Inspiration: Katie's Before and After Kitchen 36 Square Feet

Knocking down a wall is a pretty big deal but when Katie discovered her new kitchen had no drawers or countertops--it seems like an easy decision. Apparently, the previous owner's solution was to keep the fridge in the living room with dishes stacked on top. This 36 square foot kitchen's transformation after the jump!

You might recognize this space from last month's AT New York post which pointed our many of the key features, alongside a Katie's List: "How The Heck We Fit It All In There".

Knocking down the kitchen's wall opened up the teeny space and gave Katie more options when it came to storage. Maximizing vertical space, the cabinets reach all the way to the ceiling. Because she only had a limited amount of space to work with, Katie also had to be crafty when it came to her appliance choices. We love the fact that the oven doubles as a microwave and a 2 burner stove saves countertop space when cooking. Opting for a dishwasher that's half the size of a standard dishwasher--it fits cozily in a corner. And finally, the fridge is bite size and is masked by wooden panels (just like the dishwasher). We love how Katie managed to make this super small space function like a larger sized kitchen.

Related Before and After Posts

[Images from Making This Home via Thomas White]

Wasn't this posted about a month ago?

posted by ChrisGal on April 27th 2009 at 12:21pm
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Talk about a small space! Whoa...and she really did a great job at maximizing. The biggest ah for me is covering the fridge with the paneling, so make it blend and seem larger than it is. Smart!

I rarely comment on stories where people have oodles of room and completely change a layout because its possible and expected (even though beautiful); its the challenges of what you're given to work with and maximizing it that truly impresses me!

Great work Katie.

posted by photomonica on April 27th 2009 at 12:24pm
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"Wasn't this posted about a month ago?"

It sure was.

posted by bepsf on April 27th 2009 at 12:26pm
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I really like what you have done with the small kitchen - seems larger and it opens up the space.

posted by Anusha73 on April 27th 2009 at 12:41pm
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Wow! What a transformation. Seems to me it was a bathroom, turned into a "kitchen", turned into a kitchen kitchen!

Great job!

posted by GreatFriend on April 27th 2009 at 12:44pm
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Wow! Terrific job!!

posted by PhillyLass on April 27th 2009 at 12:51pm
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If it was posted before, I didn't get to see it. I'm glad it was reposted. (:

posted by Nevanna on April 27th 2009 at 12:58pm
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I also missed it before, so I (for once!) am glad it got reposted!

Very beautiful and functional end result!

posted by minnesara on April 27th 2009 at 1:10pm
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I haven't seen it before, so I'm glad it was posted again. That remodel is about a million times better and I imagine added a great amount of value to the home.It seems so much bigger than it really is just by taking that wall out.

posted by TrueTex on April 27th 2009 at 1:16pm
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It's a landlocked yacht! Efficient in the extreme! AND beautiful!

posted by SherryBinNH on April 27th 2009 at 1:31pm
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I often think that knocking down walls between kitchens and eating areas are overdone (or not done well) but this one looks good. Having said that, the little bit of remaining "old" wall where the radiator is looks a bit funky. Still, good job.

posted by madchaka on April 27th 2009 at 1:43pm
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Dear AT, I love the layout of the lead-in pic. It answers the question "is this before or after?" perfectly!

posted by kiljoywashere on April 27th 2009 at 1:45pm
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I saw this when it was posted before but I still think it's a gorgeous solution and looks amazing.

posted by Rolen the Great on April 27th 2009 at 1:59pm
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Tiny kitchen renovations are my favorite. The results, however, are so rarely as satisfying as this one. Great job, thanks so much for sharing it. Lovely wood, clean counter, energy appropriate (2 burners, smaller/dual use applicances).

posted by avianmission on April 27th 2009 at 4:17pm
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Awesome, although I'd of gone with different lights. But it truly is amazing---it looked like a laundry room before or a closet turned kitchen.

posted by plasticorange on April 27th 2009 at 5:36pm
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What an awesome improvement!

posted by faithcrawford on April 27th 2009 at 11:00pm
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i remember it from last time, and love it!

posted by abigailbelle on April 30th 2009 at 1:53pm
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wow. one step cooking. great job on the new kitchen.

posted by treelovr on April 30th 2009 at 11:21pm
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