Eliciting an aura of serenity was Elko, Nevada–based interior designer Christina Richardson’s main goal when reviving a neglected 1950s bungalow in Toronto. With its expanse of Zellige tiles, extra deep Caesarstone countertops, open shelves, and a chrome range hood, the kitchen certainly exudes such a vibe, but not at the expense of pragmatism.
“The cabinets are from IKEA, and we put an enormous effort into making them look custom made with a panel-ready fridge and dishwasher,” says Richardson, who cleverly extended the multifunctional unit to full ceiling height for additional storage. Even if the high cabinets can’t be reached without a step stool, she believes it’s the perfect hideaway for “things you tend to use once a year like the Thanksgiving turkey roasting tray, the Christmas china, and extra plates and glasses for big parties.”
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The kitchen was the first room that Diana Wagenbach tackled when she was asked to revamp the ground floor of a home dating from the early 1900s in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Wagenbach, founder and principal designer of Studio W Interiors in Hinsdale, Illinois, removed the dark and dated cabinets, hung pendants over the island, and added a vertically stacked backsplash. But her most pivotal move was transforming an old, impractical hallway into a generously sized pantry.
Eager to give her clients, who love to cook, the maximum amount of storage possible, “as soon as I walked in, I knew closing off the hallway and repurposing it was the way to go,” says Wagenbach. “The bonus is that in closing it off, it allowed us to add a little coat closet on the other side. It also made the kitchen feel larger.” Bolstered by counter space and outlets, the efficient pantry was “kept light and bright by matching the creamy white cabinetry and stone countertops,” says Wagenbach, so it’s “like a true extension of the kitchen.”
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