Kitchen of the Week: Vibrant and Playful in 144 Square Feet
A designer helps her clients gain space and efficient storage while using sustainable practices
“This couple was really interested in color, which is always a wonderful thing,” interior designer Tracey Stephens says of her Montclair, New Jersey, clients. For their kitchen renovation, they were ready to get their powder room away from the kitchen, create more efficient storage, liven things up with color and find a way to stop accidentally kicking their dog’s water bowl. The result is a vibrant and playful space, with a new breakfast bar, a tucked-away spot for the dog’s bowls and the powder room door far away. In addition, Stephens renovated the space using sustainable and healthy practices and materials.
After: Stephens replaced the powder room with a new eating nook. “My clients are avid gardeners, and the windows here look over their backyard, which is gorgeous,” she says. The new nook has a 72-inch span of casement windows, and Stephens replaced the window over the kitchen sink with a larger one. “I used an awning window because it came in a 42-inch width. Casement windows aren’t available that wide, so I would have had to use two of them,” she says. “With an awning window, we got one clear plate of glass without that dividing line down the middle. This gave us more light and more of the view.”
The designer used the homeowners’ existing dishwasher because it was in perfectly good condition. And she chose a workstation sink, which has different racks and inserts for prepping, rinsing and chopping. It extends workspace beyond the countertops.
Sink: Crosstown workstation, Elkay; faucet: Artesso, Brizo/Delta
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The designer used the homeowners’ existing dishwasher because it was in perfectly good condition. And she chose a workstation sink, which has different racks and inserts for prepping, rinsing and chopping. It extends workspace beyond the countertops.
Sink: Crosstown workstation, Elkay; faucet: Artesso, Brizo/Delta
Browse counter stools in the Houzz Shop
The eating alcove also provided a spot to tuck away the dog bowls and a radiator. “I like this radiator company because they have very slim models that take up less space,” Stephens says. The radiator keeps the alcove nice and toasty. “It can probably heat the entire kitchen, but we also included a toe-kick vent in there,” she says.
The ceilings in the alcove are lower than they are in the main kitchen, so Stephens found ceiling lights that didn’t hang too low. “I didn’t want to clutter up the view and I wanted something that would dress up this area with some style,” she says. These lights have enamel shades, and all the lighting in the kitchen is LED.
When it comes to finding the right quality of light, Stephens considers two factors. “The first is Kelvin [K], which relates to the warmth, feel and quality of the light. I’ve found that 3,000 Kelvin is the sweet spot for bright, slightly warm light that’s not too yellow,” she says. “The second is the Color Rendering Index [CRI], which refers to how much objects will be seen in true color. I find that anything below 90 CRI can muddy colors.”
Radiator: Mercury in Iron Grey, Castrads
The ceilings in the alcove are lower than they are in the main kitchen, so Stephens found ceiling lights that didn’t hang too low. “I didn’t want to clutter up the view and I wanted something that would dress up this area with some style,” she says. These lights have enamel shades, and all the lighting in the kitchen is LED.
When it comes to finding the right quality of light, Stephens considers two factors. “The first is Kelvin [K], which relates to the warmth, feel and quality of the light. I’ve found that 3,000 Kelvin is the sweet spot for bright, slightly warm light that’s not too yellow,” she says. “The second is the Color Rendering Index [CRI], which refers to how much objects will be seen in true color. I find that anything below 90 CRI can muddy colors.”
Radiator: Mercury in Iron Grey, Castrads
The jumping-off point for the room’s color palette was the cabinet color. “We started with the colors from Showplace Cabinetry and they were drawn to this one, Mediterranean,” Stephens says. “From there, the husband declared, ‘Let’s have the party on the floor,’ which meant adding more color and pattern there. They also wanted something resilient, meaning it would be softer on the legs than hardwoods or tile.”
Stephens had them check out Marmoleum because it’s easy on the legs and sustainable. “These linoleum tiles stand for a healthier indoor climate. The main ingredient is linseed oil — a sustainable and renewable resource,” she says.
The larger windows let in light, while two glass cabinet fronts add airiness and break up the cabinetry. The homeowners opted to replace their gas range with an induction range, a more sustainable and healthier choice.
Flooring: Marmoleum Modular 10 by 10 in Mercury, Petrol and Yellow Moss, Forbo
Stephens had them check out Marmoleum because it’s easy on the legs and sustainable. “These linoleum tiles stand for a healthier indoor climate. The main ingredient is linseed oil — a sustainable and renewable resource,” she says.
The larger windows let in light, while two glass cabinet fronts add airiness and break up the cabinetry. The homeowners opted to replace their gas range with an induction range, a more sustainable and healthier choice.
Flooring: Marmoleum Modular 10 by 10 in Mercury, Petrol and Yellow Moss, Forbo
Maximizing storage in the space was a must. The two corner cabinets have different setups. For example, Stephens outfitted this blind corner cabinet with large pullout racks.
Undercabinet lighting washes down across the tile backsplash. The countertops are Calacatta Botanica by MSI. Stephens chose this manufacturer because it’s Greenguard-certified.
Backsplash tile: 3-by-6-inch in Crater Lake, Fireclay Tile; hardware: Belcastel in Distressed Antique Silver, Jeffrey Alexander
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Undercabinet lighting washes down across the tile backsplash. The countertops are Calacatta Botanica by MSI. Stephens chose this manufacturer because it’s Greenguard-certified.
Backsplash tile: 3-by-6-inch in Crater Lake, Fireclay Tile; hardware: Belcastel in Distressed Antique Silver, Jeffrey Alexander
Browse backsplash tile in the Houzz Shop
“At first I had recommended a 30-inch fridge and a wider pantry cabinet here,” Stephens says. “But after talking with my clients, they let me know that they shop for fresh food and needed more fridge space than pantry space.” The pantry has five rollout shelves and the upper cabinets have slats for storing baking sheets and cutting boards. The stairs to the right lead to the backyard and basement.
There’s a subtle detail to see on the right side of this photo that’s something only a designer would know to do. “The ceilings in the main part of the kitchen were 98 inches high, while the soffits were 84 inches. The ceiling in the powder room had been somewhere in between,” Stephens says. “When I turned the powder room into the eating alcove, I brought the ceilings down to the same height as the soffits. This created less visual clutter.”
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There’s a subtle detail to see on the right side of this photo that’s something only a designer would know to do. “The ceilings in the main part of the kitchen were 98 inches high, while the soffits were 84 inches. The ceiling in the powder room had been somewhere in between,” Stephens says. “When I turned the powder room into the eating alcove, I brought the ceilings down to the same height as the soffits. This created less visual clutter.”
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Stephens added the half wall on the side of the eating alcove for the safety of people sitting on the stools nearby.
The designer changed up the tile on the landing and stairs. “I wanted more durable porcelain tile at the back door landing and stairs because the clients are gardeners, bikers and hikers — lots of in and out with muddy shoes and boots,” she says. To create a visual break between the pattern of those tiles and the checkerboard pattern of the Marmoleum, she used a neutral gray slate-look porcelain tile on the steps. “I used a 12-by-24-inch size to minimize the cuts and grout lines needed for each step,” she says.
Sustainable practices included:
The designer changed up the tile on the landing and stairs. “I wanted more durable porcelain tile at the back door landing and stairs because the clients are gardeners, bikers and hikers — lots of in and out with muddy shoes and boots,” she says. To create a visual break between the pattern of those tiles and the checkerboard pattern of the Marmoleum, she used a neutral gray slate-look porcelain tile on the steps. “I used a 12-by-24-inch size to minimize the cuts and grout lines needed for each step,” she says.
Sustainable practices included:
- Using a dumpster company that recycled 98% of the construction debris
- Donating the range and fridge, which were in fine shape but didn’t fit with the plans
- Replacing the gas range with an induction range
- Replacing the fridge with one that’s hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-free
- Choosing cabinet, tile, flooring and countertop companies with sustainable practices
- Using materials with zero off-gassing to maintain healthy indoor air quality
- Including a compost bin in the cabinetry
- Using 100% LED lighting
Before: The powder room is on the left of the floor plan and the dining room is on the right. At bottom right, off the front hallway, is a coat closet, which was used to create the new powder room. Also take note of the area in the bottom center, as Stephens reconfigured it to fit the fridge and pantry cabinet.
After: Stephens turned the shallow coat closet and some of the hall area into the new powder room. She used a wall-mounted toilet to save space, minimizing how much room she had to steal from the hall. “A wall-mounted toilet has its tank in the wall, so you save about 5 to 6 inches over a standard toilet,” she says.
“Kitchen design in a small kitchen is all about adding up every inch. It involves a lot of math, space planning, storage and organization,” Stephens says. “My clients have told me that they brought all the overflow kitchen items they used to have to store in the basement up into this kitchen and they still have empty cabinet space.”
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“Kitchen design in a small kitchen is all about adding up every inch. It involves a lot of math, space planning, storage and organization,” Stephens says. “My clients have told me that they brought all the overflow kitchen items they used to have to store in the basement up into this kitchen and they still have empty cabinet space.”
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple of empty nesters
Location: Montclair, New Jersey
Size: 144 square feet (13 square meters)
Designer: Tracey Stephens
Before: The door on the left led to the powder room. “Getting the bathroom away from the kitchen was a must-have,” Stephens says. “And the kitchen was dark.”
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