Storage Superhero - kitchen redesign - Brief Article

Sunset, June, 2000 by Peter O. Whiteley

Multitasking is all in a day's work for this remodeled kitchen

PROBLEM. The owner wanted a kitchen with ample storage, plenty of table and counter space for food preparation, room for informal eating, and an area where her children could do their homework and art projects.

SOLUTION. The architect designed a 13 1/2- by 22 1/2-foot kitchen with the mild manners of Clark Kent and the hidden abilities of Superman: Every part of the understated, light-filled space performs multiple functions. But you don't need X-ray vision to see the concealed capacities--they're on view here.

The main 3- by 15-foot addition houses a deep pantry bookshelves, a sink, a dishwasher, a recycling center, and wall-mounted cabinets. The new 7-foot-wide bay window unfolds like a Chinese puzzle box to double as an art project center. And even the toe-kick space under the cabinets performs wonders, containing shallow drawers for place mats, craft paper, flatware, cookie sheets, and grills. If any kitchen could run faster than a speeding bullet and leap tall buildings in a single bound, this would be the one.

DESIGN: Michele Dutra, Certified Kitchen Designer, of Custom Kitchens by John Wilkins, Oakland, CA (510/843-3600).