Now it's sleek and efficient - kitchen remodeling

Sunset, April, 1986

Now it's sleek and efficient

Moving a doorway solved several problems in this Oakland kitchen: insufficient counter space, too few cabinets near the cooking area, and a dead-end breakfast room at the rear. Owner Jill Jaffe figured out her own redesign by carefully analyzing the traffic pattern and the best use for every inch of space.

The biggest obstacle was a hall doorway that created a bottleneck in one corner and took up room that could be used for extra cabinets near the major appliances. Jaffe changed the traffic flow by rerouting back-door traffic through a new hall doorway in the breakfast room. With the old doorway gone, she could fill the kitchen wall with a solid bank of appliances and overhead cabinets, simultaneously making more space for counters.

The new cabinet faces match the original ones on the opposite wall. To keep costs down, Jaffe left the kitchen's window side intact, simply retiling the counter and backsplash.

To increase floor space in the breakfast room, she removed two built-in corner cabinets. For an elegant look and visual continuity between kitchen and breakfast nook, she covered the floor in a diamond pattern of black and white vinyl tiles. Other details--new ceiling molding, recessed down lights, sleek cabinet pulls--create a comfortable mix of classic and contemporary styling.

Photo: Efficient kitchen combines traditional tilework and cabinetry with sleek appliances

Photo: Before. Back-door traffic had to squeeze past dishwasher; wall had no cabinet space

Photo: Floor plans of before (left) and after (right) show how moving hall doorway from the kitchen to breakfast room made extra room for appliances and overhead cabinets