Holland Court Kitchen Expansion
Kitchen, Dining Room, Breakfast Room
This project is an update and expansion to a 1984 kitchen and dining room. The kitchen was a typical U-shaped layout with one leg of the U serving as a peninsula for seating. While this layout can be efficient for one or two people it was a big fail when grandkids were over. It was a congestion nightmare for a master cook. The cabinets were dark oak and the space was very dim due to inadequate lighting. Additionally, the adjacent dining room was separated from the kitchen which restricted interactions during whole family gatherings, and as a result, was underutilized.
After careful consideration of existing conditions, we identified opportunities to enlarge the kitchen by expanding into the rarely used dining room. The wall between the kitchen and dining room was not structural and could be removed. This allowed us to create spaces open to each other that accommodate a variety of functions: a quiet Sunday breakfast for two, a bake-a-thon with grandkids, crafting, or a holiday gathering for all the family. To increase work space, we were able to fit an island into the kitchen that supports an assembly line for baking and still provides for a double oven, microwave and storage on the wall opposite from the production area. Louise enjoys watching cooking shows and football, so we placed a large format TV with easy sight lines from the cooking area.
An added benefit of the island is that it creates a separation from those that like to watch the art of cooking or are just passing through from those that do all the work! With the addition of more lighting, two-tone cabinets, and grandkids the space comes alive with color, family, and sumptuous aroma’s created by a master cook.
