The kitchen is the epicenter of household activities. This can prove problematic in older homes with less user-friendly kitchen space, especially if the owner doesn't want to increase the house's overall footprint.

The owner of this month's featured Seattle kitchen had one hard-and-fast requirement: a remodel that would enable three people to cook at the same time. The original kitchen was small, had a low ceiling and would only allow one person to cook at a time. The owner hosted frequent family get-togethers and wanted a space that allowed many cooks in the kitchen. The objective here was to increase useable floor space while maintaining the home's exterior shape and size.

Additionally, the owner wanted an easy-to-maintain kitchen with clean lines and the latest appliances. What to do?