More storage, light, space

Opening up a dark, constricted kitchen to get more light and a view of the back garden was the primary goal of this remodel. But in the process, owners Edith and Dave Jenkins got a lot more--an office, a larger dining area, a better circulation pattern, and lots of kitchen storage.

Internal reorganization, not major external construction, made most of the difference. In the remodel of this old San Francisco house, architect Lucia Bogatay added a mere 12 square feet to the back of the house, converting a laundry room into a home office. The laundry room had blocked the view of the garden from the kitchen, but now a 5- by 6-foot interior window looks toward the new office and its tall windows on the back wall.

As the drawing shows, the new back wall extends in the same angled rhythm as the windows in the dining area.

A short new interior wall also repeats this angle. Set between the kitchen and dining area, it has a generous ceiling-high opening that makes both rooms seem bigger while providing another source of light and garden view for the kitchen, partly through new French doors added for back-yard access.

Below the single cabinet hung from this wall is a small pass-through to the dining area. Facing it across the sink, a mirrorimage cabinet reechoes the angle.