A New Hub
Silver Spring, MD
2020
Although the kitchen occupied a central location in this home, open to the dining and breakfast rooms and in view of both casual and more formal living spaces, its horseshoe shape stymied easy circulation and segregated it from natural light. An earlier remodel and addition included an interesting two story turret just off the kitchen, but the space’s configuration excluded any benefit from that feature. Shoes, outerwear and bags were dropped at the outside door in the breakfast room for lack of a closet. In developing the new scheme, we considered these and other shortcomings as well as some of the house’s underutilized assets.
Exchanging the sliding glass door for a hinged door and changing out windows, the breakfast room now accommodates a coat closet and a cozier dining space. A walk in pantry dispenses with the need for floor to ceiling cabinetry. The new kitchen layout is a galley opening onto a generous cooking hearth at one end and the window turret at the opposite, improving work flow, circulation and light. The kitchen and dining room share a large island with a section of wall in its center, serving as a buffet on the dining room side and concealing the sink area, but maintaining an open feeling while clearly defining the two spaces.
Credits
Photography:
Nora Stultz
Renderings:
Scott A. Stultz
Designer
Scott Stultz