HEIRLOOM FORM, MODERN FUNCTION
With a blend of stunning design and impeccable functionality, this Illinois kitchen is the perfect gathering place for family and friends.
With a blend of design and functionality, this Illinois kitchen is the perfect gathering place for family and friends.
When the owners of this 1897 home in the western suburbs of Chicago
decided to renovate their kitchen, they enlisted the help of Susan Klimala from The Kitchen Studio to dramatically update the small space. “The original kitchen was very choppy and included a large eat-in area that took up more than its fair share of space,” Susan says. Since there was an adjacent formal dining room, Susan suggested removing the breakfast nook entirely and creating more seating around a larger, updated kitchen island. The end result is a light, airy and open space, ideal for both cooking and entertaining.
While at first glance the island might not draw much attention, making it work took some effort. “We spent a lot of time making sure the island was functional and it looked good as well,” Susan says. On the front side, the cabinets are abnormally shallow with only 12 inches of depth. “We didn’t have room for a normal island here,” Susan says. In order to make sufficient room for the barstools, the island became an intentionally-designed piece that works to maximize the limited space.
MAPPING THE FOOTPRINT
“Whenever I design a small space, my first step is to move the appliances a little farther apart,” Susan says. In this case, that also involved moving an entire window closer to the center to bring balance to the room. Next, she likes to make sure the clearances are spacious enough to allow for movement. “The nice thing about a smaller space is that you don’t have to have as much clearance,” she says. “There’s a little bit of flexibility there within guidelines; instead of 42 inches, maybe we go 39.” Another functional addition is the placement of open shelves, where a full cabinet would have overlapped with the window frame. “We decided that stepping that area back with some open shelving would be interesting and stylish,” Susan says.
A DRAMATIC FOCAL POINT
After layout comes the visual interest. “Once you have your footprint and functionality, that’s where we start to work on the aesthetics of the space,” Susan says. She always starts with the room’s visual focal point, asking questions like, “What are we going to be looking at here?” and, “What does the space allow for?” Here, she chose a bold backsplash tile directly above the stove. The tile features colors that are reminiscent of the interior design in the rest of the house and add a bold pop of color in the neutral kitchen.
FILLING IN THE BLANKS
Once the focal point and corresponding materials are decided, Susan focuses on filling in the blanks by selecting materials for the rest of the room. “The homeowner didn’t want white cabinets, so we chose this soft mushroom color, which is neutral but also adds color to the space,” Susan says. A white subway tile backsplash, updated light fixtures and open shelves are classic additions that finish the room perfectly.
Like icing on the cake, Susan also updated a small powder room off the kitchen, where a dark patterned wallpaper, blue molding and gold accents make a stunning and dramatic statement. “I wanted to peek in there from the kitchen and see that darker color that would pull you into the space, but also reflect the colors from the backsplash tile,” Susan says. The gold details also tie in nicely with the warm tones of the kitchen cabinets, and the two spaces, both kitchen and powder room, work in tandem to create an updated space reminiscent of the home’s historic roots.