Bush Lake Kitchen

Transformation of dated kitchen into collaborative culinary paradise

This couple’s desire to reconfigure their dated kitchen created an opportunity to make it function better as the primary social space and heart of their home. Inefficiently laid out, the existing kitchen restricted the number of people who could cook, bake, and can together in it. To address this constraint, the design team created an expansive open environment by removing a wall adding on an underutilized office space and the existing kitchen. This expansion not only increased the size of the kitchen, but also created new possibilities for collaboration and social gathering. Other limitations to the existing kitchen included wall ovens that were too small for larger cookie sheets and other items; tired looking maple cabinets, trim, and floors; and a layout that provided only uninspired views within the house.

The new kitchen includes a 16′ x 5-1/2′ island that provides ample workspace for three to four people to cook harmoniously together as well as for friends and family to gather around. Positioned strategically, the island invites views out the windows and glass doors to Bush Lake and the nature preserve beyond. To further bring the outside inside, the once-isolated three-season porch is now seamlessly connected to the rest of the house through a wide, four-panel glass door system. The new kitchen design also includes an efficient storage system, tailored to the couple’s specific needs, that ensures a clutter-free and organized environment where everything has its proper place. The reconfigured kitchen supports more entertaining, accommodating larger groups in the eating area. Allowing family and guests to be present in the kitchen without being intrusive, the kitchen fosters a sense of togetherness as a true hub of social interaction.

MSR Design served as architect for the project, with Fontaine Designs, LLC, providing interior design services.