SOLVING THE PROBLEM WITH KITCHENS
Award-winning veteran designer talks big ideas for small spaces
Michael Moore has been an interior designer for more than 40 years, but when asked to describe what he does, he said, “I’m a problem solver. A creative problem solver.”
After long design stints in Toronto and the United States, Moore now lives in Île-Perrot and teaches interior design at the Nova Career Centre in Châteauguay.
Recently, Moore won the 2015 ASID Design Award in the Small Residential Design category for a kitchen he designed for a couple who live in a townhouse in Outremont.
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is the largest professional organization for designers in North America with membership hovering at around 44,000. ASID awards are presented annually by each regional chapter. Moore is a member — and soon to be president — of the upstate New York/Canada East chapter.
Moore also won a 2014 ASID Design Award for a kosher kitchen he designed for a family in Dollarddes-Ormeaux.
As it turns out, the designer was faced with the same challenge in both modest-sized kitchens — limited square footage with little or no room to expand.
The footage in the DDO kitchen could only be slightly enlarged. It was the heart of the home for a serious cook who had her eye on a dream kosher kitchen with all the bells and whistles. Moore had to find room for two refrigerators, two dish washers and two microwave ovens — keeping meat and dairy separate, as required — plus one stove, a family eating area and a fireplace.
“I fought for every quarter-inch to overcome the spatial challenges, while still delivering balance and symmetry,” Moore said.
The square footage of the kitchen in the Outremont townhouse was locked in, so Moore concentrated on ways to improve both traffic flow and visual symmetry.
“The ‘before’ kitchen hadn’t been touched since 1974,” Moore said. “It was like walking into a time warp.” A time warp with issues. “The kitchen’s one window was off centre and the access to the adjacent dining room was at the far end of a long wall and right next to a short staircase leading to a lower level,” Moore said.
Moore installed a sink at an angle in the corner near the window to draw visitors’ eyes to the symmetry of the sink’s placement and away from the off-centre window. And he created an opening to the dining room dead centre in the long wall.
“The (opening in the wall) became the tail that wagged the dog. All other design decisions fell into place after that,” Moore said. “Now when you sit in the dining room, you have a pleasant view of the new kitchen island — framed by the opening in the wall — and the (kitchen’s) horizontal-stone backsplash.”
The clients came to Moore with a contemporary kitchen in mind and a modest budget.
“I suggested an Ikea kitchen and the clients were open to the idea. I have a great respect for Ikea,” Moore said. “I always tell my students not to turn their noses up at Ikea. You can always modify things to make the kitchen look custom and the price is reasonable.
“I think one of the reasons I have built up such a loyal client list is that I can spend $5 of a client’s money and make it look like $50, while still maintaining quality and durability. Design should be efficient, clean and symmetrical with a harmonized use of materials.”
Moore bought extra cupboarddoor panels and his installer, who he described as “a genius,” cut them to create the panelling for the island.
Moore said the base price for the cabinets was about $3,000, but after adding hits of luxury that helped make a kitchen look highend — granite countertops, an eyecatching kitchen faucet, innovative storage features — the kitchen cost about $20,000.
Improving the kitchen’s storage was another challenge for the designer. After closing off the original doorway to the dining room, he was left with a small wall to play with, so he designed a tall, narrow pantry and fitted it with a series of moving shelves he sourced online from Lee Valley Hardware.
Moore has won four previous ASID awards for projects, including a Montreal law firm and
an American Airlines departure lounge in Dallas, Texas. He’s designed for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Marriott Hotels International. And along the way, he’s developed a design philosophy that has resulted in the building of a loyal list of repeat clients, including one who has now retired to the Bahamas and calls Moore on a regular basis to fly in for this project or that project. Not a bad
gig. And what about retirement?
“Designers don’t retire, they just get more selective,” the 70-yearold said with a laugh. “As a designer, you are the interpreter. You reflect the client’s personality in the space. If you do that well, you forge strong bonds and almost become a member of the family.”