Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Small Kitchen Made Big

Before Photo
This small, dated, and cramped kitchen nestled in the beautiful hills of Silverlake was in dire need of help. It was not functional, nor did it fit the style of rest of the home, a very cute mid century modern house.

So a renovation was in order.

Our goal was to make the kitchen appear bigger using same footprint by utilizing the space better and bringing in more light.

It's not always necessary to bust out a wall to make a kitchen bigger.

Utilizing vertical space it key in smaller spaces like this one.  In this case we had to remove the soffits.   Always do exploratory holes to see what is behind them before you go tearing anything out.  There was nothing behind our clients soffit's so out they went.

Taking out the soffit not only opens up the space and makes it feel bigger,  but it also allows you to take the cabinets higher, which draws your eye up , making space feel bigger.

The nature inspired color palette we chose here also helps space feel more open and welcoming. Connecting the indoor to the outdoor expands a space.
Design By: Erica Islas / EMI Interior Design, inc.  / photo credit : David Young-Wolff

Putting in a laminated glass door also helps bring more light into space, making space feel bigger too. 

photo of Renovation in progress..... Stripped to the studs...
Of course to get the kitchen looking good , we needed to start from scratch.....Same footprint , stripped to the studs, and everything new.
before photo

before


Counter depth refrigerators are also KEY in small spaces.
Cabinet above fridge opens up for easy accessibility.
Moved washer/dryer to this side of the kitchen next to pantry to keep all the tall, vertical cabinets on one side.

Progress photos of renovation. Opened up a little window on this back wall to draw in more light as well as add an architectural detail to space.
 BEFORE, obviously NOT functional .

Design by : EMI Interior Design, inc.
Materials : Custom Cherry Cabinets , Caesar Stone Quartz Reflection countertops, glass backsplash, Cork Floors
Photo Credit: David Young-Wolff

8 comments:

  1. What an incredible transformation! I know that was one very happy homeowner. Congrats!

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  2. What a transformation of the kitchen. Designed right from the scratch. Incredible.
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  3. Your new kitchen is brilliant with those silver appliances and wooden cupboards. They just combine perfectly and make the kitchen look stylish.
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  4. Thanks for sharing, you gave me an idea on how I going to do an extreme makeover in my small kitchen.

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  5. Cool transformation, too spacious and woody! Never imagine that the original space made to be different in a single idea. This idea made me think how to style and design my Factory Direct Gazebo.

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  6. ok,wow, this is absolutely gorgeous!! The kitchen, its arrangements all are beautiful! Home furnishings.

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  7. Great makeover in the existing space & nice photo story

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