Before & After: A Tiny Brooklyn Kitchen Opens Up

Brooklyn homeowner Ketrina loved her new condo… but as time went by, she became more and more disillusioned with the tiny, cramped kitchen. The cabinets weren’t properly installed, nothing was level, and whenever the refrigerator opened, it would chip away at the kitchen doorway. To make things worse, water leaks from the apartment above were taking their toll on the walls and cabinets. It was time for a change.

Ketrina worked with Paulina and Albert, a designer and cabinetmaker, to ensure that her new kitchen would be everything she wanted. The biggest change they made was tearing down the wall that had previously separated the kitchen from the rest of the condo’s living areas. The new kitchen feels much more spacious, and has a lot more storage and prep space, too, thanks to a new island with cabinets underneath. Paulina made the suggestion of keeping the kitchen’s original floor, which saved a lot of money and time.

Ketrina likes warm colors, so Paulina looked for finish choices that would complement the pieces she had chosen for the rest of her house. The cabinets are painted in a soft white, and the kitchen island, pipe cover, and soffit are all covered in a walnut veneer. Ketrina’s favorite thing about the new space is the quartzite counters. “It’s like having a piece of fine art right in my kitchen,” she says.

A custom walnut corner cabinet matches the veneer on the island, and the recycled glass penny tile continues the warm color scheme. Paulina made a few clever choices that make the most of this small kitchen — a single bowl sink frees up countertop space, and a new, smaller 18″ dishwasher means more space for cabinets.

And the clever solutions don’t end there — there’s also a wee cabinet to the right of the stove, which pulls out to allow access to spices. Ketrina couldn’t be happier with her new space: “I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s like a minor miracle happened with this project.”

Ketrina found her design team through Sweeten, an online resource that connects homeowners in New York with designers, architects, and contractors. To read more about this project, and see more photos and sources, visit the project page on the Sweeten blog.