South 5th St. Kitchen

A smaller house with a narrow relocated kitchen. At some point in the homes history a narrow addition was built for the kitchen and family room with a wall and level change separating the two spaces. To activate the space and create a modern kitchen the exterior kitchen entry was relocated, separating wall between kitchen and living room was removed and kitchen extended into the living room. The kitchen is too wide to be considered a galley kitchen yet too narrow for an island. The space called for counter height peninsula seating which no kitchen seating was available before. The kitchen can now be used for small gatherings and meals rather than using the more formal dining room.

Design limiting factor and resolution:

Having an exterior entry into a kitchen in a corner is an issue. With the door location and accounting for the door swing it eliminated all possibilities of fully utilizing the space. By shifting the entry door down we gain 36” of full height cabinetry which was designed as a pantry. We also had to resolve the level change within the space. Having a sunken living room was once a thing. There was a low ceiling height in this space and even with raising the ceiling a bit, leveling the floor was not an option due to cost implications and would again reduce the overall clear height from floor to ceiling. The level change was pulled deeper into the living room to allow for use of the peninsula without risking falling back off the floor level change. This also allowed for 48” of full height cabinetry for lesser used appliances and additional storage.