Literally the heart of the home, the kitchen in this Ottawa residence was originally small, dark and cramped. A recent renovation reorganized the entire main floor of the typical 1950s suburban digs, transforming it into a modern, flowing space, with the kitchen taking centre stage.
By opening up walls to the adjacent family room and dining room, the flow of the entire house was improved and a bright, airy space was born. Natural light floods in on either side, through large bay windows in both the dining room and kitchen. “The space planning in this project is really beautiful,” says Julinda Balca, manager of the DOM Ottawa showroom, through which the Valcucine kitchen system was sourced.
The Italian manufacturer’s Freeplay system is employed, in white oak veneer and white and black gloss lacquers, with long, flat aluminum hardware. The central island features a white oak breakfast bar on one side and a thick tempered glass countertop on the other. A Franke stainless steel countertop, with molded-in sink, was installed on the perimeter. On the floor, a 12-by-24-inch tile with an etched grain pattern continues into the family room, enhancing the natural flow of the space.
Everything is smooth, clean, light and simple. Once the right note was hit with the space planning, the only design challenge was the big bay window. “It’s much lower than a window would typically be,” says designer Natalie Brub, explaining how putting a counter under it was not a possibility. The clients didn’t want to get into replacing windows, so Brub was forced to figure out how to work around it. Her solution is the highlight of the space – a white bench that runs underneath the window, providing a perfect perch for enjoying the view of the garden outside. “That was the real revelation of this project,” Brub recalls. “I was thinking and thinking about it and then I literally woke up in the middle of the night with the idea. I got up, sketched it out, and that was it.”