Space Exploration

Savvy design can transform a space-challenged kitchen or bathroom—all without adding square footage.

Story by Olivia Bell Buehl

Are your kitchen walls closing in on you? Has sharing the bathroom with your nearest and dearest become a bruising contact sport? If so, and blowing out the walls is not in the cards, it's time for some serious space planning. "We can find space that homeowners didn't know existed," explains Mike Gervais, owner of a DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen franchise in Burlington, Vermont.

For inspiration on how to max out your cramped spaces, let's visit a storage-starved kitchen in California and a slender master bath in Vermont. Reworked by designer Greg Gillis-Smith of the DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen franchise in Camarillo, California, the 1980s-era galley kitchen, just 8½ feet wide by 13 feet long, was once a jumble of oak cabinets painted white, an almond-colored fridge, and double ovens with black glass fronts. The sink and cooktop sat cheek by jowl, making it uncomfortable for two people to work together. Compounding the traffic problems was the placement of the pantry beyond the table in the adjoining eating area.

The situation was equally dire in a bathroom across the continent. There, square footage wasn't the problem, but shape was. "It looked like a bowling alley," says Gervais. Windowless and with one wall dividing the shower from the tub, the chopped-up room was dark and dreary. The final straw was that the commode blocked access to the linen closet.

Today, these awkward spaces are just a memory. Here are seven strategies for smart spatial design gleaned from these inspired makeovers.

1. Redirect the Traffic

With a couple of simple moves, the galley kitchen now welcomes a crew of two. "We pulled the sink a couple of feet away from the exterior wall [where the cooktop is located], which allows the cook to operate at one end of the kitchen with someone at the sink in the middle," explains Gillis-Smith. He also shifted the fridge slightly away from the cooktop and solved the bottleneck on the path to the original pantry by relocating it to a kitchen wall.

2. Stow Your Stuff

Sufficient storage is absolutely essential to make tight or awkward quarters appear larger and work better. In lieu of a standard tall pantry unit, Gillis-Smith used double doors that open to reveal pullouts; below, three deep drawers eliminate the need to first open doors, maximizing storage space. Cabinets fitted with Lazy Susans on either side of the cooktop in the U at the end of the galley do away with the dead space typically found in kitchen corners.

Gervais came up with equally smart storage solutions in her bathroom redesign. The original vanity had been 21 inches deep; the new one shaves off three inches, freeing up valuable floor space even as it maximizes storage. A spacious linen "tower" aligns with the vanity, allowing easy access.

3. Banish Unneeded Walls

Visual interruptions make any room seem smaller. To liberate the space in the long, skinny bath, Gervais tore out a bank of unattractive open shelving—the first thing you saw when you came into the room. Best of all, because the original builder had installed a stock three-foot square shower unit and simply walled up the area he did not need, lurking behind the wall that separated the old tub and shower was 10 square feet of dead space. Presto-chango: plenty of room for a roomy custom shower with a bench.

4. Focus on a Few Colors and Materials

To make a snug space feel larger, don't go overboard with a myriad of materials, finishes, and colors competing for attention. Although conventional wisdom suggests using light hues in a small space, it is hardly a hard and fast rule. Homeowner Michelle Petersen says of her DreamMaker redo, "I wanted the kitchen cabinets to echo my antique and Shaker-style furniture with a clean grain and smooth look without the distraction of different heights and depths."

She and Gillis-Smith selected cherry-stained alder cabinets with simple flat-panel doors, which also clad the refrigerator/freezer, suggesting the walls of cabinetry that characterize Shaker architecture. Likewise, Petersen did not want pulls and knobs vying for attention, opting for simple brushed-nickel pulls on every door and drawer. Gillis-Smith located similar oversized pulls for the refrigerator/freezer.

The original appliance, which protruded a good six inches from the surrounding cabinets, was the unintended and unfortunate focal point of the room. Thanks to its 24-inch depth, the new unit is part and parcel of the surrounding cabinets rather than a visual interruption. "And good luck finding the dishwasher," jokes Gillis-Smith. It, too, is obscured with wood panels.

The remodeled Vermont bathroom has a similarly muted but rich color scheme that allows the eye to experience the space without distractions. Interior designer Brooks Boardman worked with homeowner Jennifer Hyman and Gervais to select the cherry cabinets and the ceramic tiles for the floor, the shower walls, and fireplace surround.

5. Reflect a Good Impression

Strategically placed mirrors can provide depth in a narrow space. To help open up the long, slender area in the Vermont bathroom, Gervais hung a vanity mirror with matching wood stain to give the bathroom a wider look and feel. At the other end of the room, 3/8-inch-thick tempered glass is key to the room's new expansiveness, serving as the shower surround and topping the half wall between shower and tub.

6. Let the Sun Shine in

"Creating more light with windows, skylights, and sun tunnels can make a dark, dreary room seem larger," advises Gervais. Although the old bathroom did have a skylight, "It was like looking up at the inside of a church steeple," recalls homeowner Hyman. In its stead, Gervais installed a sky window over the tub, close to the exterior wall and flush with the roofline so it diffuses light throughout the room, banishing any sense of claustrophobia. Because it is operable, the new unit also affords natural ventilation.

7. Play Visual Tricks

How your eye perceives an area is just as important as its actual dimensions. Gillis-Smith laid the 20-inch ceramic floor tiles that mimic tumbled travertine on the diagonal to open up the galley kitchen. "I'm a quilter, and I wanted to break up the straight lines," adds Petersen. On the backsplash, six-inch tiles cut down from the floor tiles and studded with small squares of bronze are also set diagonally.

Quality materials, products, and skilled craftsmanship are essential for remodeling success, but just as important is the ability to look at each project as a unique challenge. Whatever specific problems your house presents, you can be sure that the professionals at DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen have the experience and creativity to come up with the solutions that turn even the ugliest of ducklings into elegant swans.