Brian J. McGarry Interiors

Kitchen & Bathroom Designers , Universal Design

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Brian J. McGarry Interiors

13 Reviews

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

This project was very rewarding. The kitchen was tight, dark and cluttered. The washer and dryer shared the space and the front of the kitchen was walled off from the rest of the house except for a narrow pass through and a door off to the corner. We took out the wall and put in a beam for support, opening the space and letting the light come through to the dining area. We put in a useful island that holds the food for the client's varied pets (including two full sized collies) as well as providing a spot to tuck the dog's bowls out of the traffic area. We moved the washer and dryer out of the kitchen and on the other side of the wall in to the garage. We took the wall cabinets to the ceiling and added rich cheery wood, wonderful glass tile for the backs plash and gorgeous Volga Blue granite to the tops. Led fixtures throughout updated the lighting. The client kept their fairly new range and dishwasher; we added a new counter depth refrigerator and a built in microwave. Lots of great full extension storage keeps everything accessible.

Project Cost: $50,001 - $75,000

Country: United States

This view really shows to the left of the photo the end of the old wall that came across the room and cut the space off. The bulkhead above has hvac and the support beam running through it and was necessary to keep.

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

Great view of this open, well lit kitchen. The front of the island was originally a wall with a small pass through; it cut off the light and the view from the window.

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

This view emphasizes the tight, built in usefulness of this wall. The counter depth refrigerator looks nearly built in without the expense of a fully built in refrigerator. I find the microwave is best placed nest to the refrigerator as what goes in it typically is coming out of the fridge.

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

A great view of the complete space; the door to the right is to the garage. We were able to place two mini led fixtures from Juno lighting below the hvac duct to light the island. The new oak floor in the kitchen was added when the wall came out.

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

This photo shows the new openness of the space; the door to the garage is to the left; the original entrance door to the kitchen was to the right of the door to the garage, directly under the hvac duct. You can also note the continuation of the oak floor from the dining room in to the newly opened...

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

Detail of the back of the island showing the space we planned in to store the dog bowls. The client can also pull the bowls out and pull up a stool to sit at the island and plan a meal. Note the new wood floor.

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

Electrical codes and practicality require electrical outlets in islands. Often the outlets are not very accessible, under a counter top overhang, etc.; this great device from Mockett pops up when needed to provide easy access to gfi protected electricity.

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

Really rich glass tile off the Volga Blue granite surface provides a great play of light. The counter top is from Marblex, the tile was sourced through Renaissance Tile.

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

Full extension glide roll outs add tons of pantry space right in the kitchen. The appliance garage was a great idea to fill the deep space beside the cabinet. Working with Kountry Kraft cabinets let me custom design the storage cabinet and the custom depth hinged corner wall cabinet in the upper...

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

More excellent use of a small space; easy access for the cook. The way the cabinet run worked out on this side of the kitchen we had this space to fill; it worked out great.

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

Wide cabinets are always more cost effective as the basic cost of building the cabinet is only expanded by more materials. We find it also makes sense to minimize the cost of drawer mechanisms and merely pay for inexpensive drawer partitions to keep things organized.

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

Full extension glide roll outs with upgraded mechanismas to handle the weight of pots and pans.

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

The dining room side of the island was put together with a 13" deep cabinet to hold cookbooks, etc. The door hidden to the left stores the Christmas dinnerware. All of these things handy, but out of sight.

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

Again the washer and dryer; we saw in an earlier photo the refrigerator, micro and lots of storage in their place. We moved the laundry area to the other side of the wall in to the garage.

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

This photo shows the pass through in the original layout; the refrigerator is to the left, sticking out in to the entranceway. When the fridge was opened it was difficult to enter the kitchen; the entrance door was just to the left of the fridge..

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen

Do those pans look accessible? Only if you are in the NBA! These people needed more accessible storage desperately. That fixture was the whole of the lighting in the kitchen. You can see to the left the wall separating the kitchen from the rest of the house.

Maryland Open Light Filled Kitchen