Text by: Kathryn Pritchett

Before designer Jennifer Gilmer’s remodel, this lofty kitchen space felt all wrong. The high cathedral ceilings gave the room vertical space but the placement of the cabinets and appliances felt out of proportion. The appliances were huddled in the far corner while a run of cabinets covered an interior wall opposite a kitchen table. Gilmer decided that the best way to rearrange the kitchen was to move the cabinets and appliances to the center of the space and put the kitchen table toward the back where the appliances had been. She added a box bay on the exterior wall placed more cabinets and a cooktop with a downdraft there in front of the large window. That opened up just enough space for a narrow island in the center of the room. Since the island blocked the path from the cooktop to the main sink on the interior wall, Gilmer included a smaller prep sink on the island. She placed the refrigerator on the wall with the main sink, selecting a 27” wide Sub Zero all refrigerator unit rather than the standard 36” refrigerator freezer, which would have taken up too much space.  Then she put under counter freezer drawers on the other side of the sink.  She designed a pantry above the freezer drawers to mirror the size and appearance of the refrigerator.  Cathedral ceilings often create an awkward space above wall cabinets.  To address that problem, Gilmer installed laminated glass wall cabinets with angled backs, which allowed the cabinets to sit higher up on the wall. The lighting inside these cabinets creates a warm ambiance in the room. Other details that help make the kitchen feel more open include widening the doorway to the kitchen from the foyer and filling in part of the cathedral ceilings in both the foyer and the kitchen. Gilmer used cable lighting to span the large ceiling spaces.