Built in 1948 and home to a couple who have enjoyed their house for many years, it was about time to design a more functional and appealing kitchen in order to satisfy the wife’s passion for cooking, baking, and entertaining. The newly built kitchen was designed to accommodate their grandchildren and other family members, along with close friends while maintaining style and blending contemporary elements with traditional looks. She was in need of more storage space that can be accessed easily, a comfortable place for people to sit, better lighting, and a more functional laundry space. These needs were met with a variety of different solutions. Since storage was a must, spaces at the ends of the cabinets were created for dishes because the amount of wall space for cabinetry was very limited. These cabinets were designed to be shallower to access the items easily. The Rift Cut Oak wood island was designed carefully to accomplish the wife’s request to have a “zen” taste and feeling in the room, with added spice pull out and more storage for pots, pans and silverware. Creating an island rather than a peninsula was a key to ease the traffic throughout the space. The large and uninterrupted surface was designed for eating, baking, and work area, as well as “buffet” style entertaining. The new range was kept adjacent to the sink in order to safely transport hot items without having to carry them across traffic areas. The laundry space was improved by creating a surface for folding, extra storage, and a convenient place to store an ironing board, mops, and brooms. Bi-fold doors covering the laundry area created an extra place to hide items when entertaining guests. A docking/message station was added at the end of the baking/breakfast area as a charging station for electronics to keep them away from the prep area. To improve the lighting in the kitchen, new sun light tubes were installed to provide natural lighting, along with LED recessed and under cabinet lights, which overall creates a brighter and more welcoming environment.