In reading our stories about kitchen remodels, you’d be forgiven for coming to the conclusion that we have a thing about drop ceilings. Suffice it to say that we’ve removed more than a few of them in our career.
It’s not a bias per se, it’s just that they generally serve no other purpose than housing florescent light fixtures — and we think there are better alternatives when it comes to bringing light into a living space, as this case study demonstrates.
Vision
In this remodel project, our client wanted to not only update the look of their kitchen, but address an issue unique to its original design: the quality of the light. In the process of improving this aspect of the kitchen, we also suggested a change that enhanced the flow of activity in the adjoining room. In our business, the obvious is quite often hidden.
Challenge
While the original kitchen was spacious and well designed overall, it suffered from one particular drawback. Because it faced east, with a wall almost entirely of windows, it received early morning sun. With no other windows to balance this out, there was a lot of contrast. To address this, we removed the drop ceiling and added a skylight along with strategically placed can lights to achieve the balance we were looking for. An additional challenge in this kitchen was that it had only one wall to serve as both the location for appliances and storage.
Accomplishment
To update the overall look of the kitchen, we added new cabinets and stained a built-in bench to match them. We also replaced the existing linoleum with hardwood and put in new windows with a raised sill height to reduce the amount of splash clean up. To give folks the option of standing at the kitchen bar, we raised the height of the counter. In addition to improving the light in the kitchen, we also improved its functionality by taking out an existing double oven, which we replaced with added counter space and cabinets. We then added a range and oven in the center of the kitchen wall, along with a stone tile back splash.
Highlights
Before undertaking this remodel, we noticed that the existing placement of the sliding door to an outside deck in the adjoining room resulted in wasted space. We suggested moving the sliding door further along the wall. Our client’s trust in letting us do this created a more logical pathway outdoors, as well as a better seating layout. When you look holistically at the relationship between one space and another, good things happen.