Clean Lined Contemporary Kitchen OUR CLIENTS: A couple nearing retirement who wanted to totally remodel their compact early 1980's kitchen. Their home provides beautiful views of a tree-lined lake. The room is just under 150 sf with 95-1⁄2" H. ceilings. A fireplace juts into one wall and exterior doors and windows could not be moved. CLIENT'S WISHLIST: Maximize view of lake and bring in more natural light Retain separate dining room Maximize counter space for prepping and serving meals Maximize storage wherever possible. Use simple lines and natural materials to compliment view. OUR SOLUTION: We structurally opened up the room by removing the wall separating the kitchen and the dining room and by enlarging the opening to the front hall. This allowed the lake to be viewed from the kitchen work area and brought more light into the once-dim entry hall. More worktop space was provided by removing the difficult to organize pantry closet and repositioning the new electric cooktop and oven. The depth of the countertops at the sink area was increased to 30", providing extra work space for prepping. The wall cabinets above were increased in depth and given extra shelves to maximize storage. The drawers in the new peninsula house pots and pans, Tupperware, mixing bowls and cooking utensils. We measured every item in the kitchen to make sure everything would fit. Although we normally tend to discourage them, in this case with an adult household and every inch of storage at a premium, the micro-hood seemed to make sense. The cabinets are full-access with book-matched clear Alder veneer doors in a warm medium tone. The couple fell in love with the subtle blue and beige undertones of Orchedia Blue granite. It is complimented by a pale beige textured glass backsplash tile with stainless accents. Back to kitchens...