The 100-Square-Foot Kitchen: Less Storage, More Cool
A friend’s sign, a demolished deck and pulled-up tile leave their marks on this hip U-shape in Texas
Our 100-Square-Foot Kitchen series profiles kitchens that measure about 100 square feet, one of the most common kitchen sizes in the U.S., according to Houzz data.
Matt Lynaugh and Gloria Lee had no plans to leave their Austin, Texas, home of nearly 25 years. But then a hotel developer made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. So they took the offer, bought a 900-square-foot house and began renovations, which included a hip update to the kitchen. What’s more, the hotel developer allowed Lynaugh and Lee to savage all the building materials they wanted from their original home. That’s how a deconstructed ipe wood deck became part of their new countertop.
Matt Lynaugh and Gloria Lee had no plans to leave their Austin, Texas, home of nearly 25 years. But then a hotel developer made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. So they took the offer, bought a 900-square-foot house and began renovations, which included a hip update to the kitchen. What’s more, the hotel developer allowed Lynaugh and Lee to savage all the building materials they wanted from their original home. That’s how a deconstructed ipe wood deck became part of their new countertop.
AFTER: The homeowners removed a couple of feet from the wall on the left to open things up a bit. To cut down on cost, Lynaugh did a lot of the work himself, with the help of carpenter friend Trevor Crain, and decided not to move any plumbing. “I liked the idea of putting sweat equity into the property,” says Lynaugh, a partner at Sensu, which makes paintbrush styluses for the iPad and other tablets.
The counter-depth refrigerator is a smaller unit that helped the couple save space. They had lived with an 8-foot galley kitchen in their previous home and knew that they wanted fewer cabinets with smarter storage.
Cabinets: Ringhult, Ikea
The counter-depth refrigerator is a smaller unit that helped the couple save space. They had lived with an 8-foot galley kitchen in their previous home and knew that they wanted fewer cabinets with smarter storage.
Cabinets: Ringhult, Ikea
Lynaugh also went with relatively inexpensive Ikea cabinets but splurged on the stainless steel portion of the custom countertop. “It’s easy to clean, seamless and it’s beautiful the way it reflects light in the room,” he says.
Crain created the wood countertop using repurposed ipe fence and deck boards from Lynaugh and Lee’s previous home. He replaned and remilled the boards into 4-inch strips that he put together. The countertop drops down to form a dining table.
Countertops: custom steel and ipe; stove: Frigidaire; vent hood: KitchenAid; refrigerator: Fisher & Paykel; floor: concrete
Crain created the wood countertop using repurposed ipe fence and deck boards from Lynaugh and Lee’s previous home. He replaned and remilled the boards into 4-inch strips that he put together. The countertop drops down to form a dining table.
Countertops: custom steel and ipe; stove: Frigidaire; vent hood: KitchenAid; refrigerator: Fisher & Paykel; floor: concrete
Lynaugh and Lee are good friends with iconic Austin sign maker Evan Voyles, and had several old signs of his lying around. Lynaugh and Voyles hung one as a backsplash. It’s covered in an acrylic-based sealer with a matte finish.
The couple had originally ordered penny tile, but when the wrong style was delivered and the one they wanted would take two weeks to arrive, they decided to buy white subway tile at Home Depot and install it vertically, which helped visually expand the low ceilings.
The patterns on the concrete floor were left behind after tile was pulled up.
Details
Walls moved: A portion of a wall
Plumbing moved: No
Other professionals hired: Trevor Crain (carpenter); Jason McClain, McClain Metal Works (steel countertop fabrication)
Duration of project: About two months
Lived in during remodel: No. The homeowners lived in their previous house while remodeling this one.
Savings: Lynaugh did much of the work himself, saving on design and construction fees. He also repurposed a lot of materials from his previous home.
Cost Breakdown
Labor: $7,887
Materials: $5,040
Cabinets with new dishwasher: $4,452
Refrigerator: $1,754
Total: $19,133
Next: See how a new layout resolves traffic issues
Your turn: Do you have a 100-square-foot kitchen? We’d love to see your “before” and “after” photos in the Comments below.
See the latest compact kitchen photos
The couple had originally ordered penny tile, but when the wrong style was delivered and the one they wanted would take two weeks to arrive, they decided to buy white subway tile at Home Depot and install it vertically, which helped visually expand the low ceilings.
The patterns on the concrete floor were left behind after tile was pulled up.
Details
Walls moved: A portion of a wall
Plumbing moved: No
Other professionals hired: Trevor Crain (carpenter); Jason McClain, McClain Metal Works (steel countertop fabrication)
Duration of project: About two months
Lived in during remodel: No. The homeowners lived in their previous house while remodeling this one.
Savings: Lynaugh did much of the work himself, saving on design and construction fees. He also repurposed a lot of materials from his previous home.
Cost Breakdown
Labor: $7,887
Materials: $5,040
Cabinets with new dishwasher: $4,452
Refrigerator: $1,754
Total: $19,133
Next: See how a new layout resolves traffic issues
Your turn: Do you have a 100-square-foot kitchen? We’d love to see your “before” and “after” photos in the Comments below.
See the latest compact kitchen photos
Size: 120 square feet (11.1 square meters)
Layout: U-shape
Location: Austin, Texas
Cost: About $19,000, including labor, materials and appliances
Special features: Repurposed sign backsplash; repurposed ipe wood countertop; stainless steel countertop; subway tile in vertical pattern; compact, space-saving counter-depth refrigerator
Designer: Matt Lynaugh, homeowner