Grand Award

Project Details

Project Description

Design
Best Kitchen In A Custom Home Less Than 3,000 Square Feet

Small, efficient, and smart, this kitchen sets a Contemporary tone for the new town-house built on an alley in Washington, D.C.'s bustling Georgetown neighborhood. With a footprint of just 800 square feet, the two-story living area challenged architect Stephen Vanze to create a sense of spaciousness while including a kitchen well stocked with style and conveniences.

Vanze gave a twist to the kitchen plan, gently angling the peninsula out into the living/dining space. The slight angle “enlivens the space,” he says. It also forces sight lines to be diagonal to the room, creating the illusion of a larger space.

Because the kitchen occupies pride of place in the first floor plan, Vanze outfitted it with practical, hardworking components that look like “elegant pieces of Modern furniture.” Glossy white cabinets, warm wood accent pieces, and stainless steel surfaces are interlocked in a sophisticated composition. The peninsula sits up on stainless steel legs that give it the appearance of a freestanding cabinet from the living area. The stainless steel cooking counter bridges the peninsula and the rear sink counter, with nothing but open space below, an unexpected gesture in a tiny kitchen. But it allows the dark concrete floor to flow unstopped, which contributes to the apparent roominess.

The judges found Vanze's minimalist design an excellent use of a small space. “Great style,” they said.