Kitchen of the Week: Scads of Storage in 110 Square Feet
Farmhouse, modern and eco-friendly elements meet in this Pacific Northwest home
Samantha LeVine and Mike Salmon’s small and dysfunctional kitchen had them waffling about whether to move to a bigger house, add on or manage with what they had. After years of living with busted hinges, glideless drawers that didn’t open and close properly, a lack of counter space and storage, and awkward free-standing appliances, the avid cooks decided to work within their kitchen’s 110-square-foot footprint. Designer Michelle Ruber put the focus on storage, function and eco-friendly materials.
AFTER: “I’m not sure exactly what to call the style of this kitchen,” Ruber says. The Shaker-style cabinets, blackened steel drawer pulls and subwayesque tiles nod to farmhouse style, while the stainless steel appliances, color palette and clean lines skew modern. Using local vendors and materials, such as Douglas fir, also make it distinctly Pacific Northwest and environment-friendly. The result is a mashup we decided to call Eco-Modern Farmhouse (please let us know in the Comments if you come up with a name that has a little more flair!).
Although the layout didn’t change dramatically, the function increased greatly. Ruber kept the existing window since expanding it would’ve meant a big budget increase and extra red tape in dealing with the city. To get more natural light, she added a 4-by-4-foot operable skylight instead. “This is huge in a 110-square-foot room,” she says. “It brightens things up so much.”
Providing the storage the family needed was a tall order, so cabinets that extend to the ceiling make the most of every inch. To prevent solid wood cabinets from looking too heavy, she lightened the look with glass door fronts at the top. “They were much more about ‘where are we going to put all of this stuff?’ than about displaying things,” says Ruber, so she used satin-etched glass to obscure the contents.
Paint color: Imagine 01, Colorhouse; cabinets: Kitchens and More NW; cabinet pulls: Northport, Schaub and Co.; dishwasher: Miele
Read about the pros and cons of double stacked cabinets
Although the layout didn’t change dramatically, the function increased greatly. Ruber kept the existing window since expanding it would’ve meant a big budget increase and extra red tape in dealing with the city. To get more natural light, she added a 4-by-4-foot operable skylight instead. “This is huge in a 110-square-foot room,” she says. “It brightens things up so much.”
Providing the storage the family needed was a tall order, so cabinets that extend to the ceiling make the most of every inch. To prevent solid wood cabinets from looking too heavy, she lightened the look with glass door fronts at the top. “They were much more about ‘where are we going to put all of this stuff?’ than about displaying things,” says Ruber, so she used satin-etched glass to obscure the contents.
Paint color: Imagine 01, Colorhouse; cabinets: Kitchens and More NW; cabinet pulls: Northport, Schaub and Co.; dishwasher: Miele
Read about the pros and cons of double stacked cabinets
At the top of LeVine and Salmon’s wish list was a large sink with a tall arched faucet that could accommodate big pots and pans. This kitchen also got its first dishwasher out of the renovation. “That was a really big deal for them,” Ruber says.
The countertops are from Oregon company Cement Elegance. “A lot of people worry about nicks, stains and the porousness of concrete countertops, but this company has really taken care of that,” Ruber says. “They have a matte leather-like texture, and they only have one seam that we were able to slip in near a corner.”
“This tile is great because it resonates as old-school subway tile, but it has different dimensions than the typical 3-by-6-inch,” the designer says. The tiles have a matte finish and a handmade textured look.
Backsplash tile: New Yorker in bright white, 3 by 12 inches, Settecento; sink: Gourmet undermount double bowl, Elkay; faucet: Trinsic single-handle pull-down in Arctic stainless steel, Delta
The countertops are from Oregon company Cement Elegance. “A lot of people worry about nicks, stains and the porousness of concrete countertops, but this company has really taken care of that,” Ruber says. “They have a matte leather-like texture, and they only have one seam that we were able to slip in near a corner.”
“This tile is great because it resonates as old-school subway tile, but it has different dimensions than the typical 3-by-6-inch,” the designer says. The tiles have a matte finish and a handmade textured look.
Backsplash tile: New Yorker in bright white, 3 by 12 inches, Settecento; sink: Gourmet undermount double bowl, Elkay; faucet: Trinsic single-handle pull-down in Arctic stainless steel, Delta
In addition to the skylight, lots of new energy-efficient LED can lights on the ceiling and mounted under the cabinets, as well as a new pendant, brighten the room. Because they’re on dimmers, they can change the room’s ambience.
The Douglas fir of the cabinets is a favorite wood in the Pacific Northwest. “It has such a rich look and will darken with age,” Ruber says.
The floors are Marmoleum, an updated version of linoleum that is nontoxic and made of natural materials like sawdust, limestone, linseed oil, pine tree rosin and jute.
Pendant light: City, Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.; flooring: Marmoleum Click in Volcanic Ash, Forbo
The Douglas fir of the cabinets is a favorite wood in the Pacific Northwest. “It has such a rich look and will darken with age,” Ruber says.
The floors are Marmoleum, an updated version of linoleum that is nontoxic and made of natural materials like sawdust, limestone, linseed oil, pine tree rosin and jute.
Pendant light: City, Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.; flooring: Marmoleum Click in Volcanic Ash, Forbo
BEFORE: The Douglas fir countertop was at counter height. Ruber considered taking over the jutting portion behind it for the kitchen. However, on the other side is one of the only precious closets in the 844-square-foot 1905 bungalow.
AFTER: The designer reused the fir counter but raised it to bar height. After sanding, it matched the color of the Douglas fir cabinets and will patinate in concert with the cabinet wood. “Everyone tends to gather in the kitchen, and bar height is great for leaving out hors d’oeuvres or wine and glasses,” she says.
Clever storage solutions seen here are the thin tray cabinet to the left of the dishwasher and the cabinet to the left of it. This cabinet contains swing-out racks that make the most of the blind corner.
The painting is by Portland, Oregon, artist Jennifer Mercede.
Get more ideas for kitchen corner storage
Clever storage solutions seen here are the thin tray cabinet to the left of the dishwasher and the cabinet to the left of it. This cabinet contains swing-out racks that make the most of the blind corner.
The painting is by Portland, Oregon, artist Jennifer Mercede.
Get more ideas for kitchen corner storage
BEFORE: On the right side of this photo, you can catch a glimpse of an old chimney chase that contained the ductwork jutting into the room. Ruber was able to gain a few square feet of space by using smaller ductwork and rerouting it to the back of the aforementioned precious closet. “The new ductwork only takes up about 10 inches, so it was a good compromise,” she says.
AFTER: By removing the chimney chase, Ruber was able to make a more functional space for the appliances. Previously, there hadn’t been any counter space along this wall. “Before, the free-standing appliances left a lot of dead space,” she says. Now there’s space on both sides of the range.
Gas range: 30-inch free-standing four-burner, Thor Kitchen; refrigerator: 26-cubic-foot side-by-side, Frigidaire
Gas range: 30-inch free-standing four-burner, Thor Kitchen; refrigerator: 26-cubic-foot side-by-side, Frigidaire
The new layout also has a dedicated drinks area over the refrigerator, with vertical storage for wine bottles, and horizontal storage for spirits and bitters.
See more Kitchens of the Week
Browse 100-square-foot kitchens
See more Kitchens of the Week
Browse 100-square-foot kitchens
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Samantha LeVine, Mike Salmon, and their daughter and son
Location: Portland, Oregon
Size: 110 square feet (10.2 square meters)
Designer: Encircle Design and Build
BEFORE: “There was no flow to this kitchen, and it was really dark,” Ruber says. The old tile countertops, the dirt and scuffs the white cabinets showed, and the lack of workspace were the family’s biggest complaints. As you can see, what countertop space they had was at capacity due to a lack of storage.