Kitchen of the Week: A Storage-Savvy White Kitchen in the Trees
A smart layout and space-saving storage make this Canadian kitchen feel larger than it is
Kelly LaPlante
January 20, 2017
Houzz Contributor
When designers Olga Krelin and Russell Booth found a home with a reverse layout (bedrooms on the bottom floor, kitchen and living spaces on the top), the couple had dramatically differing opinions.
Krelin wasn’t a fan of the floor arrangement, but her husband, Booth, a recreational sailor with a deep understanding of Pacific Northwest weather patterns, knew it made sense for this house. The Canadian city of Vancouver is famous for its extra-long rainy season, and because of the topography, the home’s location in nearby North Vancouver is cloudier and drearier than places just a half-dozen miles away.
“So I gave in,” Krelin says. “And since living here, I’ve realized that, with the darkness, this configuration is really ideal. You’re maximizing your light in the living areas. If you did it in the traditional way, you wouldn’t get as much light because the kitchen and living areas would be on the first floor, where it is darker.”
Krelin wasn’t a fan of the floor arrangement, but her husband, Booth, a recreational sailor with a deep understanding of Pacific Northwest weather patterns, knew it made sense for this house. The Canadian city of Vancouver is famous for its extra-long rainy season, and because of the topography, the home’s location in nearby North Vancouver is cloudier and drearier than places just a half-dozen miles away.
“So I gave in,” Krelin says. “And since living here, I’ve realized that, with the darkness, this configuration is really ideal. You’re maximizing your light in the living areas. If you did it in the traditional way, you wouldn’t get as much light because the kitchen and living areas would be on the first floor, where it is darker.”
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Olga Krelin and Russell Booth of Reach Design
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Size: 165 square feet (15.3 square meters), plus a pantry of 27 square feet (2.5 square meters)
BEFORE: Krelin and Booth felt that the colors were outdated, and a less-than-ideal layout only added to the problems. “When the plumber did a walk-through,” Krelin says, “he immediately shut off the water and said, ‘You are a millimeter away from a water explosion.’”
Who lives here: Olga Krelin and Russell Booth of Reach Design
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Size: 165 square feet (15.3 square meters), plus a pantry of 27 square feet (2.5 square meters)
BEFORE: Krelin and Booth felt that the colors were outdated, and a less-than-ideal layout only added to the problems. “When the plumber did a walk-through,” Krelin says, “he immediately shut off the water and said, ‘You are a millimeter away from a water explosion.’”
AFTER: The space is seen here from the same angle as in the previous photo. The designers closed up a door to the backyard to get more storage space along the rear wall, and added large windows to bring in light and views of the tree canopy. “The kitchen is well above ground level, and the house is on a bit of a slope to begin with, so it is quite literally a kitchen in the trees,” Krelin says.
Vintage lights were taken apart and rewired to become pendant lights, punctuating an island that is deliberately devoid of a sink. The floor is natural hickory.
Integrated dishwasher: Miele; 32-inch counter-depth refrigerator: Fisher & Paykel
Vintage lights were taken apart and rewired to become pendant lights, punctuating an island that is deliberately devoid of a sink. The floor is natural hickory.
Integrated dishwasher: Miele; 32-inch counter-depth refrigerator: Fisher & Paykel
In addition to being on the top floor, the kitchen also benefits from a southern exposure. “One of the main reasons we bought this house is because so much of it faces south,” Krelin says. “We wanted to be facing south as much as possible since it can be so dark for such a large portion of the year.”
Throughout the kitchen, extra-large drawers maximize storage and efficiency.
“Some people say not to do large drawers, but we make 40-inch drawers all the time,” Krelin says. “It’s perfect because there is room for the hardware, and you can still accommodate pots and pans.”
Spices are best stored above or below the cooktop because they are sensitive to both heat and light. Krelin and Booth therefore created a drawer for the spices just to the right of the cooktop.
Below the spices are additional drawers for pots and pans. There are enough so that the couple needs to go into the pantry only to fetch “special occasion” cooking vessels.
“Some people say not to do large drawers, but we make 40-inch drawers all the time,” Krelin says. “It’s perfect because there is room for the hardware, and you can still accommodate pots and pans.”
Spices are best stored above or below the cooktop because they are sensitive to both heat and light. Krelin and Booth therefore created a drawer for the spices just to the right of the cooktop.
Below the spices are additional drawers for pots and pans. There are enough so that the couple needs to go into the pantry only to fetch “special occasion” cooking vessels.
A wall oven is inset to the left of the cooktop so that all cooking can take place at the island.
30-inch wall oven: Blomberg; 30-inch induction cooktop: Fagor; cabinet pulls: Richelieu; cabinet doors: Fullwrap with square edge in Snow White Gloss, Pentco
30-inch wall oven: Blomberg; 30-inch induction cooktop: Fagor; cabinet pulls: Richelieu; cabinet doors: Fullwrap with square edge in Snow White Gloss, Pentco
Krelin and Booth designed the glass tile backsplash.
Counters: Torquay, Cambria; custom backsplash: Bodesi Glass Tile and Mosaic
Counters: Torquay, Cambria; custom backsplash: Bodesi Glass Tile and Mosaic
Dishwashing may be a coveted task in this home due to the spectacularly leafy view.
Sink: Ruvati; faucet: Concetto in chrome, Grohe
Sink: Ruvati; faucet: Concetto in chrome, Grohe
BEFORE: The original layout turned off many potential buyers before Krelin and Booth decided to take the plunge. “Even our contractor, who flips houses, walked away from buying this house,” Krelin says, laughing.
AFTER: “We had seven different layouts for this kitchen before we came up with the right one,” Krelin says.
Today, the couple often invites potential clients to look at the completed space — and the common perception is that the kitchen is very large. “It isn’t,” Krelin says. “It’s actually tiny. It’s just laid out in a very unique way.”
See more Kitchens of the Week
Browse the latest kitchen photos
Today, the couple often invites potential clients to look at the completed space — and the common perception is that the kitchen is very large. “It isn’t,” Krelin says. “It’s actually tiny. It’s just laid out in a very unique way.”
See more Kitchens of the Week
Browse the latest kitchen photos
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How do you like your Ruvati sink? I'm thinking of getting one for my new kitchen.
@mfcarstens don't like it, it's zero radius and therefore hard to clean.