Jenny Wolf Interiors
UPDATE October 2016 This post shows before photos of our kitchen and outlines our initial design thoughts after moving in. We’re now remodeling—scroll through my newer posts to follow the progress.
Greetings, friends! I hope your week is going well.
If you’re new here or catching up, you may be surprised to learn we moved from the home we lived in for six years—the same house featured in my newest book. Leaving it was difficult; we loved so much about that house and already miss many things. Still, closing one chapter opens another, and I’m looking forward to the possibilities this new home offers. Even if a house isn’t perfect from the start, it often has potential, and I’m excited for the adventure.
You can catch up on our story by viewing earlier posts and the preview video tour of our new house. For the latest updates to this house, check the recent posts in that series.
Today I want to talk about the galley kitchen in our 1950s ranch. It needs updating, and because many of you enjoy kitchen ideas, I’ll share before photos and inspiration. Inspiration images aren’t exact matches for our layout, colors, or scale, but they help illustrate possibilities.
I’ve lived in several small kitchens, so while this one is compact, I’m excited to work on it. Sometimes a small kitchen is the most fun to design. I do miss my old kitchen and the palette we chose there, but it served us well and I’m ready for a new challenge.
I previously hinted at a project for this kitchen when I mentioned adding a Dutch door. That post gives a sense of the cottage-like direction I’m considering—this house feels like it wants a fresh, tucked-into-the-cottage look, which suits my eclectic modern-cottage style.
Even though the kitchen is small, it’s worth thoughtful planning. You don’t want to rush a kitchen renovation; it should function well for your family and appeal to future owners. To cover all ideas, inspiration, and options, I’ll take the remodel one side of the room at a time.
You already know about the Dutch door; now let’s look at the view side. I can hardly believe we have a view of Puget Sound—an unexpected gift. The large corner window looks out to the backyard and water, and fills the space with light. In a galley kitchen, that sense of openness is invaluable.
The window is wonderful, but it also presents design challenges. There’s limited wall space, and the counter beneath the window sits lower than the rest of the counters because the window alignment follows the rest of the back wall. That lower counter functions more like a desk and is too low for comfortable food prep unless sitting.
After living here for a couple of months we’ve learned how that area behaves: it’s a clutter magnet. Dog food, recycling, and other items collect on and under the counter. In our previous house we removed a breakfast bar for the same reason—it became just a landing spot for clutter.
So the decision is whether to keep the shorter counter—possibly redesigning it with built-in storage below—add a bench with drawers, or remove it entirely. The space isn’t large enough for a table, and we already have a table just outside the kitchen in the dining area.
We will remove the small wall cabinet to the left and replace it with a more useful built-in cabinet or counter where the microwave currently sits on a chair. Walls will be repainted, floors replaced, and lighting, cabinets, and countertops updated. I’ll discuss appliance choices in a future post.
Whatever we decide for the corner under the window will be visible from the dining room, and we want it to look streamlined and clutter-free. While counter space in a galley kitchen is valuable, I don’t want a surface that becomes a clutter magnet. So far we’ve never used that lower counter for food prep—it’s simply not comfortable to work at.
Jenny Wolf Interiors
Ultimately, the best choice depends on how we live in the space. Living in a room for a while reveals what works and what doesn’t. We’ve lived here eight weeks and already changed our minds several times; taking time has helped us hone a clear direction. That momentum makes us excited to make this house feel like home.
I’ll share more about the kitchen in another post, and next I’ll return to the dining room to explain the idea I have there.
UPDATE 2016 For the latest updates to this house, view the posts in the Seattle house category.