This counter ends in a 5-foot circle - kitchen counter

Sunset, Sept, 1984

A place to congregate in the kitchen was important to this Seattle family, but there was little extra floor space for a table and chairs. Designer Paul Von Rosenstiel extended a counter to 10 feet, including a 5-foot-diameter top at one end. The 3-foot-high counter is wide enough to store bar stools underneath.

Von Rosenstiel cut the rigid countertop from two layers of 3/4-inch plywood, nailed and glued together. The round sits slightly off center at the end of a 26-inch-wide, 5-foot-long rectangle. Where the two shapes merge, he cut the plywood into a gentle curve, extending the straight line of the counter on the working side. Plastic laminate gives a sleek surface.

The cabinet's back angles out to support the extension without loss of leg room. The owner-built project cost less than $200.