TORONTO, ONTARIO —
Sometimes simple visualization is the perfect catalyst to turn a dream into a reality. Other times, just getting started is the hardest part. The owners of this redesigned kitchen were experiencing the latter problem, according to Beverly Leigh Binns of Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based Binns Kitchen + Bath Design, who was charged with making sense out the owners’ ideas, hopes and dreams. “Like many homeowners today, they had leafed through glossy magazines filled with photos of kitchens, and knew that there were many possibili- ties for their little space. They just didn’t know where to begin, as the space was in need of a lot of help,” explains Binns. Indeed, the kitchen was very dark overall, as a result of a “dull,” charcoal-colored back- splash, poor natural light, harsh fluorescent, artificial lighting and a lowered ceiling treatment that read like gray, painted aluminum siding. Additionally, the kitchen had a generally “disjointed” feeling, adds Binns. “It was as if it had been pieced together by several past homeowners,” she says. As a result, nothing truly matched or fit quite properly. For example, “the clients had to move their table away from the wall to use it properly, and then push it back against the wall when they were done so they could walk through their kitchen again,” she explains, citing the lack of storage and countertop space as the culprit for the overall cluttered feeling the kitchen conveyed. “The clients dreamed of a bright, contemporary room, with more efficient use of space and storage. It was also important to maintain table- height seating for themselves, as well as for their young daughter,” explains Binns.