Custom Kitchen

This project involves a kitchen renovation within a home in North York. It includes removing adjacent walls to the living and dining areas, and custom designed cabinetry.  

 

The new island is centered in the room.  It faces the widened opening to the living area, as well as pointing to the existing solarium.  A cantilevered counter projection allows for casual seating as needed.  In the image above, a sliding pocket door was added between the kitchen and dining room, to maintain a formal division between these rooms.

 

While a porcelain tiled floor is a common choice, the owners wanted something a little more forgiving on their knees.  A higher-end modular vinyl flooring tile was selected, which also contains a degree of recycled content.

One advantage to custom designed cabinetry - rather than a homeowner engaging a modular system kitchen company - is the flexibility and range of design solutions available.  With this design freedom, the needs of the client were able to be met with a level of detail and care specifically tailored for this context.  Of course, one is limited by the hardware, accessories, fixtures and appliances that are manufactured and available.  

 

A pull-out coffee station, drawers within pantry, an integrated bread bin, and a pull out towel rack were some of the features included.

To make the most of available space, cabinetry near the ceiling was incorporated with flip doors and hidden push / release hardware.  Up there, items that are used less frequently can be stored.

Beyond the island in the image below, shelving was incorporated near the widened opening to house cook books and other miscellaneous items.

 

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Kitchen Renovation - Custom Cabinetry

There are certain advantages to extensively designing the details of the kitchen cabinetry for an interior project, rather than applying a modular kitchen system from a well known manufacturer.  In this project currently under construction, the custom cabinetry design is unique to the homeowners' needs and responsive to the existing conditions.

The layout is essentially L-shaped along 2 walls, with an island at the centre of the room.  Features like a pull-out coffee station, spice drawer, and Lazy Susan are incorporated for frequent use and convenience.  Plenty of storage is needed, utilizing the full height of the space.  Cabinets with touch release hardware are situated near the ceiling, for items less frequently used.

 

At the island, a narrow dish towel pull-out drawer is incorporated beside the sink and recycling area.  A cantilevered counter surface will project to form an area for casual meals.

Drawers within the closets make for easier access, rather than stretching to reach.  A predominantly white interior within the cabinetry is useful for simplicity and maintenance.

The insert-type mechanical exhaust above the cooktop will be installed within the framing, then wrapped in stainless steel to match the fridge and oven.

Additional cabinets of equal width, one for housekeeping and the other with shelving, face each other at opposite ends.  A deliberate decision was made to maintain the clear division between the kitchen and the more formal dining room with a sliding pocket door, while the side facing the family room was opened up with the removal of the existing wall.

This level of customization takes time and effort - however, the benefit is a tailor-made solution for years of future use.

Cabinetry at the Study and Below Stairs

For this house addition in Toronto, some custom wood veneered cabinetry is desired at the study facing the back yard.  A desk area, open shelving, cupboards, and a bench were requested.  The desk area is centered along the wall, with storage accessible at either side.  A variety of shelving allows for different kinds of storage: out of sight, readily available, and for casual display.

At the bench, a fabric wrapped seat cushion sits over the cabinetry.  Below the seat, there are four drawers for file folders.  The bench is situated below the new corner windows of the addition, and will provide a place to sit, read, or lie down.

At the basement, space under the stair is proposed to be utilized with shelving, accessible with touch release hardware to create a monolithic smooth surface.  Two small and colourful inset cubbies are shown near the apex of the underside of the stair, to exhibit a small number of items. 

 

Custom millwork is often a great opportunity to shape an interior space according to the client's specific requirements, furthering the design intent of the renovation or addition.  Especially in houses that are limited in size, which can benefit significantly from the effective use of available space.  The only downside is that in today's age of flat-pack ready-made cabinetry from big box stores, the cost of specialized local manual labour seems high.  At least, more than the price of self-assembly and an Allen key.