Granite counter tops
and a salad sink make
the island functional
yet elegant.

The New Family Room

Having four young children prompted these homeowners to add on to the kitchen of their Craftsman-style house. Though hemmed in by tight lot lines, their architect designed a long, narrow addition to wrap around the side and back of the house.

Besides widening the original kitchen's cooking area, the plan created a new entry vestibule from the adjacent carport and provided space for the must-have breakfast area with built-in banquette.

Now when dad has his laptop at the table, the kids join him there and do their homework. And the build-in banquette is where the family ends up at dinner, too.

Tall casement windows at each end of the addition and above the larger of the kitchen's two sinks fill the room with sunlight and provide views of the yard and river. A barrel-vaulted ceiling helps define the breakfast area and distinguish it from the cooking zone.

A new granite-top island defines the L-shape cooking zone and buffers it from youngsters and guests. The island includes warming drawers at one end, an icemaker at the other, and a prep sink in between. The placement of the range, prep sink and refrigerator makes an efficient workspace. The cleanup area is at the opposite end of the kitchen, where a second, larger sink is flanked by a dishwasher and trash compactor.

The kitchen's color scheme is a three-layer palette of subtle greens. The color is faintest on the cabinets, which are a whispery gray-green version of the wall color. A new oak floor was color-washed to coordinate.

 

A new door streamlines
traffic flow.

A new side-door vestibule, just inside the adjacent carport, is two steps down from the kitchen. A bench makes a convenient landing spot for incoming groceries or a place to sit while changing shoes.