing the actual space and the particular chimney I'm afraid I can't be of much help. You should have a professional contractor assess this component of your kitchen remodel. And as an architect, I always believe kitchen renos are best with an architect as part of the team too so if you're considering something like this, be sure you have professional help for optimal results. Good luck! --Michael Howells
11 months ago · Like
18fiotyrizoty18 nice work I have to say!
7 months ago · Like
Howells Architecture + Design, LLC lmdavis, the color on the walls is Philadelphia Cream by Benjamin Moore.
7 months ago · Like
Ideabook updated on June 24, 2012.
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