Remodelista Greatest Hits 2021: Kitchen of the Week: Sunshine and Storage Aplenty in a Tiny Vancouver Remodel

When it came time for Gillian Stevens to remodel her dated Vancouver kitchen (“let’s just say it needed some help,” she summarizes), she did what her training as a photographer had always taught her to do: look for light. In this case, there wasn’t much. “The previous owners had installed a cupboard over the only window,” she explains of the dark and small room.

Above: Moving the window placement to this spot “was one of the best decisions we made, and I am so glad that our designer thought of it!” says Gillian. The original window was on the left wall and looked into their neighbor’s window. The ceiling lights are simply lightbulbs screwed into porcelain lampholders by Leviton (just $8.22 each at Home Depot).

Instead of knocking down walls or adding more windows (which would have have meant less storage space), though, she and her husband, at their designer’s urging, opted to move the sole window. “We really struggled trying to fit everything we wanted into the room: unobstructed countertop space, open shelving, a 36-inch fridge, and a large window overlooking the garden. We couldn’t seem to make it all work without compromising,” says Gillian.

custom floating shelves by lock & mortice are now where the original window 10 — Above: Custom floating shelves by Lock & Mortice are now where the original window once was. The stove is from Ilve’s Nostalgie line. The cabinets by Kitchen Art Design are painted Benjamin Moore Classic Gray; the walls painted in Bauwerk Lime Paint’s Chalk.

“When our kitchen designer suggested we remove the existing kitchen window, with my love of natural light, I couldn’t fathom removing a window. But doing that meant we could have all the things on our list, and with it being a smaller room, having a large window on the adjacent wall would replace the light we lost.”

one of the perks of custom cabinetry is carving out storage space from the tini 11 — Above: One of the perks of custom cabinetry is carving out storage space from the tiniest corners. The brass cabinet door knobs and drawer pulls are all from House of Antique Hardware. The refrigerator handles, in unlacquered brass, are from Rejuvenation.

The couple worked with Vancouver-based Kitchen Art Design on the remodel. “Our wish list was pretty long. I had been designing this kitchen in my head for many years, so I had a pretty specific idea of what I wanted to do,” says Gillian. “The biggest challenge was fitting all of the things we wanted into the space. There were many back and forth drawings with our cabinet designer.”