Kitchen Remodel Merges Style and Utility

Project Info

Architect: Kent Lineberger / Kent Lineberger Architecture, Charlotte, N.C.
Contractor: Steven Whitlock / Hubert Whitlock Builders, Charlotte

Priorities

• Open up the compartmentalized, dark kitchen • Maximize storage
• Use cohesive materials throughout to unify the space

Solutions

To expand this small kitchen, architect Kent Lineberger removed the pantry and incorporated the hallway into the space. This change required contractor Steven Whitlock and his crew to install beams to carry the load of the upper level. “It took a lot of work by the engineers and builders to fit the beams into the ceiling so it had structural integrity but we didn’t lose ceiling height,” Lineberger says.

Another challenge for the building crew was to level the floors. Lineberger says that there were several raised areas and thresholds on the main level where the flooring type changed. The owners wanted to consistently run heart pine flooring throughout that part of the house, so the team salvaged some of the existing pine floor for reuse and combined it with boards cut from reclaimed pine beams.

Though it’s not uncommon to see stained Arts and Crafts or Shaker-style cabinets in these types of bungalows, the owners of this home wanted to create a slightly different mood and tone. Lineberger specified custom painted wood cabinetry that looks modern but still fits with the traditional style of the 1917 home. Clean lines and wide trim throughout the room pay homage to the home’s original millwork. The traditional elements in the kitchen include the curved toe-kick design, the subway-tile backsplash, and the wood rangehood cover. The island, with ample seating for three, resembles a piece of furniture. Widening the openings to the dining and living rooms provides a better connection to those casual living areas, and a new bar area is conveniently located at the end of the kitchen closest to the dining room.

Three double-hung windows in a bay frame above the sink replace the single window that was originally there, bringing in more natural light and providing a deep sill, which the homeowners had requested. Since the bay protrudes about a foot from the exterior and has corbel supports underneath it (to avoid the need for foundation work), the design required approval from the neighborhood’s historical review board. 

Judges’ Comments

Incorporating the original hallway and pantry into the kitchen was the key to this project, the judges said. They used the words “charming,” “pretty,” and “fresh” to describe this kitchen. “Every piece they touched, they improved,” said one judge.