A Pullout Countertop Adds Function to a 90-Square-Foot Kitchen
See how a tucked-away workspace near the stove gives this family of 4 the prep area they need
Allison McLeay
October 26, 2017
Houzz Contributor. Fitness & style enthusiast, interior design guru, writer, wannabe photographer. Read more posts from me at https://thealnatural.com/
Houzz Contributor. Fitness & style enthusiast, interior design guru, writer, wannabe... More
Photos by Tony Colangelo Photography
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two young kids
Location: Victoria, British Columbia
Size: 90 square feet (8.4 square meters)
Designer: Mari O’Meara of Mari Kushino Design
The backstory: This young family had a home in their ideal neighborhood, but they didn’t have their ideal kitchen. The couple loved to cook, but they needed more space to prep and make meals. Still, they knew their kitchen had potential and they were ready to give it new life.
The previous kitchen had low countertops and Tiffany blue cabinets that didn’t stretch to the ceiling, which limited storage. Their freestanding dishwasher always ended up in the way, the single sink was too small, and the fridge was jammed up against the doorway.
Scope: With the help of designer Mari O’Meara, the family reconfigured their kitchen in eight weeks without knocking down any walls. The final design includes three separate areas that work together.
In all three areas, they used the existing high ceiling to their advantage and extended the cabinets. The dad was very involved in the renovation, hiring individual contractors and installing the flooring himself.
Cabinet paint: Simply White, Benjamin Moore; backsplash tile: Arctic White, Olympia Tile; stove: stainless steel, KitchenAid
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two young kids
Location: Victoria, British Columbia
Size: 90 square feet (8.4 square meters)
Designer: Mari O’Meara of Mari Kushino Design
The backstory: This young family had a home in their ideal neighborhood, but they didn’t have their ideal kitchen. The couple loved to cook, but they needed more space to prep and make meals. Still, they knew their kitchen had potential and they were ready to give it new life.
The previous kitchen had low countertops and Tiffany blue cabinets that didn’t stretch to the ceiling, which limited storage. Their freestanding dishwasher always ended up in the way, the single sink was too small, and the fridge was jammed up against the doorway.
Scope: With the help of designer Mari O’Meara, the family reconfigured their kitchen in eight weeks without knocking down any walls. The final design includes three separate areas that work together.
In all three areas, they used the existing high ceiling to their advantage and extended the cabinets. The dad was very involved in the renovation, hiring individual contractors and installing the flooring himself.
Cabinet paint: Simply White, Benjamin Moore; backsplash tile: Arctic White, Olympia Tile; stove: stainless steel, KitchenAid
Pullout countertop: The family wanted more counter space, and O’Meara gave them that by adding a pullout workspace next to the stove. They can pull out the maple wood butcher block when cooking, making use of the space in front of the window. Then, they can clean it off and tuck it away. The drawer beneath the pullout countertop contains the family’s compost bin.
Pro Tips
Pro Tips
- Make sure the spot has room for the pullout unit and will not block anything important, such as an air vent.
- Use a cutting board that you can clean easily.
- Work with the creator of the piece, if it’s custom, to ensure all the details fit into place.
Floors: The home’s hardwood floors didn’t carry into the kitchen, allowing them to pick a material that would provide a lot of function for the family. They didn’t want hardwood flooring in this room because of grease and water exposure, and they ruled out tile because it is cold and more expensive. Instead, they decided on a gray luxury vinyl flooring because it is water resistant, less expensive and easier to maintain.
Countertops: Besides raising the height of the countertops, O’Meara angled off the corner of the countertop by the fridge. This makes it easier to pass through the kitchen, for parents and running children alike. They chose a quartz countertop material that is easy to maintain and water resistant, and it includes a marbling color for added elegance and stain shielding.
Fridge: They bought a new fridge that fit in the small kitchen and wouldn’t jut out into the room.
Flooring: Silver Ash, Dura Contract Vista, Centura; countertop: Akoya, Pental Quartz; fridge: stainless steel, KitchenAid
Countertops: Besides raising the height of the countertops, O’Meara angled off the corner of the countertop by the fridge. This makes it easier to pass through the kitchen, for parents and running children alike. They chose a quartz countertop material that is easy to maintain and water resistant, and it includes a marbling color for added elegance and stain shielding.
Fridge: They bought a new fridge that fit in the small kitchen and wouldn’t jut out into the room.
Flooring: Silver Ash, Dura Contract Vista, Centura; countertop: Akoya, Pental Quartz; fridge: stainless steel, KitchenAid
Sink: The family really wanted a double-bowl sink. O’Meara says this was a challenge for the small space, but she eventually found one that fit perfectly. She finished off the sink area with a tall, slim faucet, which adds a little elegance to this section of the kitchen.
Glass cabinet fronts: O’Meara added the glass cabinet fronts above the sink and stove to break up all the tall white cabinets.
Pro tip: Balance out solid cabinet fronts by adding a few glass cabinet fronts to your kitchen, O’Meara says. You won’t want to store everything behind glass, but it can visually lighten up an expanse of cabinets.
Sink: Niagara equal double bowl, Blanco; faucet: Davoli pull-down faucet, California Faucet
Browse double-bowl kitchen sinks
Glass cabinet fronts: O’Meara added the glass cabinet fronts above the sink and stove to break up all the tall white cabinets.
Pro tip: Balance out solid cabinet fronts by adding a few glass cabinet fronts to your kitchen, O’Meara says. You won’t want to store everything behind glass, but it can visually lighten up an expanse of cabinets.
Sink: Niagara equal double bowl, Blanco; faucet: Davoli pull-down faucet, California Faucet
Browse double-bowl kitchen sinks
Stove ledge: During the renovation, they ended up with a 4-inch gap between the wall and stove. This turned into a functional ledge, giving them a place to store cooking essentials, like their red salt and pepper shakers.
Colors: They wanted to use light colors in the kitchen to give the illusion that the space was bigger. They decided on white, gray chrome and wood to keep the style more timeless and classic. The client’s countertop items, such as cookbooks and salt and pepper shakers, add dots of color.
Lighting: The light fixture stayed in its original location, but O’Meara felt they needed a piece that drops down because of all the height in the room. They also added LED lighting under the cabinets to provide more light to the countertop space.
More
Cabinets 101: How to Get the Storage You Want
Find a kitchen professional in your area
Shop for kitchen products
Colors: They wanted to use light colors in the kitchen to give the illusion that the space was bigger. They decided on white, gray chrome and wood to keep the style more timeless and classic. The client’s countertop items, such as cookbooks and salt and pepper shakers, add dots of color.
Lighting: The light fixture stayed in its original location, but O’Meara felt they needed a piece that drops down because of all the height in the room. They also added LED lighting under the cabinets to provide more light to the countertop space.
More
Cabinets 101: How to Get the Storage You Want
Find a kitchen professional in your area
Shop for kitchen products
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When I was a kid, all Swedish kitchens had an in-built, pull-out breadboard/worktop like these next to the stove. Perfect :-)
I also think it might have been better to get an integrated FF, this would have lessened the impact on the eye and made it blend a bit more with the rest of the doors.
I do like the idea of the pull out extra cutting space - much needed in all kitchens, and hard to find in modern houses!
A thoughtfully designed kitchen! No kitchen is perfect, but this one seems to have done a fantastic job at working with its limits. The pullout cutting board is brilliant and, though spaces are not large counters are plentiful for a small space. While I can see what some are saying about the large refridgerator, I can also see how it would make cooking for a family easier. Good job!