The Karas kitchen was a small non-functional space with limited cabinets, poor layout and a portable dishwasher. The Dining room, separated from the kitchen, had no flow and the dividing wall prohibited light, and people, from entering the kitchen. On the one large kitchen wall, used to store the portable dishwasher, a large bulky cast iron radiator blocked most of the useful space and an oversize window took up the rest. The back hall was just an open storage area and a solid-slab rear entry door blocked all natural light. The oversize pantry, making up for the lack of cabinetry, was too large a use of the precious small amount of space this home had to spare. We started by removing the wall between the kitchen and the dining room. Immediately the space took on a new life. We converted the pantry into a tasteful 1st floor 1/2 bath and in order to conserve some of the lost storage we set two 15" depth cabinets into the wall previously used as the entry to the pantry. We created a new opening into the former pantry and built a wall to create a beautiful closet using period doors in the back hall. All the wiring and plumbing were completely updated. The decission to use hickory for the cabinets was risky but it paid off because the natural tones and wood grain allowed the remodel to appear natural and fit the style of the home. Painting the walls to highlight the granite counter tops finished the design.
