brooksBerry Inspirations: Julie's Kitchen

When my design associate, Julie, started talking about tearing out the kitchen that came with her mid Century split level home her desk was quickly covered with "what if" sketches. Honing all the ideas down to a cohesive and financially feasible project took a little more time but alot of what we learned from her project we are putting to work on new projects even with much larger footprints and budgets. For example, we've learned that it is possible to make a small room look larger and more "architectural" by eliminating wall cabinets and actually functions better for shorter people, like Julie. Shifting window and door configurations actually added more glass (and light) to the space while making the circulation work for kitchen helpers - see the before photo - The chase in the middle of the room seemed a little daunting at first because it couldn't be removed. But having this "anchor" proved helpful to transition the multiple counter heights together: the sink work top is 36" tall, the bar stool counter is 42" tall and the standup message center is 48" tall. All in all, this little kitchen sure packs it in and the judges of three different contests have awarded it top prizes. Just goes to show that being on a budget doesn't mean you have to give up style.