Minimal Kitchen, Maximum Storage

The typical old Toronto house follows a familiar order on the ground floor: living room at the front, dining room in the middle, and kitchen at the back. Our clients came to us to revive their kitchen in its back-of-house location, with the priorities of maximizing storage and bringing in natural light. Rather than introducing a narrow island into the compact kitchen footprint, we suggested a row of intermediate cabinets to take the place of the typical backsplash. This would allow for small appliances and every day items to be easily stored, freeing up counterspace for working.

The material palette of this kitchen is calm and muted, using putty coloured cabinet doors, wood grain on the intermediate cabinets, a concrete coloured honed quartz countertop, and light oak flooring throughout. An existing brick chimney breast is reutilized as the backsplash for the range. The entrance to the basement is disguised by a blind door with a large vinyl graphic of birch trees adhered to it. The door has no visible hardware, but pops open when pushed in, revealing easy access to cleaning supplies and a chalkboard wall.