Great!

This is an amazing transformation. I think something else that makes it look wider is the dark countertops that draw the eye to the edges of the kitchen. I also love that instead of tiling they painted the brickwork (although following the link I see they did that for budget reasons - an economy with a very attractive result!)

Nice look with the painted brick backsplash-- I wonder if these bricks were added, or discovered beneath the existing wall? What a find!

Yeah man! The bricks add great texture. Love it! Great job!

I love love LOVE these kitchen improvements! That said, I am mourning the loss of that lovely wood used for the shelves on the right. Please tell me that was saved for something else?!

WOW. Now I want a white kitchen! Nicely done!!!!

Gorgeous. I'm not a fan of galley kitchens, but if I had to have one, I would want it to be like this!

I can appreciate the transformation, but I am really not a fan of bright white kitchens.

ADD here. Those are the original bricks from our 1890's era exterior wall. We did it for budget reasons and also to save the precious inches that framing them out would have lost us. It's only a 75sq foot room, after all. As AT kindly pointed out, you can see more pictures of our kitchen here:
http://www.diywithadd.com/2010/07/01/933/

@krl2876 - the wood on the right is bowed and looks like plywood/mdf covered in contact paper...not a big loss in my book

Love the simple shaker cabinets and choice of counter tops. Beautiful!

this is very much how i want our kitchen to look, should we ever get around to a remodel.

nice work.

it looks like busting back to brick gave you the necessary few inches to clear that door frame with the new cabinet/counter -- nice one. sometimes in a kitchen those few inches can mean a lot.

what a weird door configuration. good job on the new "stair" configuration... certainly an improvement and probably the best solution considering your challenge. is the rest of the space below grade? is the kitchen on slab or subfloor? flooring choice?

i can't tell if the "door wall" is the same tone as the rest of the kitchen. you might one day think to paint this a slightly deeper tone (like a light oyster gray) to add some tonal variety (something other than black/white), but light enough to still keep the space bright.

you rock. this is great.

holy moley--great choices. I have a tiny kitchen and would love to have something even slightly close to this!

Perfect I don't see it any other way. Really nice job.

I am going to have to look at your blog now, between that sofa and this what else do you have going on?

I am liking white kitchens more and more. It does a lot for this narrow space. Even wondering how a white counter would look. Then the food (including the grains in the clear glass jars) would provide the color.

ADD again. The "door" is built into an original brownstone window frame. And our deck is outside of that door. We kept the kitchen a galley, rather than moving/enlarging it because we wanted it to stay adjacent to the deck. A low budget informed most of our renovation decisions. We couldn't afford a lot of structural changes. For full-on renovation geeks (like me), here is the parlor level floorplan:
http://www.diywithadd.com/2010/07/16/decorate-my-dining-room-please/a100-1-2/

The kitchen looks great. I appreciate the closed cabinets--they make the kitchen look much cleaner and less visually cluttered than open shelving.

I'm diggin' the simple, utilitarian hardware. Looks like a cooks' kitchen now!

I usually don't like white kitchens either, but this is really beautiful. I love the countertops, backsplash, and the sink.

Fantastic! I really, really love galley kitchens and this one is beautiful. I have done some of my very best cooking when I lived in places where I had a galley kitchen.

Just brilliant!

"It's remarkable how this identical 75 square foot room with essentially the same layout/configuration can appear so much larger and infinitely more welcoming."

I'm sure the white helps, but the wide angle lens used in the after pics also play a major role in making the space seem larger.

Regardless, it's a very nice remodel. I love the open shelves!

It looks wonderful. This thrifty redo still must have cost some money, raising the ceiling couldn't have been that cheap.

holy moley is right!

Just beautiful.

Food looks its best on white dishes and in white kitchens. No other color looks as clean and you can always add colored accents for interest.

Simple and beautiful. Love this!

Gorgeous!!! Always a fan of soapstone use; those countertops will last forever.

idontdobeige, I agree. The dark countertops extend the space. Painting the cabinets the same color as the walls makes the cabinets disappear, enhancing the visual effect of the countertops.

Simple & amazing!

I love it! It's gorgeous, as was the couch. Perhaps we could see the bathroom tomorrow, it's pretty fantastic too.

Wow. Now I want to do a kitchen reno of my own!

I just moved from my apartment with a galley kitchen. I miss it so much! This is beautiful, jealous!

Love this kitchen! I too, would have never considered a galley-style kitchen....until now! Such an inspiration!

RAISED the ceiling? Well of course it's gonna look much bigger!

I really don't love galley kitchens at all - I have one in my house right now (very small, about 60 sqft only). However, ADD's kitchen looks amazing! I would love to have my sink and my range on the same side with the countertop space in between, that's so practical when cooking. I have to switch from one side to another all the time when I cook, and I cook a lot. Result: the kitchen floor is always dirty...hope I can renovate soon! Thank you for the inspiration.

*thud*

How long was I out?

That is an amazing transformation. And I'm SO happy you got yourself a wee step. I was worried for you in that first photo. That was a broken leg/arm/neck waiting to happen.

Just lovely.

i am loving that new kitchen - i so wish it were mine!

Has anyone asked this person about doing a house tour?

It's nice, but I wonder how bright the after kitchen really is--the photographer clearly overexposed the after picture as compared to the before (look at the door).

[On add website] I pretty sure you've pulled your bathroom out of my apartment fantasy, SO GORGEOUS!

paulbutler47 & erasmussen: you are exactly the kind of commenters that make me want to throw my laptop out a window.
Put your own rooms up ...would love to see the hell hole you're typing from.

The picture doesn't look overexposed--just like it was taken at another time of day when the sun was different. Lovely re-do, great job.

I LOVE this renovation and this is exactly what I want for my own kitchen, except with a different configuration. But in a pinch, I would cook in this very happily.

Very nice.

I second the suggestion of a full house tour. This kitchen is amazing.

If it were my place (I wish!) I'd put a long mirror sideways over the right-hand counter, to make the room look even bigger. But it's spectacular as-is.

The renovation does not only change from old to new but to cramp to elegance also. The tight spaces is functional and properly utilized.