At the Intersection of Art, Architecture & Design

Galley Kitchen Popped into the Dining Room

We often relocate kitchens in houses that originally had small galley kitchens in
the back of the house.  For this 1914 duplex in the  Tennleytown
neighborhood of Washington, DC that wasn’t possible — both for reasons
of budget and space.  Instead we popped part of it into the dining
room.

A tall counter blocks the gas range from view and keeps any mess hidden.

A low counter provides a small breakfast counter.  Both the dining
room and kitchen now gain light from the large windows on the back of
the house.

Floor Plan After

Floor Plan Before

The floor plan shows the simple change of opening up the wall between the dining room and kitchen and popping the kitchen into the dining room. 

This pushed the kitchen into the center of the house and brought the abundant light from the large dining room windows into the kitchen.

It kept the price down by leaving the sink where it was.  Prices were also kept in check by using stock materials including basic appliances, laminate countertops, and sheet flooring.  Lighting was
all surface mounted including an energy efficient fluorescent fixture in the kitchen and track lighting in the dining room. 

Custom Details Help Make the Plan Work

Even though we were remodeling the house on a tight budget, we used a local small custom cabinet maker.  The price was close to off-the-shelf and substantially less than high-end custom.  The cabinet maker was able to select book-match the birch veneer and provide special touches such as the rolling server at the end of the low counter that closes off
the kitchen from the dining room.  It can be pulled out so the cook can roll dishes into the dining room.