It's All About Angles
By Laura O'Neil, Courtesy Better Homes & Gardens(http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1041/7_79/75658364/p1/article.jhtml)
Eye-pleasing angles revitalized this former galley kitchen belonging to Rosemary and Dan Hole of LaJolla, California. Starting at the top, the ceiling was raised to open up and brighten the original dark, cramped layout. The former peninsula remained in roughly the same place. But it's been remade into an angular island, so it's easy to walk all the way around it and access the newly expanded family room. More angles were introduced to the space with a pass-through cutout over the sink. The opening reveals a bank of windows meeting a cathedral ceiling. The new sink area has an expansive ocean view facing west through the cutout that opens up the kitchen to the dining room. The final angle was added in the form of an avenue taking a nun near the repositioned oven. The double oven was moved into a slanted passway to the right of the island, creating a more efficient work triangle encompassing the oven, the cooktop, and the sink. "Moving the oven relieved the bumper-car body traffic that would form in front of the refrigerator at meal preparation time," says Dan. "Formerly, the kitchen just dead-ended here," recalls Dan. "Now, there are glass-fronted maple cabinets that house Rosemary's collection of stemware, plus an area for the phone message center on one side, and more of the dark green granite countertop on the other." The counter space offers a convenient spot for entertaining buffet-style from the family room. The Holes' new kitchen--enlarged by bumping out square footage at the back of the house--adjoins the family room to work as one big, bright living space for family members to enjoy.
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