Kitchen 201 Gallery

PROBLEM:
Consisting of a front parlor, a hall, a dining room and 8’ x 12’ galley kitchen, the entire first floor of a circa 1970s is cramped and dated to a young couple with a child. The small rooms and limited storage make a restricted space seem even smaller.
Owners are in search of an open well-rationalized floor plan that recreates the entire area as a highly presentable and mainstreamed great room with designated family gathering areas, ample space for preparation and dining and significantly improved circulation.
SOLUTION
The plan calls for gutting the entire first floor improving traffic, kitchen efficiencies and storage while introducing elements that will define activity zones within an open floor plan.
New routes are developed for plumbing, electrical enabling the contractor to remove bearing walls and shift loads to four round decorative columns that provide requisite support yet also add visual interest and clearly delineate essential activity zones.
Load supporting structural beams (consisting of horizontal microlam on vertical I beams) are also installed at the basement level.
Eliminating walls creates floor space needed for a food preparation island that completes a new work triangle comprised of, respectively, a cook top/refrigerator and a pair of clean-up sinks.
Use of hardwood flooring in entire first floor and stain made this narrow townhome show a lot larger
Relocating main stack of upstairs bathroom plumbing and drop ceiling in kitchen to accomplish a much larger and useful kitchen with more cabinetry to ceiling and major