Remember the computer game, Tetris®? Once upon a time, when a "playstation" was just a swing set and the Xbox® was merely a twinkle in Bill Gates' eye, Tetris was the height of gaming sophistication. The game was simple enough: drop differently shaped boxes onto a playing field, making them fit neatly together like interlocking puzzle pieces. An exercise in spatial reasoning, Tetris challenged the player to rotate and reconfigure in order to leave no wasted space.

Remodeling projects, particularly ones in older homes, can often seem like a giant game of Tetris, with one head-scratching spatial manipulation after another. Trying to squeeze modern appliances and enough prep space for multiple "foodies" to craft their art in a retro kitchen can feel like forcing so many frat boys into a phone booth. And no wonder: refrigerators weren't mass-produced until after World War II and microwave ovens didn't become standard in most homes until the 1970s, to say nothing of our Cuisinarts®, mixers, toasters and George Foreman® grills.

This kitchen felt more like a cave.

One Seattle family, tired of their outdated, cramped kitchen, called on Master Builders Association member Northwest Homecrafters Inc. to completely rework their space. Their one-story bungalow dated to the 1920s, but some well-meaning yet clearly misguided previous owner had remodeled the kitchen in the 1960s. The result was the worst of both worlds:the 1920s detailing had been stripped away, replaced with a mid-century look that didn't fit the house; the walls were closed in, creating a claustrophobic, cave-like ambience; and the narrow, original staircase leading to the kitchen had been left intact, adding a safety hazard to the laundry list of woes.

Taking out the kitchen wall.

Northwest Homecrafters started by breaking the bones of the hamstrung space and resetting them into a healthy configuration. They knocked out a few walls, opening the kitchen to the rest of the home, and removed an ill-placed chimney and door from the top of the stairwell. Previously, one had to walk through the kitchen to get to the hallway, but with the chimney removed and the traditional door replaced with a pocket door, the stairwell led directly into both the hall and the kitchen.

The unsafe stairwell also received a complete overhaul as the 90-degree, narrow staircase with nine-inch risers was rotated to 180 degrees and a mid-point platform installed. A new recycling receptacle was also built into the wall above the platform, adding a creative touch to the now safe and functional stairwell.

From cramped dark stairway to...	Safe, well-lit corridor.
Pages: « Back 1 2 Next »  Next: Kitchen Tetris: Level Two »

Comments

• No Comments Found.  Submit Comment