Lara Swimmer
Many design visionaries imagine expandable and collapsible houses of the future. In a present-day Seattle remodel, though, architect Sean Bell has created a kitchen that can easily double and triple in size. His secret isn’t some high-tech mechanism, but a few simple sets of pocketing doors. The home’s kitchen and living room form an “L” around an outdoor deck, and the oversized glass doors along both walls slide all the way back. “On a summer day, the deck, kitchen, and living room become one big outdoor space,” says Bell.
The kitchen’s open layout and relationship to the surrounding rooms make it ideal for entertaining. A central, butcher-block-topped island bisected by a trough sink enables quick cleanup. “You can shove everything from the cutting board into the trough,” says contractor Brian Tittel, who also assisted Bell with the design. “It’s nice because you can get to the sink from both sides.” A larger island defines the kitchen’s perimeter, and its dual-height African mahogany countertops help hide dirty dishes from guests. Two drawer-size dishwashers make efficient use of available space, and the refrigerator sits atop a custom-made base for a polished look. Bell and Tittel customized about half of the room’s Ikea cabinets, cutting them to fit the layout and refacing them with custom bamboo fronts. A careful blend of surfaces and textures gives the kitchen a handmade flavor. “We didn’t want it to look machined,” Tittel says of the African mahogany. “We hand-sanded and belt-sanded it so it’s not just a shiny big chunk of lumber.”
Project Credits
Builder: Brian Tittel, Seattle
Architect: 360 Design Studio, Seattle
Project size: 224 square feet
Construction cost: Withheld
Photographer: Lara Swimmer
Resources: Cabinets/Plumbing fittings/fixtures: Ikea; Dishwasher: Fisher Paykel; Flooring: I-Floor; Range: Viking; Refrigerator: Frigidaire; Windows: Milgard.
