A Contemporary Small-Kitchen Makeover

Before the makeover, the kitchen and dining room were completely cut off from each other, a characteristic often found in old homes, and removing the wall between the two spaces was No. 1 on the homeowner's list of makeover must-haves. A casual peninsula replaced the wall and opens the kitchen to the dining room, allowing the homeowner to interact with his guests while he cooks.

The peninsula that replaced the wall has a deep single-bowl sink and is the home for the kitchen’s dishwasher. The sink’s deep basin and gooseneck faucet not only look contemporary but can also handle large pots and pans with ease. Open shelving in the corner of the kitchen provides storage for the microwave and keeps it off the counter.

With limited square footage, creating enough storage space in a small kitchen can be tricky. A creative solution to the problem: One of the kitchen’s windows was reduced in size to create more room for cabinets. The homeowner added a skylight overhead to bring in more natural light.

Dark-stained cherry cabinets with Shaker-style doors balance the contemporary-meets-classic character of the kitchen. A built-in pantry was created in one corner of the kitchen, and a bank of lower cabinets and open upper shelving provide additional storage space that’s easily accessible from both the kitchen and the dining room.

A commercial-style range and range hood give the homeowner cooking abilities his outdated range could not. Though the range is a commercial model, much thought was given to its size to ensure it fits well within the small stature of the kitchen.

The kitchen’s design highlight, a mosaic tile backsplash made from matchstick-style marble tiles, makes a cool and contemporary style statement. The irregular shape and varying sizes of tiles offer texture amid all the sleek kitchen surfaces. Their soft whites and greenish grays blend well with the cherry cabinets.

Glass-front doors and open shelving prevent the dark cabinetry from overwhelming the small kitchen. Ribbed-glass inserts in selected upper cabinets break up the tall wall of wood while slightly obscuring the cabinets’ contents.

Creative storage solutions abound in the small kitchen space. Here a corner cabinet gains accessibility in an otherwise blind corner with a pullout shelving unit that makes it easy to grab pots and pans from the back of the cabinet. Thick slabs of bright white quartz countertops throughout the kitchen provide a striking contrast to the dark cabinetry.