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Smallest Coolest Kitchen 2007 Entry #7: Phoebe's Crisp Organic Space

Name: Phoebe
Location: Cambridge, MA
Size & Type: 63 square feet in a condo

Favorite resource: Local unfinished cabinetry via Home Depot. We couldn't believe how affordable solid wood cabinets became when we chose to go unfinished...

Inspiration: The crisp, efficient design of butler's pantries. We also wanted our kitchen to have a clean, organic feel...

 
 
2007_04_17-SCC7-Phoebe03.jpg

Inspiration continued: ...so we used simple textures - wood (painted in Benjamin Moore China White) and honed granite (high-honed Brazilian black), paired with stainless steel. Our goal was to give the kitchen a faux built-in look, with as much genuine floor-to-ceiling storage as possible. We tried to create a sense of space with high elements, and a design that focused attention upon the room's large window.

Favorite resource continued: ...they were even customize-able for very little extra dough, so we got to make them super high, and added an MDF crown molding that cost about $12 total and made all the cabinets look as if they blended seamlessly together. Being able to choose the exact color of your cabinets is a nice bonus, and painting isn't expensive if you find a local carpenter to finish them on-site.

2007_04_17-SCC7-Phoebe01.jpg

Tip: OK, so it's not sexy but (as Tom Cruise says in The Firm) it's got teeth: consider re-routing your plumbing! Lines can be moved with less cost than you might think, especially if you keep them tight to the wall instead of opening up lots of plaster. We were able to redo our plumbing very affordably, and the views from the window have made a huge difference in our experience of the space.

- Phoebe

Tags

Small Cool 2007 - entries, Kitchen Tours

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Comments (26)

I'm the tiniest bit confused . . .
there's only one window, correct?
And you moved the sink and the fridge in the reno, right?

super lovely first photo --
it looks almost peachy, but in a good way,
with those red accents.
but walls and cabinets are BM China White, right?

posted by guido on April 18th 2007 at 6:43am
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p.s.
good on 'ya
for claiming the view and shuffling the appliances to open things up so well

posted by guido on April 18th 2007 at 6:45am
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Your renovation definitely opens up your kitchen, creating a fresher look. I also like how you've installed a fan that seems very unobstrusive (but also looks like it works well!) to the overall look of your peaceful kitchen. Info on the fan (model, how it's working out, etc) would be appreciated!

posted by s in DC on April 18th 2007 at 6:55am
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I really like this space. It looks clean and efficient, but not cold. Can you tell me about your range?? I'm looking for something very similar for my own upcoming kitchen reno.

posted by Kristina on April 18th 2007 at 7:07am
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Long-time lurker here. I think your space is beautiful! Thank you for sharing it.
I have a question about the counter that extends from the sink to the side of the range--is there storage space back there that you can access from the sink cabinet via pull-out shelves or something?

posted by smallfrog on April 18th 2007 at 7:24am
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I like it. I may need to borrow your kitchen color choices!

posted by Leeds on April 18th 2007 at 7:25am
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Wow. This is just the sort of kitchen my office does for our crazy-rich clients, but in bite-sized and (probably) affordable format. Congrats and enjoy your beautiful kitchen.

posted by Michelle of Montreal on April 18th 2007 at 7:56am
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Yes, beautiful work. Makes me regret not moving my plumbing and putting my sink in front of the window.

Which range is that, please? 24"? Are you happy with it? And which hood? Do you feel that you really need a hood with a window so close by?

Thanks for all and any info. Struggling with all these decisions myself.

posted by olga on April 18th 2007 at 8:12am
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I feel compelled to comment on the (mis)use of "organic" in this context, but Phoebe did a lovely job and I didn't want to start off with a negative. I assume "organic" describes a vibe and not use of low environmental impact products.

posted by guido on April 18th 2007 at 9:34am
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Really lovely. Crisp and efficient without being cold, as another poster said.

Those jars in the open shelving - I absolutely love them, there's something so nostalgic about them for me, I have a couple and want more - does anyone know if there is a name for them?

posted by mjoe on April 18th 2007 at 10:43am
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This is a beautiful and ingenious reno of a galley kitchen, opens up the space so much, esp with the super-high cabinets. Most of all, I adore your window (esp with the herbs).

I'd be really curious to hear how often people cook in their entries. So far they all look like well-loved, hard-working kitchens.

And to guido: this is no misuse of "organic," which has several different meanings and connotations, including a sort of natural integration of parts (ie., like an organism).

posted by renata on April 18th 2007 at 11:25am
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I'm printing this out and taking it to Home Depot--this is exactly the kind of look I'm going for with my kitchen.

posted by Melinda on April 18th 2007 at 11:46am
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Yea! A Simplex kettle!

posted by Anne in Chicago on April 18th 2007 at 1:29pm
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absolutely fabulous!

posted by ForbiddenFruit on April 18th 2007 at 3:20pm
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I love your kitchen. Great idea using unfinished cabinets! I've been looking for affordable white cabinets and don't really like laminated cabinets. Did you use latex or oil based paint?

posted by Bethany on April 18th 2007 at 3:25pm
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mjoe,
I believe what you'd call those is
apothecary jars

posted by guido on April 19th 2007 at 2:37am
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Phoebe, great kitchen! How did you get unfinished cabinets through Home Depot? Did they put you in touch with a local carpenter?

Thanks!

posted by 2nd DC Christine on April 19th 2007 at 4:36am
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hi AT-ers! thanks so much for your comments... it's lovely to hear your feedback.

some answers to your questions:
- Kristina and Olga, our stove is from Summit. (got it for a better deal from our local dealer: no shipping and free inside-apartment delivery.) We love our stove so much! Particularly as we've decided not to use a toaster oven, we now use the broiler for toast and it does a great job.

- S in DC, and Olga, our stainless hood (which works very well for a non-venting hood) can be found here.

- Small Frog, that corner area is where the customize-able part of the unfinished cabinets really came in handy: we had a custom blind cabinet ordered exactly to our specifications, (for only ~ $50 extra!). We keep a lot of storage items there-- our two baby pressure cookers; the Cuisinart; sparkling water in bulk, etc.

- Bethany, we used oil-based semi-gloss.

-And Mjoe, thanks so much for noticing the jars! They're "(Agassiz) Museum Specimen jars" a sampling of my mom's prized collection that she bought from the Agassiz museum in Cambridge in 1973 when they decided to sell off their storage of jars with ground-glass stoppers to make room for jars with screw-tops. Try google and ebay; they're pretty hard to find these days. Try "ground glass" as a starting point.

-Guido, let me know if I can help with any confusion you might be having! :)

Thanks again all for your kind words...
Phoebe

posted by phoebe (silk felt soil) on April 19th 2007 at 5:01am
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Lovely! I especially like the herbs by the window - keeps it cheerful in any season! Well done!

posted by Ally on April 19th 2007 at 6:54am
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2nd DC Christine: yes, in the Boston area at least, Home Depot has a relationship with the NH-based Young's Furniture (check out their old-school 1980's typeface! love it!), so that's how we found out about them.

In terms of installation, we hired a fantastic handyman who works regularly in our building with our building's manager: a great way to find a carpenter/painter, btw. (Even better than Angie's List, which we also relied on.)

hope that helps!
Phoebe

posted by phoebe (silk felt soil) on April 19th 2007 at 11:01am
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Wow. Those jars are even specialer than I thought. Very cool, thanks for the tip.

posted by mjoe on April 19th 2007 at 11:15am
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i absolutely love this. that china white color is exactly what i was looking for ... it looks quite grey and unappealing on the BM web site, but feels very warm here.

and guido, that is a perfectly valid use of the word organic....
it has many definitions including this one: developing in a manner analogous to the natural growth and evolution characteristic of living organisms; arising as a natural outgrowth.

posted by analog on April 20th 2007 at 11:23am
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love, love, LOVE the window garden! great work!

posted by erin patton on April 22nd 2007 at 4:06pm
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Geogeous kitchen! Could you tell me where you bought your kitchen faucet and in what finish? Tnx.

posted by tate on July 28th 2007 at 3:29pm
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I know i am coming to the party a bit late but I absolutely love you kitchen. The before has the same layout as mine so I am very interested..if you don't mind me asking - is there anything after the fridge? what is the length of the window wall.

posted by Melissa K on September 28th 2008 at 8:20am
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brilliant move of the fridge & sink!

posted by katod on January 5th 2009 at 10:50pm
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