Kitchen of the Week: Bye-Bye, Wall — Hello, Great Outdoors
Removing a wall and relocating a laundry and powder room enlarge this cramped space and improve access to the backyard
After. To gain more kitchen square footage and integrate the kitchen with the rear outdoor space, they demolished the interior wall dividing the kitchen and laundry and powder rooms. (See floor plans below.) “We carved away the existing laundry room and powder bath to create a wider, less cavernous covered outdoor living room and patio, and filled in the existing breezeway between the garage and house to create space for the new powder bath,” says designer Geno Salimena of Gusto Design Studio. They relocated the laundry room to the basement.
Cabinets. White painted custom wood cabinets and a light gray hexagon backsplash add brightness and cheer to the kitchen while allowing contrasting walnut accents to pop.
Cabinets. White painted custom wood cabinets and a light gray hexagon backsplash add brightness and cheer to the kitchen while allowing contrasting walnut accents to pop.
Island. Removing the wall and chimney provided room for a larger island, more circulation and better storage. Custom scalloped tongue-and-groove Western walnut paneling, milled by Big Branch Woodworking, wraps one side of the island. Counter-height stools at the island and a separate dining table (shown below) offer flexibility for entertaining.
Ceiling vent. While the flush inset venting above the cooktop looks clean and simple, it was one of the project’s major challenges. Because of its location in the center of the kitchen, running it out a side wall wasn’t an option, and venting up through the metal roof wasn’t ideal either as the metal roofing is nearly impossible to cut into or patch. “The owners did not want to have to re-roof the entire house for the vent hood, so we decided to run the venting through a hole left by the chimney that had been removed as part of the renovation,” Salimena says.
Bacco walnut barstools in Nero leather: DWR; Alto pendant in polished nickel and clear glass: Cedar & Moss; induction cooktop: Miele; Cirrus range hood: Best; built-in refrigerator and freezer: Sub-Zero
Ceiling vent. While the flush inset venting above the cooktop looks clean and simple, it was one of the project’s major challenges. Because of its location in the center of the kitchen, running it out a side wall wasn’t an option, and venting up through the metal roof wasn’t ideal either as the metal roofing is nearly impossible to cut into or patch. “The owners did not want to have to re-roof the entire house for the vent hood, so we decided to run the venting through a hole left by the chimney that had been removed as part of the renovation,” Salimena says.
Bacco walnut barstools in Nero leather: DWR; Alto pendant in polished nickel and clear glass: Cedar & Moss; induction cooktop: Miele; Cirrus range hood: Best; built-in refrigerator and freezer: Sub-Zero
Appliances. The homeowners are avid cooks and appreciate kitchen gadgets and well-designed appliances. “There was no cutting corners on this appliance package,” Salimena says. On the right, the island features a built-in microwave drawer. On the left is a steam and convection oven, regular oven and warming drawer.
Windows. Many of the original doors and windows, like the one above the sink, were in good shape. General contractor Hammer & Hand updated them by stripping and repainting them and adding new hardware.
PureLine steam and convection oven and wall oven and warming drawer: Miele microwave drawer (in island): Sharp; dishwasher: Asko; Corsano pull-down kitchen faucet: California Faucets
Windows. Many of the original doors and windows, like the one above the sink, were in good shape. General contractor Hammer & Hand updated them by stripping and repainting them and adding new hardware.
PureLine steam and convection oven and wall oven and warming drawer: Miele microwave drawer (in island): Sharp; dishwasher: Asko; Corsano pull-down kitchen faucet: California Faucets
Floor. Dark gray-stained white oak also provides contrast and mediates between the white and walnut finishes.
Sideboard. The same custom scalloped tongue-and-groove Western walnut paneling on the island covers a built-in sideboard in a nearby eating area.
Four-inch white oak flooring with a 50 percent ebony stain: Bona; Saarinen Tulip table with marble top: DWR; Makam pendant fixture: Eureka Lighting; wall paint: Light French Gray, Sherwin-Williams; ceiling paint: Winter White, Benjamin Moore
Browse round dining tables for four
Sideboard. The same custom scalloped tongue-and-groove Western walnut paneling on the island covers a built-in sideboard in a nearby eating area.
Four-inch white oak flooring with a 50 percent ebony stain: Bona; Saarinen Tulip table with marble top: DWR; Makam pendant fixture: Eureka Lighting; wall paint: Light French Gray, Sherwin-Williams; ceiling paint: Winter White, Benjamin Moore
Browse round dining tables for four
Steel edging caps the top and bottom scalloped edges for protection from nicks and bumps and to discreetly integrate the custom steel tab pulls for the doors.
Steel pulls: designed by Gusto Design Studio, fabricated by Big Branch Woodworking
Steel pulls: designed by Gusto Design Studio, fabricated by Big Branch Woodworking
After. A custom 12-foot-wide pair of sliding doors now establishes a physical and visual connection between the kitchen and the enlarged covered outdoor space. A mahogany deck with a clear coat replaced the concrete patio.
Sliding door: Marvin
Browse outdoor patio furniture
Sliding door: Marvin
Browse outdoor patio furniture
Before. Here’s a look at the wall that previously separated the kitchen from the backyard. On the other side was a powder room and laundry room. To the left of the bookcase is a door leading to a breezeway.
The homeowners struggled with the idea of removing the original kitchen fireplace and chimney to gain the space needed for the new design. “We felt strongly that in order to make this kitchen all that it could be, the fireplace had to go,” Salimena says. “The owners took some time to mull it over and finally agreed. Once the chimney was removed, it was immediately clear that it was the right choice and they never looked back.”
The homeowners struggled with the idea of removing the original kitchen fireplace and chimney to gain the space needed for the new design. “We felt strongly that in order to make this kitchen all that it could be, the fireplace had to go,” Salimena says. “The owners took some time to mull it over and finally agreed. Once the chimney was removed, it was immediately clear that it was the right choice and they never looked back.”
After. This photo looks slightly more to the left than the previous photo but shows how, with the removal of the wall, there’s now a connection to the backyard — a portion of the new windows is seen to the right.
A coffee, beverage and storage station delivers a lot of function in a compact space.
Pulling off this area was no easy feat. Mac Casares, a project supervisor at Hammer & Hand, says joining multiple rooms together that were already out of square and plumb was especially challenging with corner and wrapping elements like those at the coffee bar. “The design featured many clean lines and geometric patterns, including tilework and flooring,” Casares says. “That required a great amount of forethought and planning before starting installation to keep the lines parallel and true, as well as uphold the homeowner’s and designer’s vision of a holistic kitchen space with seamless transitions between planes and materials.”
The single base cabinet at the corner is a pull-down door that opens to a laundry chute to the newly relocated laundry room in the basement.
Countertops: London Gray, Caesarstone; backsplash tile: Elongated Hex Large, R145, Pratt & Larson; cabinet paint: Winter White, Benjamin Moore; cabinet hardware: Alexander Pull in Satin Nickel, Emtek; ice machine: Scotsman
Get fresh coffee station ideas
A coffee, beverage and storage station delivers a lot of function in a compact space.
Pulling off this area was no easy feat. Mac Casares, a project supervisor at Hammer & Hand, says joining multiple rooms together that were already out of square and plumb was especially challenging with corner and wrapping elements like those at the coffee bar. “The design featured many clean lines and geometric patterns, including tilework and flooring,” Casares says. “That required a great amount of forethought and planning before starting installation to keep the lines parallel and true, as well as uphold the homeowner’s and designer’s vision of a holistic kitchen space with seamless transitions between planes and materials.”
The single base cabinet at the corner is a pull-down door that opens to a laundry chute to the newly relocated laundry room in the basement.
Countertops: London Gray, Caesarstone; backsplash tile: Elongated Hex Large, R145, Pratt & Larson; cabinet paint: Winter White, Benjamin Moore; cabinet hardware: Alexander Pull in Satin Nickel, Emtek; ice machine: Scotsman
Get fresh coffee station ideas
After. With the dividing wall and fireplace removed, the kitchen expanded to include a large island and better connection to the new pool deck. The powder room moved to a portion of a breezeway, while the laundry room moved to the basement.
More: See other Kitchens of the Week
More: See other Kitchens of the Week
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who love to cook and entertain
Location: Southwest Hills neighborhood of Portland, Oregon
Size: 420 square feet (39 square meters) plus a 250-square-foot (23-square-meter) exterior deck
Designers: Erin and Geno Salimena of Gusto Design Studio; Hammer & Hand (general contractor)
Before. The 1955 Colonial-style ranch house designed by renowned local architect Roscoe Hemenway was almost entirely in its original condition, except for its 1980s kitchen at the front of the house. A wall, fireplace, laundry room and powder room stood between the kitchen and backyard pool area, something to which the homeowners, who have lived in the home since 2006, wanted a better connection.
They also thought the existing kitchen, shown here, was tight and difficult to maneuver. The cooktop took up most of the peninsula countertop, preventing seating there. That meant guests at the nearby round table became isolated from the cook.