House Blend

The built-in window seat in a Camden, Maine, kitchen grew out of storage necessity but is now the place to catch early morning rays and sip coffee. After stripping this 165-square-foot kitchen to its frame, designer and owner Kathleen Vanden Brink did some clever configuring to install adequate cabinetry while keeping the room bright and airy. That included positioning several banks of refurbished metal cabinets, but she didn’t want to cover up an existing window on the east wall that dropped down below counter height. Rather than have a bare space beneath the window, custom builder Phil Sideris suggested adding a built-in seat between the cabinets to keep the flow going. The fixed bench above a deep rolling drawer looks like an integral part of the cabinetry and the painted wood matches metal counterparts with crisp edges and a recessed toekick. Builder: Phil Sideris, Camden, Maine; Designer: Kathleen Vanden Brink, Camden; Photographer: Brian Vanden Brink.