Kitchens: Stylish Functionality - Kansas City Homes & Style

Story by Ann Butenas | Photos by Matt Kocourek

A bit of TLC paired with some roll-up-your sleeves and wipe the sweat off your brow ingenuity brought this 1990s kitchen into the 21st century. With a focus on the center island, the kitchen was completely redesigned, making it roomier, brighter and a true gathering spot.

Katie Ott, CKD, Designer and co-owner of Kitchen Studio: Kansas City, oversaw this entire project that consisted of extracting two awkwardly shaped and located islands and transposing many areas of the space. The new single fully functional island stands as the center point in the room. However, it required an appreciable amount of manipulation of space and form to bring this kitchen to reality.

“We basically gutted this kitchen down to the studs,” noted Ott. “The cooking wall used to be where the refrigerator is now, and we also added an L-shaped booth with a rectangular table.”

In order to make the kitchen easier to access and much more user-friendly, Ott employed some creative ingenuity.

“Previously, the entry to the kitchen where the refrigerator currently sits was a tight fit, so we notched that cabinet back, giving it a curved design and opening the space a bit more,” said Ott, also referencing an entire drawer in that curved space dedicated to technology. “We installed a docking station in this area so that laptops tablets and phones could be charged and easily stored.”

Additionally, hanging lights were installed over the counter and recessed cans were placed in the ceiling. The kitchen walls were painted in a soft greenish/grey color that successfully coordinates with the pale green ceramic backsplash behind the cooking area.

The textured island countertop sports an attractive yet easy to clean brushed sea pearl quartzite, and the Gravel colored painted cabinetry around the island speaks welcoming volumes to the room with its grey finish nicely complemented with blue undertones. These pair perfectly with the black granite perimeter countertops throughout the rest of the kitchen.

And proving the full functionality of this kitchen, Ott pointed to the unique aspects of the center island. Ample storage all around makes this a homeowner’s dream.

“The back of the island contains a drawer stack and two refrigerator drawers, along with an ice machine,” she said. “There is even more storage on the other side.”

The 24-inch deep pantry maximizes every square inch of its space with several roll-out shelves, and nestled above that are vertical storage dividers. Contiguous to the refrigerator is the microwave with accompanying coffee machine space and additional storage underneath. For even more storage, the 15-inch deep wall cabinets reach all the way to the ceiling.

“This kitchen gets a lot of usage now,” smiled Ott.