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No matter whether we are gourmet chefs or can barely boil water, all of us spend quite a bit of our lives in the kitchen. Whether whipping up a batch of homemade cookies or hosting this month’s book club, we want it to be a place both functional and beautiful.

Yet many homes in our neighborhoods were built during decades when kitchen uses and design were vastly different. Lucky for us, many interior design companies have mastered the art of taking small, dated kitchens and reinventing them.

Kitchen Design Concepts is one of those. Co-founder Mary Kathryn Reese and her team specialize in making tiny spaces feel roomy and rearranging impractical appliance and cabinetry placement. By the time they were finished with these three homes, the original kitchens were almost unrecognizable.

 

Headed toward retirement

 

Before its transformation, the kitchen in Connie and Steve Reynolds’ early 1970s Preston Hollow-area ranch house was isolated and full of obstructions. Kitchen Design Concepts knocked down the walls separating the kitchen from the dining room and breakfast nook, and moved practically everything around to make it more user-friendly.

“Now everything’s within a step, and I think as we get older that’s going to be more and more important,” says Connie. “My husband and I are in our mid- to late-50s, so we intend to stay here until they carry us out.”

 

Overall kitchen:

 

New cabinetry adds storage to what was once dead space.

 

A stainless steel refrigerator takes over the sink’s former space, with enough room up top for a flat screen television.

 

With double Lazy Susans in the corner, Connie says she no longer has to stand on her head to reach something.

 

Cabinetry is extended all the way to the ceiling, replacing the wallpaper-covered fur downs, and matching crown molding creates the finishing touch. 

 

A sink “island” with granite countertops replaces the range, which had a couple of drawers for pots and pans but not much else.

 

The new “triangle” of the sink, refrigerator and stove allows the Reynolds family to stand at the sink and have everything needed for cooking and cleaning within arm’s reach.

 

More cabinetry is added in place of the door to the garage, which was moved to the laundry room.

 

Detail shots:

 

Walk-in wet bar converted to a dry bar

Previously, the Reynolds family used this space as an extra storage closet. The new dry bar includes a wine rack and plenty of space to store glasses, not to mention a state-of-the-art wine refrigerator.

 

Raised dishwasher

Now the Reynolds family doesn’t have to bend over to load and unload. Connie’s mother believes that of all the changes, this one made the biggest difference.

 

Shallow shelves

Because of all of the added cabinetry, these shelves didn’t need to be so deep, and their limited depth makes things easier to find.

 

Sink

The new surface hides scratches and stains better than stainless steel or porcelain, and Connie believes it’s easier on her dishes. She also added a filter, which enabled her to get rid of her bottled water.

 

 

Improving an investment

 

The mid-century modern in Old Lake Highlands was being sold by its original owner, who had built the house in 1952, and Realtor Dori Warner couldn’t resist. “Before I even walked in the door, I knew I was going to buy it,” she says. “I also knew it was a project.” She started with the kitchen because “it’s the showcase of the house,” and asked Kitchen Design Concepts for something open, bright, modern and clean. They took out the wall separating the kitchen from the living area, replaced the one tiny existing window with a full wall of them, and rearranged everything else — making Warner’s 14-by-11-foot space seem much bigger.

 

Overall kitchen:

 

The refrigerator switches places with the stove, creating more room for cabinetry. Previously, only two drawers and four cabinets provided storage for the entire kitchen.

 

The sink moves from the left counter to the front, creating more space for the countertops, which have the appearance of stainless steel.

 

Special Italian-made imported cabinets?

 

An avonite countertop accented by yellow pendant lights fill the sink area with amber tones, and the rounded counter adds even more warmth.

 

An undermounted microwave is tucked away in a convenient spot, giving the kitchen more countertop space.

 

Detail shots:

 

Cork flooring:

It looks like something you’d stick in a wine bottle, and it’s a softer material, friendlier to both your feet and the environment than traditional hardwoods.

 

Spice cabinets:

For easier access to those tiny containers of nutmeg and paprika, they pull up instead of out.

 

Bottom-drawer freezer:

If you’re more likely to grab something out of the fridge than dig around in the freezer, this provides a more user-friendly alternative.

 

Exposed beams:

Replacing the removed walls, they add both support and a decorative touch.

 

 

The hobby chefs

 

Betsy Porter attended a chef sale with the sole intention of buying a KitchenAid mixer, but things didn’t quite work out that way. When she arrived home with Wüsthof knives, a Cuisinart toaster and armfuls of other cooking supplies, her husband, Richard McCoy, asked, “Where are you going to put it all?” Porter replied, “I don’t know — would you like to build a new kitchen?”

The pair had needed more room for some time; the tiny space in their 1947 Gastonwood/Coronado Heights home wasn’t enough for two people who spent as much time cooking as they did. The kitchen had been updated once before with new cabinets, a new sink and Spanish-style flooring, but Porter and McCoy hired Kitchen Design Concepts to double their kitchen’s size and give it a complete overhaul.

 

Overall kitchen:

 

To lengthen the kitchen, the couple took out a wall and extended into the dining room. No regrets there — they can still seat eight comfortably.

 

One tiny window gave way to a row of windows looking out over the couple’s patio and bringing the backyard into the home.

 

The kitchen’s centerpiece is this tile mosaic. The couple loved the design and knew the cabinetry and stove would break it up enough so that it wouldn’t overwhelm the small room.

 

Porter stores her KitchenAid mixer here, within arm’s reach of the sink, rollout trashcan and convection oven. Now, her once-a-week chocolate chip cookie making takes 45 minutes instead of an hour and a half.

 

The duel fuel stove is nicknamed McCoy’s “Harley.” He likes to experiment with sauces, and the five burners allow him to multi-task.

 

The water heater closet formerly cut into this portion of the kitchen; they moved it into the garage to open up the corner.

 

Detail shots:

 

Appliance garage:

The toaster and food processor are now stored underneath the microwave, plugged in and ready for use.

 

Pullout stand:

Porter’s beloved KitchenAid mixer is easily pulled out for use and placed back in storage with this moveable stand.

 

Cookbook nook:

Every inch of the room was utilized, including the extra space at the end of this counter, which was turned into cookbook storage shelves.

 

Pots and pans drawer:

A space for everything and everything in its space with this specialized drawer.