Kitchen 221 Gallery

PROJECT SCOPE
This Alexandria couple have been occupying a small 1960’s Cape Cod for many years. They love the home’s style and scale, but– with a growing family — are now looking for ways to enlarge and upgrade their existing interior: augmenting storage capacity, introducing work triangles at critical junctures, creating a more workable space for entertaining and generally implementing a lighter, better balanced interior design scheme characterized by colorful detailing and abundant natural light.
CONSTRAINTS
The area to be transformed consists principally of a connected suite of rooms—a dining room, kitchen, a family room– which form an L- around the rear elevation and one side of the house.
Each of the rooms are partitioned behind interior bearing walls. As many of the existing window windows are small, the suite is frequently dark, an effect aggravated by the brown cabinet faces and floors, dinghy surfaces and a general clutter that seems to occupy corners, having no space of its own.
In the big picture, therefore, the goal is this to eliminate the suite’s wall partitions, forming an “open” L-shaped floor plan configuration with clearly delineated activity zones.
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO CHALLENGES:
To prepare the new footprint, we eliminated several bearing walls shifting loads to a concealed horizontal microlam supported by vertical I-beams. Structural changes—are thoughtfully integrated into the interior design scheme itself—lending the room an architectonic vitality which cause ceilings to seem higher and the entire space to open in all directions.
By re-routing plumbing lines housed in ceiling- flush HAVC bulkheading, the contractor also frees up the wall space needed for taller ceiling-flush cabinets. New cherrywood cabinetry with honed black granite surfaces now define the periphery of the greatly enlarged kitchen great room. Space has been allocated for a professional-caliber range with a cooktop hood; other floor cabinets include a wine refrigerator with nearby wine glass racks,
Mosaic tile backspashes in varied hues—combined with the large panel limestone flooring– add texture and a soft neutrality within an invitingly appealing ambiance.
A wide midroom island with the benches provides seating for 3, yet also functions staging area for food service and clean-up.