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By Nancy A. Ruhling
Small Ideas Make a Large Design Statement
Kitchen
It was a small kitchen, but the “clients” had big ideas: They wanted to make the space the heart of their home, an area where they could cook, do laundry, work on the computer and entertain.
Beverley Leigh Binns, a student NKBA member attending Ryerson Polytechnic University’s School of Interior Design in Ontario, Canada, fulfilled the wishes of these theoretical clients, dreamed up for the student design category of the 2000 National Kitchen & Bath Association’s Design Competition. Binns’ kitchen – for which she won first place in the category – as well as a bathroom she designed, were on display at the Design Idea Center, a section of the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show, sponsored by the NKBA.
Binns opened up the space by eliminating a partition and a closet and replacing the old laundry room, which had been a separate space, with a front-loading washer/dryer stacked within a custom cupboard that matches the rest of the cabinetry. To make the remaining space more efficient, Binns designed a multilevel island that connects to a built-in dining table and incorporates space for a sofa.
The under-mount sink in the island faces the seating area so the cook can socialize while preparing meals. The placement of the island in the center of the work area allows the cook easy access to the refrigerator and stove.
The multilevel island, the nerve center of the kitchen, connects the work and entertaining areas by linking to the family dining table and the sofa. Traditional furnishings create a comfortable atmosphere.
To make the multipurpose room look homey, Binns chose traditional detailing, including rich cherry cabinetry, open shelves for displaying art objects and collections, pendant lighting and cork flooring.
New York City- based Stanley Hura of Stanley Hura Designs, Inc. acted as the interior designer and collaborated with Binns on the finishing touches.
“The room is a family community area,” Binns said. “I used the island to separate the social from the working areas, and that’s why the sink in the island is placed so that the client faces the guests when she is cooking. And guests can sit at the table or stand around the island close enough to the chef without getting in her way.”
In the work area, the setting is traditional but the appliances are high-tech. Glass-front cabinets on each side of the range showcase the client’s china.
A stacked washer and dryer form an efficient laundry room. The television is visible from anywhere in the kitchen.
Maximum use is made of minimal space through angles, such as in the L-shaped island and in the diagonal placement of the washer/dryer/TV area.
By placing the major appliances behind paneled doors, Binns combined formality and function, turning the kitchen into a 21st-century great room. Appliances chosen were ultramodern, including Jenn-Air’s new fast-cooking oven. Cork flooring accents the rich cherry cabinetry.
Bathroom
The bathroom presented Binns with its own set of challenges. In addition to having to work within its small space, she also had to make its design work well stylistically with the look of the kitchen.
The goal of the bathroom design was threefold: Binns had to create a luxurious setting that would serve as a retreat for the client; design a traditional-looking space; and incorporate every modern,
high-tech convenience.
The room, paneled in ivory-painted maple that has been slightly antiqued and glazed with a coffee patina, is dominated by the large whirlpool tub with built-in remote-controlled television set and a vanity console whose centerpiece is a vessel sink that has an autumn leaf motif.
“We chose a large whirlpool tub, but I didn’t want it to feel overwhelming, so the focus was placed on the vanity console to balance the room,” Binns said.
To further enhance the spa atmosphere, a small wall separates the toilet from the main bath, and glass block windows surround the tub. “The windows,” she says, “bring in a lot of natural light without compromising privacy.”
“The bathroom is very decorative,” she says. “The room has a very strong furniture feeling that is traditional with great detailing.”
The crowning touch of the bath’s maple-paneled vanity console and the ultimate in luxury is the bowl-like glass sink that has autumn leaves fused inside. A classic goose-neck faucet in brass completes the luxurious master bathroom.
The whirlpool tub, complete with hand-held showerhead, and the formal vanity create the bathroom’s opulent, spa like atmosphere. The console’s mirror makes the small room look larger; glass-block windows let in am abundance of natural light. |
