Eclectic Kitchen Renovation Transitional Kitchen, Ottawa

Photos by Doublespace PhotographyKitchen at a GlanceWho lives here: A family with one child in college and another in high school. At the time of the remodel, they had recently relocated to Canada from Iran.Location: Ottawa, CanadaDesigner: Nathan Kyle, Astro Design CentreSize: About 160 square feet (15 square meters)Tip: If you can’t find a tile pattern you like, you can have one custom designed.The beam that runs across the kitchen in front of the range and side entry door in this photo marks the place where a wall used to separate the kitchen and a side hallway. The house is a 1940s cottage, and the side hallway and entrance had been added by a previous owner. The kitchen island seen here is a big part of the room’s new design. “A lot of people today don’t want a work triangle,” Kyle says. “When two people are working in the kitchen at the same time, they will get in each other’s way in the triangle.” Instead, he designed workstations with the large island (60 by 42 inches) as the hub. There are separate areas for unloading groceries, prepping food and loading dishes into the dishwasher near the sink. The island countertop is a beautiful walnut butcher block with a chevron pattern instead of the typical slat lines or square blocks. The walnut was roasted to remove the moisture and then oiled. The couple can chop directly on this surface. “You can keep it pristine, but I feel scratches and stains are made with love,” Kyle says.