DARIEN, IL -

The couple who owns this home dreamed big. They wanted a contemporary kitchen on a grand scale that was packed full of professional-style appliances and plenty of drama and pizzazz.

What they had was a traditional style home, located here, and an existing kitchen that measured a mere 156 sq. ft.

They went to Drury Design Kitchen & Bath Studio in Glen Ellyn, IL and met with Amy Bodell, CKD, Allied ASID. They told her about their remodeling hopes and design dreams, about how they host their entire family at holidays, entertain friends frequently and cook meals each weekend large enough to last the week. They told her they wanted a contemporary look that would fit into a traditional setting. Then they told Bodell that she could only use the footprint of the existing kitchen.

"That was definitely a challenge," recalls Bodell, "to be confined to such a small space and be told that they wanted all of the bells and whistles that much larger kitchens can hold - a double sink, 36" cooktop, 42" refrigerator, double ovens, microwave, pantry, a corner cabinetry that needed 48" of space, an island, etc."

Indeed, Bodell had to pack a lot of visual and functional punch inside the existing footprint of the 14-year-old kitchen, which had poor lighting and an L-shaped island that blocked traffic flow. She was able to make her clients' dream of a big, dramatic, modern and professional-style kitchen come true despite the small space in which she had to work by playing with the heights and angles. She also created design impact in the small adjacent powder room using the same principles and a similar design vocabulary.

FITTING IN

Bodell started her plans in the kitchen. She knew she couldn’t fit everything in there, and that some items may have to be sacrificed. She also knew that she must be careful in her choice of impact pieces to ensure the small kitchen was neither boring nor too busy.

Bodell started with the Leicht cabinetry. "They wanted all of the storage bells and whistles this line had, but I talked them into scaling back a bit and going for a simple door style," explains Bodell.

The style-European cherry wood with Avium doors and some frosted Croco glass inset panels-worked to set the contemporary tone while adding the warmth needed to make it blend into home's overall traditional style. She also staggered the cabinet heights to lend visual interest.

The next great compromise was the island. "Again, they wanted a huge island, plus room enough to have a table and chairs, even though they had a nearby dining room. The reason they wanted the seating was that when they entertain, they like to have everyone in the kitchen," relates Bodell.

Her solution was to create a scaled-down version of the island her clients desired and nix the eating area. She made it fit by angling the ends of two runs of cabinetry. The solution served to break of the linear lines of the kitchen, notes Bodell.