Spaced Out

Two designers share some tricks for making kitchens and baths feel bigger.

Peter Leach Photographer, Lititz, PA

A well-designed kitchen or bath feels like a place where people can stretch out, regardless of how much actual legroom the space truly provides. And while most builders are familiar with the tactics for making spaces feel more expansive, good designers add their own unique twists to make these tactics even more effective.

In his kitchen projects, Wyckoff, N.J.-based designer Peter Salerno (www.petersalernoinc.com) likes to deliberately oversize key areas, such as the stove. "I make the stove area very dominant and bold, whether it’s by including a sweeping range hood, or using a different element like brick around stove." But unlike most designers, he also draws attention to the refrigerator, with tactics that have included painting the refrigerator door a bold color, and flanking it by half columns. "It helps make the kitchen seem bigger by giving it more dimension."

Size matters
Cabinet height is another area that cries out for creativity. In many kitchens, cabinets are extended to the ceiling with the idea that people’s eyes will be drawn upward, making the room seem bigger. But according to Salerno, this tactic can actually backfire if not done right. "The room may look taller, but it can end up feeling more like a library than a kitchen." He says that a better approach is to vary cabinet heights, and put accent lighting at the top of the lowered cabinets. This will add the perception of depth, while also preventing the eye from fixating on the top of the cabinets.

Some designers create depth around cabinets by using strategically placed arches and glass doors. For example, designer Sandra Steiner-Houck, of Steiner and Houck Inc., in Columbia Penn., designs upper shelves as decorative accents, with backlit glass cabinets where homeowners can display their fine china and other items.

She also likes to use glass in bathrooms. In one of her award-winning designs, she put mirrors on a bathroom ceiling to accentuate the length of the room. She has also used a wall of mirrors to create a sense of flow by connecting a bathroom to a wooded area just outside the house. "The mirrors reflected the exterior view through a big window on the opposite wall," she explains. Frameless glass around the shower helped open the space further.

Glass and mirrors aside, Steiner-Houck points out that some of the most effective tactics for making a room feel bigger are also the simplest, such as using large tiles in a bathroom. "Using 12-inch-square tile is a quick and easy way to make the bathroom seem larger," she says. "The room will be less busy looking than it would with smaller tiles and a lot of grout joints." Where possible, she will visually stretch a room even further by setting the tiles on a diagonal.

Before you build
Of course, everything is easier if you get the kitchen and bath designer involved early. "Sometimes a builder won’t call me until after a house is framed," says Salerno, "but if they wait until then, they may have to settle for a second-best kitchen." In one of his kitchen designs for an upscale spec home, the plan included a doorway that would have split the kitchen in half. He was able to relocate it before construction started. "I shifted it to one side, which let me create a hearth and flank it with cabinets." On another project the kitchen was too narrow to accommodate the island the builder was planning to build. "They were short by two feet. Luckily, I was able to catch it before they poured the foundation." Of course, it would have been a lot more difficult if we hadn't been able to flag the problem before framing started. .