Kitchen of the Week: A Wall Comes Down and This Kitchen Opens Up
A bump-out and a reconfigured layout create room for a large island, a walk-in pantry and a sun-filled breakfast area
Call it the elephant in the room. Imagine a compact island with a range on it in the middle of a kitchen, except when you stand at the range, instead of looking out to the rest of the kitchen, all you see is a solid wall. That was the glaring problem stampeding the life out of Daniel and Lesli Creedon’s kitchen.
In addition to the fact that the partition blocked visual space, the Creedons had to walk around it to get to the microwave on the other side. After almost two decades of living with the divided work zones and tight passageways, the couple hired designers Jennifer Hall and Stan Khramov to take the wall down and reconfigure the layout for more openness, bring in a larger and better functioning island, and give the space more style.
In addition to the fact that the partition blocked visual space, the Creedons had to walk around it to get to the microwave on the other side. After almost two decades of living with the divided work zones and tight passageways, the couple hired designers Jennifer Hall and Stan Khramov to take the wall down and reconfigure the layout for more openness, bring in a larger and better functioning island, and give the space more style.
After: This photo was taken from basically the same viewpoint as the previous photo. The family’s dog, Winston, relaxes in the bumped out part of the kitchen, which acts as a breakfast area. The bump-out also allowed for a set of French doors on the left that lead out to a new deck, and three walls of windows that flood the new kitchen with natural light and bring in leafy views.
“We can all sit around a table without sitting in each other’s laps,” Lesli says. “I tend to work there when I’m home, and the kids like to sit there too. It’s a really comfortable, welcoming space.”
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“We can all sit around a table without sitting in each other’s laps,” Lesli says. “I tend to work there when I’m home, and the kids like to sit there too. It’s a really comfortable, welcoming space.”
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With the wall removed and the bump-out added, the designers reconfigured the floor plan to create a spacious, airy design that includes a large light blue island (Blue Heather by Benjamin Moore) with a beverage fridge at one end. “The kitchen has much better flow and functionality, and allows for better placement of appliances and the new large island,” Khramov says.
White painted custom cabinets (Cloud White by Benjamin Moore), off-white walls (Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore), white quartz countertops and white Thassos marble backsplash tile with interlocking ribbons help create a bright atmosphere.
Clear glass globe pendants, brushed-nickel cabinet handles and a custom brushed-stainless steel range hood with mirrored stainless steel banding bring a bit of shimmer and elegance. “My vision was [for the space to be] open and airy with touches of bling,” Lesli says.
Foot-like details over the toe kicks give the cabinets a furniture-style look. “This kitchen has just enough detail that keeps it in that middle area between traditional and modern,” Hall says.
Cabinets: Hudson inset door, Rutt HandCrafted Cabinetry; cabinet pulls: transitional in brushed nickel, Richelieu Hardware; apron-front sink: Lancaster, Rohl; faucet: Amberley, Mirabelle
White painted custom cabinets (Cloud White by Benjamin Moore), off-white walls (Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore), white quartz countertops and white Thassos marble backsplash tile with interlocking ribbons help create a bright atmosphere.
Clear glass globe pendants, brushed-nickel cabinet handles and a custom brushed-stainless steel range hood with mirrored stainless steel banding bring a bit of shimmer and elegance. “My vision was [for the space to be] open and airy with touches of bling,” Lesli says.
Foot-like details over the toe kicks give the cabinets a furniture-style look. “This kitchen has just enough detail that keeps it in that middle area between traditional and modern,” Hall says.
Cabinets: Hudson inset door, Rutt HandCrafted Cabinetry; cabinet pulls: transitional in brushed nickel, Richelieu Hardware; apron-front sink: Lancaster, Rohl; faucet: Amberley, Mirabelle
This 4-by-5-foot walk-in pantry replaced a former cramped built-in eating area (see floor plans below). “We were practically sitting on each other, it was so small,” Lesli says.
A pocket door saves floor space, while blue wallpaper on the backs of the shelves coordinates with the island base color. “The wallpaper is my favorite part,” Lesli says. “We even have a charging station inside the pantry. They really found as much space as they could in this kitchen.”
A pocket door saves floor space, while blue wallpaper on the backs of the shelves coordinates with the island base color. “The wallpaper is my favorite part,” Lesli says. “We even have a charging station inside the pantry. They really found as much space as they could in this kitchen.”
A new bar station sits in the area that once contained the fridge. This hardworking area features a round stainless steel sink, a slim dishwasher and a flat-panel microwave drawer.
The arched door on the left leads to the dining room. “The original design was calling for a pocket door, but it felt too closed off,” Khramov says. “The kitchen is now connected to the existing dining room and flows much better.”
The arched door on the left leads to the dining room. “The original design was calling for a pocket door, but it felt too closed off,” Khramov says. “The kitchen is now connected to the existing dining room and flows much better.”
Before Photo
Before: This floor plan of the previous kitchen shows how the range wall in the center awkwardly divided the room.
After: Removing the wall in the center of the kitchen, adding the bump-out and reconfiguring the layout gained space, light and function. “Our family has a place to sit, eat, do homework and gather,” Lesli says. “It’s bright and happy.”
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More on Houzz
How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Get more kitchen design ideas
Find a kitchen designer near you
Shop for kitchen products
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Daniel and Lesli Creedon; their son, Jack; their daughter, Catherine; and their dog, Winston
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Size: 350 square feet (33 square meters)
Designers: Jennifer Hall (kitchen designer) and Stan Khramov (architectural designer) of Winn Design
Before: In addition to the load-bearing partition, seen to the right of the range in this photo, the kitchen had several other elements the homeowners disliked. The dark stained oak cabinets, dark granite countertops and green walls were all features the Creedons felt could go. “The green walls looked like a pretty apple green or a horrible neon green, depending on the time of the day,” says Lesli, who used inspiration images in a Houzz ideabook to help communicate what she wanted to her designers.
The design team removed the load-bearing wall and the roof, added a six-foot bump-out that increased the size of the kitchen by 100 square feet, and added a massive steel beam across the ceiling to support the new roof in place of the load-bearing wall.
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