For Marcus Rempel and Sandi Everlove, the expression “too many cooks in the kitchen” felt literal in the 250-square-foot kitchen of their nearly 100-year-old Mount Baker home. When the couple entertained, the space was overcrowded, suffered from limited counter space and bottlenecked at a cramped access point to the patio during the inevitable clustering around the sink during meal prep. In need of a remedy, the pair turned to architect Liselotte Kragh of West Seattle–based Abita Studio, who helped transform the space by creating distinct work zones to aid both everyday and entertainment use.

“Function and flow are key to my designs, and a kitchen needs to work especially hard,” Kragh says. To improve the flow, she designed a new bar with cookbook display space, moving all the coffee accoutrements away from the crowded sink. She added two more sinks to create more space for prep work: one at the bar and one in the 9-foot-long island. The architect worked closely with Seattle Custom Cabinets on new cabinetry, creating storage opportunities for every nook and cranny: a drawer cut to size for easy display of spice bottles, a cabinet fitted with hooks for aprons, plus an ingenious roll-out toaster oven drawer with a swing-up door. “Toaster ovens eat up a lot of space, so we designed an extra-deep shelf to hide it away when not in use.”

A pullout drawer for spices.

To bring more light into the room, Kragh added bistro-style pendant lights and reconfigured the back doorway, adding airy French doors that open outward onto the deck. Surfaces in the kitchen—the slab-marble island, soapstone countertops and white subway tile—were also selected to reflect natural light. That bright red American Range stove? The couple hand-picked it to match the home’s sophisticated yet fun aesthetic, and to contrast with the island, which is painted in Benjamin Moore’s smoky Kendall Charcoal. “It’s a wonderful mix of classic and modern,” says Kragh. “And best of all, they now have no problem hosting a crowd.”

This innovative roll-out drawer keeps the toaster oven easily accessible without sacrificing counter space.

Resources

Range:
American Range, commercial model ARROB-636, from Albert Lee
Interbay, 1476 Elliott Ave. W;
206.282.2110 

Subway tile:
Daltile tile with charcoal grout, Daltile Natural Stone Showroom & Slab Yard
Georgetown, 6020 Sixth Ave. S
206.763.3004; 

Stools:
Twist swivel stool, Cost Plus World Market
Multiple locations including Pike Place, 2103 Western Ave 
206.443.1055

Trim, Cabinet and Island Paint Colors:
Benjamin Moore White Dove and Kendall Charcoal, available wherever Benjamin Moore paints are sold

Island Countertop:
Bianco Carrara honed marble slab installed by Crocodile Rocks
Kenmore

Countertop:
Dark Julia honed soapstone from Michael Homchick Stoneworks
Kenmore

Pendant Lights:
Visual Comfort & Co. Boston pendant, Luxe Lighting Company
Greenwood, 8214 Greenwood Ave. N
206.457.8535

Cabinets:
Tim Schultz, Seattle Custom Cabinets 
Ballard, 1520-A NW Ballard Way
206.782.5720

General contractor:
Terry Holme, Holme Builders
Mount Baker
206.723.1408