A Kitchen Works Better After It Gets Smaller
The island was too big, and the gap between the counter and cabinets too small. A makeover adds function and beauty
Erin Carlyle
June 27, 2018
Former Houzz Editorial Staff. Writing about the cost of renovation and what it takes to remodel. Former Forbes real estate reporter. Fascinated by cool homes, watching the bottom line.
Former Houzz Editorial Staff. Writing about the cost of renovation and what it takes... More
Photos by Leslie Murchie Cascino
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Leslie Murchie Cascino, Tom Cascino and their dog Jarvis
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Size: 126 square feet (11.7 square meters)
Before she renovated, designer Leslie Murchie Cascino of Bonnie Wu Design had an unusual problem with the kitchen in her 1959 home in Ann Arbor, Michigan: It was just too big. She renovated to enhance the kitchen’s everyday functionality, in part by reducing it to a scale that felt more appropriate for the home. In the process, she also made the space more beautiful.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Leslie Murchie Cascino, Tom Cascino and their dog Jarvis
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Size: 126 square feet (11.7 square meters)
Before she renovated, designer Leslie Murchie Cascino of Bonnie Wu Design had an unusual problem with the kitchen in her 1959 home in Ann Arbor, Michigan: It was just too big. She renovated to enhance the kitchen’s everyday functionality, in part by reducing it to a scale that felt more appropriate for the home. In the process, she also made the space more beautiful.
Before Photo
Before. Prior to the renovation the 150-square-foot kitchen had a 10½-foot-long island that Cascino found required too many steps to move from one end to the other. The vast open space of the island also proved to be a clutter magnet. There were only about 15 inches of space between the upper and lower cabinets, not enough room for an appliance to fit on the counter beneath the upper cabinets. And the placement of the microwave directly above the cooktop was inconvenient. There was such a small vertical gap between the microwave and stove that Cascino had trouble using the back two burners; essentially, she didn’t have sufficient room to use a tall pot and to lift its lid or stir its contents.
After. The renovation cut 24 square feet of space out of the kitchen, taking it down to 126 square feet. However, only 2 cubic feet of cabinet volume were lost and the remodeled kitchen includes 163 cubic feet of cabinet space. The space between the counters and upper cabinetry is now 18 inches, a standard distance that leaves enough space for countertop appliances.
Cascino relocated the microwave to the island, well out of the way of the cooktop. She added a new wall of tall cabinets to serve as a pantry and beef up storage. (It also neatly closes the space after a powder room was added; the drywall bump-out between the back wall and the tall cabinetry wall is the corner of the powder room.) Cascino also added cabinetry to the front of the island.
Floor: red oak
Cascino relocated the microwave to the island, well out of the way of the cooktop. She added a new wall of tall cabinets to serve as a pantry and beef up storage. (It also neatly closes the space after a powder room was added; the drywall bump-out between the back wall and the tall cabinetry wall is the corner of the powder room.) Cascino also added cabinetry to the front of the island.
Floor: red oak
Island. The new kitchen island is just under 9 feet long and wider than the old one. Cascino chose a dramatic waterfall counter of quartzite that blends taupes, browns and grays. She likes how the cool gray complements the warm walnut cabinetry and feels that the blend of colors in the stone will offer staying power. “What I liked about it is that it has warm and cool tones in it,” Cascino says, adding that the variegated stone could work with a range of furnishing colors.
The front of the island (where the stools tuck in) has 12-inch-deep cabinets for extra storage.
Ceiling. Cascino wanted to add recessed lighting to the ceiling but faced a challenge: The exposed material between the ceiling rafters was actually the underside of the roof and there was no room to install the fixtures and electrical required for recessed lighting. Cascino wanted to preserve the home’s visible rafters, so drywalling over them to make way for lights didn’t seem like a good idea. Alternate lighting solutions that could work around the rafter ceiling were too expensive.
Then architects Bonnie Greenspoon and David Lewis of Lewis Greenspoon Architects came up with a novel solution: adding rift-cut white oak veneer panels to the ceiling. By affixing the panels to the rafters, they created a gap that the recessed lights and electrical could tuck into, simultaneously creating an interesting design feature.
Island counter material: Burlesque Quartzite; pendants: Cedar & Moss; find more globe pendants
The front of the island (where the stools tuck in) has 12-inch-deep cabinets for extra storage.
Ceiling. Cascino wanted to add recessed lighting to the ceiling but faced a challenge: The exposed material between the ceiling rafters was actually the underside of the roof and there was no room to install the fixtures and electrical required for recessed lighting. Cascino wanted to preserve the home’s visible rafters, so drywalling over them to make way for lights didn’t seem like a good idea. Alternate lighting solutions that could work around the rafter ceiling were too expensive.
Then architects Bonnie Greenspoon and David Lewis of Lewis Greenspoon Architects came up with a novel solution: adding rift-cut white oak veneer panels to the ceiling. By affixing the panels to the rafters, they created a gap that the recessed lights and electrical could tuck into, simultaneously creating an interesting design feature.
Island counter material: Burlesque Quartzite; pendants: Cedar & Moss; find more globe pendants
Cooktop and hood. Cascino kept the cooktop in the same place it was before the renovation but chose to move the oven (now double ovens) to the tall cabinetry wall. This change freed up space beneath the cooktop for drawers that Cascino uses to store pots, pans, lids and cooking utensils. The vent hood pulls out and then can be retracted when not in use, as shown here.
Cabinetry. The kitchen’s flat-panel cabinets are walnut veneer with a clear coat. The new 90-inch-tall cabinetry wall packs in storage amid the appliances: Above the two wall ovens is a cabinet with dividers for storing baking sheets and cutting boards, and below them a drawer for pie dishes, oven mitts and baking tins. To the right of the double ovens is the couple’s dry-goods pantry and the cabinet above it contains melamine plates, serving ware and some wine. What appears to be a wide cabinet on the right end of the oven wall is actually the refrigerator and freezer, clad in the same walnut veneer used for the cabinets themselves.
Cabinetry hardware. Cascino blended a mix of handles in the space based on what seemed best for function. She chose vertical pulls on the tall cabinet wall and island front, and horizontal pulls for the drawers beneath the cooktop and the sink side of the island. Discreet black finger pulls work for the upper cabinets along the cooktop wall.
Appliances. The dishwasher and microwave are both on the island. You can just see the handle of the microwave on the end of the island. The dishwasher is next to it, between the microwave and the sink. To the right of the sink (out of view in this photo) is the trash and recycling pullout.
Perimeter counter. The perimeter counter is a simple white Caesarstone.
Prep space. Cascino uses the far end of the island as her main prep space, moving items from the refrigerator to the sink and prepping them on the island, where she has a view of the backyard.
Perimeter counter: Blizzard 2141, Caesarstone; cabinetry hardware: vertical pulls, Emtek; finger pulls, Top Knobs; find more cabinet hardware
Cabinetry. The kitchen’s flat-panel cabinets are walnut veneer with a clear coat. The new 90-inch-tall cabinetry wall packs in storage amid the appliances: Above the two wall ovens is a cabinet with dividers for storing baking sheets and cutting boards, and below them a drawer for pie dishes, oven mitts and baking tins. To the right of the double ovens is the couple’s dry-goods pantry and the cabinet above it contains melamine plates, serving ware and some wine. What appears to be a wide cabinet on the right end of the oven wall is actually the refrigerator and freezer, clad in the same walnut veneer used for the cabinets themselves.
Cabinetry hardware. Cascino blended a mix of handles in the space based on what seemed best for function. She chose vertical pulls on the tall cabinet wall and island front, and horizontal pulls for the drawers beneath the cooktop and the sink side of the island. Discreet black finger pulls work for the upper cabinets along the cooktop wall.
Appliances. The dishwasher and microwave are both on the island. You can just see the handle of the microwave on the end of the island. The dishwasher is next to it, between the microwave and the sink. To the right of the sink (out of view in this photo) is the trash and recycling pullout.
Perimeter counter. The perimeter counter is a simple white Caesarstone.
Prep space. Cascino uses the far end of the island as her main prep space, moving items from the refrigerator to the sink and prepping them on the island, where she has a view of the backyard.
Perimeter counter: Blizzard 2141, Caesarstone; cabinetry hardware: vertical pulls, Emtek; finger pulls, Top Knobs; find more cabinet hardware
Storage. Cascino stores coffee mugs, grinders and beans in the upper cabinets on the far left of the back wall, which are 36 inches tall compared with 30 inches prior to the renovation. The cabinet just to the left of the cooktop houses spices, herbs and cooking oils. The Cascinos don’t really use the cabinet above the vent hood (they don’t need the space) and they store plates and dishes in the upper cabinets to the right of the cooktop.
Backsplash. The backsplash is hand-painted blue-gray ceramic tile in a 3-inch-by-12-inch size.
Backsplash tile: Fireclay Tile
More
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Photo Flip: Let’s Go Island Hopping Again
Backsplash. The backsplash is hand-painted blue-gray ceramic tile in a 3-inch-by-12-inch size.
Backsplash tile: Fireclay Tile
More
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Kitchen
Photo Flip: Let’s Go Island Hopping Again
Buckeye Carpentry & Renovations based in Ohio, is a general contractor that specializes in a variety of... Read More
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Can you tell me the source of the cabinets?
I like the way the new kitchen is more open to the living room and the very-cool 3-way fireplace.
Conceptually, I'm not a fan of closing-in the ceiling beams just for recessed lighting because it diminishes the MCM vibe IMO. For a small space like the kitchen it may work just fine, though I see it's been carried out further. Lighting solutions for renovations having flat roofs (without attic) are a huge challenge. I'd enjoy a future Houzz article on the subject.
In many towns and cities, the building code calls for 18" or more between the countertop and upper cabinets. I have heard stories of contractors who put the uppers in at 17 1/2" and the building inspector made them take them all down and raise them up 1/2".
Also, if the bottom of the uppers is at the standard 18", that puts the top of a 36" cabinet at 7 1/2 feet. Many people can't get at the top shelf!