Raising three daughters while both parents are working full-time jobs doesn’t allow for much free time — life was and is busy. Preparing breakfasts, lunches, and suppers would sometimes become overwhelming, especially if the kitchen wasn’t all that it should be. Throughout the years, a kitchen space will reveal shortcomings provoking thoughts of a better kitchen design, the “dream” kitchen. And this one was 35 years in the making.
While completing another project in the house, the homeowners alluded to the long wait for the ideal kitchen. Their kitchen design ideas were determined primarily by having combined the best parts of a previous kitchen when they lived in Alberta, and a few likes from their current kitchen. No matter, their main objective would include removing the current wall of cabinetry that blocked-off the dining room area. As such, a more open-concept design was required.
During the initial kitchen design visit stage, we had entertained the possibility of including an island between the sink wall and the opposing pantry and fridge wall. Unfortunately, the distance in between did not provide enough gap to allow proper negotiation around an island. Therefore, a peninsula build-out from the sink wall was the best approach. Furthermore, this functional protrusion would also cater to the concealment of an unfortunate plumbing stack that runs vertically along the far side of the back wall. With the proper design, the peninsula island, and upper cabinets along with a slight wall build-out would conveniently hide the stack.
The decorative bulkhead showcases three dangler lights, and merges into the upper cupboard design that conceals a plumbing stack.
Once the final design was established, the cupboards were ordered. During the six-week wait for the cabinetry to arrive, there were several steps required to ready the kitchen space, as well as several other major tasks throughout the main floor that included the introduction of new LED slim lights in the dining room, kitchen, and adjacent office. The secondary entrance to the office from the kitchen was walled-off to accommodate the bank of cupboards and pantries on the fridge and wall-oven side of the kitchen. A new 64-inch double awning window replaced the old, and vinyl plank flooring was installed throughout after a few minor sub-floor issues were addressed.
Once the kitchen cupboards arrived, the placement of the lower cupboards along the sink and cooktop walls, as well as those that create the peninsula island occurred first primarily to meet the quartz countertop templating date, which is essential to ensure the accuracy of quartz countertops measurements prior to manufacturing. And as the quartz tops of being prepped off-site, the cupboards installation continued with the uppers at the decorative bulkhead (that also boasts three lighting danglers), configured to accommodate the intended concealment of the stack. The bank of upper along the cooktop wall were then mounted, tailored above the cooktop to accommodate the range hood. With the uppers and lowers in place, the pantry wall was tackled by first installing the floor to ceiling cupboard, with numerous pull-out drawers. The next vertical row of cabinetry includes two wide drawers below the wall-over location, a flip up cabinet directly above and standard cupboard to the ceiling. The next cupboards are mounted above the fridge, and the final floor to ceiling pantry completes the bank of cabinets along that wall.
Prior to the quartz countertops installation, the upper crown mouldings were installed along every visible top edge of cabinets, and lower valance below all upper cabinets to hide the five, slim undermount puck-lights hardwired as one instance and controlled with a remote that offers an array of lighting scenarios, including a dozen or so colour options. The quartz countertops were installed in three sections: atop the peninsula, along the sink wall, as well as the cooktop area. Once the quartz process was completed, the seams between the three separate sections are virtually undetectable. The undermount sink was secured, the faucet was mounted and the plumbing was attached. The cooktop and wall-oven were then tied into their respective pre-established circuits. The chosen cupboard handles were carefully mounted using a drilling template, horizontally centered along the top of every drawer front and vertically at the opening edge of all cabinet doors.
The dishwasher was then leveled and secured in place using a specialty bracket below the underside of the quartz, and all toe-kicks were mounted along the floor along all lower cabinets, and pantry wall cabinets. Any baseboards that had not yet been re-installed during the vinyl flooring installation process were secured to the walls adjacent to the new kitchen cabinets. The final step was to install the white subway tile (with slight decorative profile) along the sink and cooktop walls, including the slight build-out at the peninsula island. A “snow white” grout chosen because it closely matches the light-grey finish of the cupboards and off-white paint colour on the walls. This grout showcases each tile, without being obtrusive.
The new space has become a welcoming area, no matter where you are in the kitchen. The 12-inch overhang on the dining room side of the peninsula countertop will provide a pleasant seating area (with three or four stools yet to come), while the inner core of the kitchen space is extremely functional, versatile, and spacious. This truly has become a dream kitchen, and the homeowners’ smiles are the proof.
Cooking made convenient (no bending down) with the cooktop inset below the range hood, and adjacent wall-oven set at hip-height.
As a homeowner myself, I understand the notion of improvement — there always seems to be, at one time or another, a part of the house that needs improvement. Too bad renovations are so costly and time-consuming. However, when the decision is finally made to take the plunge and allow the “dream” come to fruition, it is extremely satisfying! And although I can’t imagine how it must truly feel to finally have the dream kitchen after a 35-year wait, my vicarious experience of the homeowners’ joy during this kitchen metamorphosis felt pretty darn good — it was a privilege to have been a part of it all.
Photos by Marc LaBossiere / Winnipeg Free Press The decorative ceiling bulkhead and peninsula island showcase an open-concept kitchen design that provides functionality and a beautiful aesthetic.
The floor-to-ceiling cabinetry optimizes storage, with wall-oven and fridge conveniently positioned.
In lieu of an island, the peninsula offers the illusion of spatial quarantine within the open-concept.
