Kitchen of the Week: Storage for a Stand Mixer Powers a Redo
A redesign makes a cookie-cutter condo kitchen in Michigan more efficient and better for baking
Karen Egly-Thompson
15 September 2017
Houzz Contributor
Photos by Angela Brown Photography
Kitchen at a Glance
Location: Saline, Michigan
Size: 144 square feet (13.4 square meters)
Designer: Kami Michels of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen
The backstory: The condo owners are avid bakers and had lived for six years with a dark, builder-grade kitchen. Changing out their old electric range for a new gas one and finding storage for their beloved stand mixer were priorities for their kitchen makeover.
Kitchen at a Glance
Location: Saline, Michigan
Size: 144 square feet (13.4 square meters)
Designer: Kami Michels of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen
The backstory: The condo owners are avid bakers and had lived for six years with a dark, builder-grade kitchen. Changing out their old electric range for a new gas one and finding storage for their beloved stand mixer were priorities for their kitchen makeover.
Before Photo
Before
A large soffit hanging over the breakfast bar made the kitchen look dark, choppy and displaced from the rest of the condo’s open living area.
Skinny and hard-to-access corner cabinets didn’t store much, and, much to the owners’ dismay, the breakfast bar’s four-chair seating area had loads of wasted space. And the couple’s stand mixer, perched in the far corner, gobbled up a lot of counter space.
A large soffit hanging over the breakfast bar made the kitchen look dark, choppy and displaced from the rest of the condo’s open living area.
Skinny and hard-to-access corner cabinets didn’t store much, and, much to the owners’ dismay, the breakfast bar’s four-chair seating area had loads of wasted space. And the couple’s stand mixer, perched in the far corner, gobbled up a lot of counter space.
After
Cleaner ceiling: Designer Kami Michels better defined the kitchen space by removing the soffits around the breakfast bar, window and upper cabinets to create a single plane ceiling. Now the kitchen has better flow and connectivity with the adjacent living room.
New cabinetry: The new frameless-cabinet layout offers more efficient storage than the previous configuration did. The corner cubby to the right of the window discreetly hides a coffee center. Wine bottles nestle in the gap between two upper cabinets. The cabinets’ oyster gray paint adds freshness and vibrancy.
Less seating, more storage: Since the couple use only two counter stools, doing away with space for additional seating made room for the base cabinets to the left of the chairs.
Improved lighting: New recessed lighting looks cleaner and brighter than the outdated fluorescent fixture. A simple arrangement of pendant lights anchors the peninsula and sink areas.
Flooring: The existing tile kitchen floor was reused, but the abutting carpet was swapped out for new red oak hardwood.
Cabinets: ShowplaceEVO; pendant lights: Labiner mini pendants, Vaxcel; see more kitchen lighting options
Cleaner ceiling: Designer Kami Michels better defined the kitchen space by removing the soffits around the breakfast bar, window and upper cabinets to create a single plane ceiling. Now the kitchen has better flow and connectivity with the adjacent living room.
New cabinetry: The new frameless-cabinet layout offers more efficient storage than the previous configuration did. The corner cubby to the right of the window discreetly hides a coffee center. Wine bottles nestle in the gap between two upper cabinets. The cabinets’ oyster gray paint adds freshness and vibrancy.
Less seating, more storage: Since the couple use only two counter stools, doing away with space for additional seating made room for the base cabinets to the left of the chairs.
Improved lighting: New recessed lighting looks cleaner and brighter than the outdated fluorescent fixture. A simple arrangement of pendant lights anchors the peninsula and sink areas.
Flooring: The existing tile kitchen floor was reused, but the abutting carpet was swapped out for new red oak hardwood.
Cabinets: ShowplaceEVO; pendant lights: Labiner mini pendants, Vaxcel; see more kitchen lighting options
Before Photo
Before
The homeowners felt the cabinetry around the refrigerator was irregular, visually busy and that the small cabinets above were inaccessible. A small counter space to the right had become an unorganized catchall area.
The homeowners felt the cabinetry around the refrigerator was irregular, visually busy and that the small cabinets above were inaccessible. A small counter space to the right had become an unorganized catchall area.
Cabinet wall: Now a flush cabinet wall surrounds the refrigerator. Two pantries envelop each side.
Backsplash field tile: Rittenhouse Square, Daltile; backsplash accent tile: Sutton Frost, Glazzio Tiles
Backsplash field tile: Rittenhouse Square, Daltile; backsplash accent tile: Sutton Frost, Glazzio Tiles
Designer secret: The oak window trim above the sink needed to stay intact. To pull that material into the new kitchen design, Michels had floating oak shelves made from planks left over from the hardwood floor installation.
Countertops: The lower portion of countertop at the end of the peninsula is suited for rolling out pastry and preparing meals.
Hidden shelves: A pop-up shelf lifts and locks a hefty KitchenAid stand mixer for use. Michels added an electrical outlet in the cabinet interior so the mixer can stay plugged in.
Countertops: Kashmir White granite with eased edge
Countertops: The lower portion of countertop at the end of the peninsula is suited for rolling out pastry and preparing meals.
Hidden shelves: A pop-up shelf lifts and locks a hefty KitchenAid stand mixer for use. Michels added an electrical outlet in the cabinet interior so the mixer can stay plugged in.
Countertops: Kashmir White granite with eased edge
Cooking with gas: The couple swapped their electric range for a gas range and added a vent hood.
Dedicated spice storage: Two pullout spice racks flank each side of the vent hood.
Microwave on the lowdown: The microwave now sits under the counter to the right of the stove. It’s still easy to access without eating up precious counter space.
More
Kitchen Fix: Where to Stash the Stand Mixer
Read more Kitchen of the Week stories
Other Resources on Houzz
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Dedicated spice storage: Two pullout spice racks flank each side of the vent hood.
Microwave on the lowdown: The microwave now sits under the counter to the right of the stove. It’s still easy to access without eating up precious counter space.
More
Kitchen Fix: Where to Stash the Stand Mixer
Read more Kitchen of the Week stories
Other Resources on Houzz
Search for kitchen products
Find a pro near you
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The kitchen looks great. But I agree with the comments that if you are going to put a microwave under the counter, a drawer microwave would be better. I also noticed that the refrigerator is farther than idea from the sink. A better option may have been having counter on one side of the refrigerator with the microwave in a wall cabinet next to it & a small prep sink.
I like the look of the open shelves to the left of the window, but I would have considered having a wall cabinet there with an appliance garage under it for the mixer. With that option, I would have either skipped the appliance garage to the right of the window or changed the angled corner wall cabinet to a right angle wall cabinet like it previously was & a garage on the right. The angled appliance garage doesn't have much counter space in front of it in any case, & would probably work better if it was at a right angle on the outside wall.
This is probably one of the only kitchens I have seen with painted cabinets and wood trim that actually works. Looks amazing. Well Done!