Kitchen Remodel With Custom Storage
This kitchen remodel with custom storage has a big secret, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
These homeowners came to us because their kitchen was not conducive to their lifestyle or the way they like to function in the kitchen. The biggest issue was the layout. The second biggest issue was the cluttered look.
Our clients, a couple of empty nesters, love to work in the kitchen together, but the existing layout had them bumping into each other, and even bumping their heads! We wanted to create a flow that would let them work together comfortably.
Another important issue was the kitchen and pantry lacked adequate storage. We packed the kitchen with smart storage using custom cabinetry with lots of inserts, located in all the right places.
Aesthetically, our goal was to make beauty meet function in this kitchen. It needed to provide a lovely view from the dining and family room areas within the open plan.
Existing Conditions
Design-wise, the kitchen occupied one side of an open floor plan, and its look was disjointed and chaotic. We wanted to create a cohesive look that was light and airy, and would provide a lovely space and view when they were hosting parties.
The kitchen was a hodge-podge of finishes and heights. You can see our clients were so short on usable countertop space that they had to place their coffeemaker on a small side table in between the kitchen and living area.
Floor Plan BEFORE
There were two pantries located off the hallway past the fridge, seen at the bottom of this plan. These were inadequate. And the husband, who is tall, kept hitting his head on the range hood.
Increasing the footprint was off the table, so we had to get creative about how to give our clients the countertop space and storage they needed, while also giving them some breathing room.
Our goal was to make beauty meet function in this kitchen. Specifically:
- Create a look that was view-worthy from the dining room and family room within the open plan
- Provide ample storage so that everything could have a place
- Making sense of the pantry layout to create a small back kitchen
- Raise the range hood so that it would work for a tall homeowner!
Floor Plan AFTER
Pantry Strategy
One of the keys to gaining some breathing room in the kitchen was expanding the pantry. Transforming the two small pantries and the hall between them into a back kitchen took a lot of the burden off the kitchen.
This “dirty kitchen” looks anything but, with its beautiful cabinets, wallpaper and countertops.
In addition to lots of shelving and cabinetry storage, there’s a coffee bar, bar sink, beverage fridge, trash pull-out and icemaker, as seen on this elevation. Family members can pop back here to fix snacks, coffee and drinks, without getting in the cook’s way.
The pantry bar is a coffee bar and a cocktail bar. Cabinets with glass doors and LED lighting display spirits, while the adjacent cabinets house the glassware.
The Rest of the pantry is filed with versatile shelves for storing food, small appliances, vases, muffin tins, Tupperware, cookware and more.
Secret Pantry Door
And that big secret we mentioned is the pantry! One of our favorite aspects of the kitchen is the secret entry to the pantry.
This move was not new to our repertoire, but our incredibly talented cabinetmaker had retired since our last secret pantry project. As it turns out, it wasn’t as easy to make as he always made it look.
We wound up meeting the challenge by calling him out of retirement. He was gracious as always, and shared his expertise with our new cabinetmakers on how to create a pantry door that looked like a cabinet door. Now it blends right in, maintaining the clean-lined look of the kitchen.
Existing Conditions
Here you can see the hallway that led to the two small existing pantries. While the new walk-in pantry helped out with a good bit of the storage issues, we still needed to make a place for everything needed in the kitchen. And we needed to make it look cohesive and calm.
Custom Storage Solutions
One solution was keeping cooking needs handy right next to the range. The pull-out cabinets house the oils, spices, herbs and cooking utensils.
Cabinet Style
In terms of letting the room breathe, we used glass doors on the top cabinets. We also designed an appliance garage (on the left) with outlets inside for small appliances like the toaster and smoothie maker
Creative Kitchens of Atlanta provided the appliances including this French-door refrigerator.
Here is a closer look at some of the kitchen remodel’s custom storage solutions and their locations. Special inserts include utensil pull-outs, cookie sheet and tray dividers, pull-out shelves and a countertop appliance garage for small appliances.
In a kitchen remodel with custom storage, an appliance garage can play a key role. Here’s a look at the room with the appliance garage doors closed. It also shows the microwave drawer on the left.
Kitchen Island
When completing a kitchen remodel with custom storage, the kitchen island also plays a key role. The island measures 8¾ feet by 6½ feet. We designed a new kitchen island to house the sink, dishwasher, two refrigerator drawers, seating and lots of storage.
Now, our clients have a beautiful and cohesive new kitchen that fits in seamlessly with the other rooms within the open floor plan. There’s room to gather, room to flow, room for two to cook together and plenty of storage.
We hope you’ve enjoyed touring this kitchen remodel with custom storage. Storage is such an important part of every renovation. If you’re renovating, designers should be:
- Talking with you about how you like to work in the kitchen
- Asking about how your existing storage is NOT meeting your needs
- Inventorying everything you need to store
- Figuring out the most convenient places to store things
- Teaching you about custom options and inserts you may not know about — Super Susans, deep drawers for pots and pans, pull-out shelves, slats for sheet pans and cutting boards.
If you’d like to get started exploring your own kitchen remodel with custom storage, please click on the link below to schedule a consultation.
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