The client: A young couple with two small children who cook all the time—and needed a kitchen to accommodate that.
The project: The original kitchen hadn’t been updated since the 1980s. Gibson—who specializes in small kitchen designs—reimagined the space to bring it into the 21st century, and make it work for the busy family by reconfiguring the layout and creating a contemporary aesthetic.
The requirements: “They pretty much cook seven days a week, three meals a day, and try to stay as healthy and organic as possible,” says Gibson. “So having a space to actually prep and store everything correctly [was important].” Must-haves included more counter space, creative storage for their spices and other cooking essentials and an open floor plan to fit their family of four.
Highlights: Gibson opened up the wall between the kitchen and dining room to create one seamless space for cooking, eating dinner, doing homework and other family-friendly activities. An island with cabinets and drawers, plus a 12-inch extension that brought the cabinets along the wall up to the ceiling, created more storage space. A custom blue-and-white hand-painted tile added an easy wow factor.
Challenges: Matching the floors. Since the kitchen was opened up into the living space, the hardwood floors needed to match. Gibson was able to pull hardwood from another house down the street also going through a renovation, and refinish them to match the existing hardwood.
The final reveal: The new space may still be small, but paying attention to both form and function created a sleek new look that caters to the young family. “Especially in smaller kitchens, there is so much that can be done easily,” says Gibson. “It’s just moving things around that makes a world of difference in how a kitchen functions.”
Designer Bio
Top Kitchen & Bath Designer Anna Gibson, founder, AKG Design Studio
Anna Gibson has been a kitchen designer for more than 15 years. She launched her own studio four years ago where she focuses on making her designs function for every client’s specific lifestyle. // Great Falls; 571-446-1108; [email protected]
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