kitchen

Island 90degreed turned

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The removal of an interior wall between the kitchen and dining room allows sunlight from windows in the kitchen to permeate through to adjacent rooms. The cool-toned color palette helps enhance the light.“We decided on different shades of white and light gray for the cabinets, countertops and backsplashes, mixed with medium-tone wood flooring and accents to create a particularly light, open space,” Sabzvari says. The backsplash tile is a well-blended collection of tiles left over from Sabzvari’s previous projects. Hood: Frigidaire; dishwasher: Bosch; faucet: BlancoMoreSee How Peninsulas Can Get You More Storage and Countertop SpaceBrowse kitchen products

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With the addition of the island, the couple now can keep an eye on the kids while they play in the dining area or do homework at the counter.The new open concept also gives the family more space, light, storage and counter surfaces.

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Design dilemma. The dining area and built-in pantry (to the right of the painting) presented the biggest design challenge. The homeowners were initially adamant about having a formal dining area, in addition to bar stools at the island, but spacing was limited, so the design team recommended a dining nook. But getting the proportions right was tricky.“When we repositioned the opening to the living room, I initially thought we hadn’t left enough depth for the built-in banquette and pantry and that it would look off-center,” Sabzvari says. “But once the peninsula went in, everything looked balanced.” The pantry and banquette also had to be modified a couple of times to give the owners the look they envisioned without compromising storage and seating room. “A couple of site visits, plan revisions and installers’ magic worked hand in hand to pull it all together,” Sabzvari says. Urban Modern Freestone cabinet pull in satin nickel: Emtek; Mette dining table: Rove Concepts; Salt Chair: Design Within Reach; Art from homeowners’ collection; Holman shelves: Pottery Barn

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Photos by Pooya Miri Kitchen at a GlanceWho lives here: A young couple with two growing boysLocation: Downtown Toronto, OntarioSize: 214 square feet (19.8 square meters)Designer: Dena Labbaf and Azar Sabzvari of Tango Design StudioAlthough this home was old and outdated, it had the undeniable appeal of being by the water in downtown Toronto. The homeowners decided to stay put, rather than sell, and invest in a major reworking of the space. The main floor was gutted and walls were removed to create a large open kitchen and dining area. “This new design fit more usable living space into the same amount of square footage,” says designer Azar Sabzvari.Cabinetry: KitchenCraft; Goodman pendant in Natural Paper: Visual Comfort; Madeleine backless stool: Restoration Hardware; refrigerator: KitchenAid

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Doors and island

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