With open trusses and sleight of hand, they expanded their kitchen

Sunset, Oct, 1988

Remodeling the kitchen topped the agenda when designer Larry Strain and his family moved into a vintage Craftsman-style bungalow in the Berkeley hills.

From a service entry where the sink is now, a doorway opened to a butler's pantry, then the kitchen, and finally a pantry and utility room. The Strains decided to seal up the unnecessary entry and combine the three tiny rooms into an expanded kitchen and informal dining area.

Since both walls to be removed were loadbearing, Strain designed a pair of open steel trusses to carry the overhead load without blocking light or views.

Then he shifted the work core forward into the newly opened space. That yielded two additional benefits: the former kitchen has been recast as an expansive mealpreparation area and also serves as a traffic buffer between the more formal living areas and the back garden.

To reduce the number of steps between sink, refrigerator, and cooktop, Strain regrouped appliances. For added flexibility, a mobile counter extension mounted on casters rolls alongside the stove when needed.