Waldron Designs undertook a comprehensive renovation of a Pan Abode Home, a unique kit home known for its rustic charm and construction challenges.

We’ve seen all the fantastic designs for accessible kitchens with varying counter heights, and fantastic built-ins that all require a full kitchen renovation. But, what if a full renovation is not in the cards? How can we create an accessible kitchen using what we have?

The work triangle consists of the three major use areas in a kitchen - sink, refrigerator, and range. The rule is that these three items should form a triangle, without interruption, and with legs of the triangle being no more than nine feet and no less than four feet. But what is it REALLY and why is it so important (or maybe not so important) to heed this long-holding guide?

This kitchen was one of our early design-build projects and could not have been as successful as it was without the fantastic family who exhibited patience and grace throughout the entire process. Not only did we get to work with amazing people, but we also had the opportunity to integrate the home’s character with the family’s lifestyle and heritage!

We started design where most designs start, some inspiration photos. At the time, they had a contractor who also specialized in cabinetry that they were eager to use. The photos we had shared held much of the farmhouse aesthetic, but the cabinet design style was more midcentury modern in styling.

Our next challenge was size. We had a tight space, possibly one of the smallest kitchens I have yet to work on, with no ability for structural change. This meant that we had to somehow create an illusion of space, and provide the necessity of storage.

Display is important to this family, with young blooming artists, but not so much display that it becomes a cluster of tchotchkes.

The last challenge was to provide flexibility for a dining space where a built in dining nook was desired, as well as the flexibility to move the table and extend with leaves for larger family gatherings.

Today, our kitchen and bath design process is about developing a space for you that functions in the way that you live and is not limited to the parts and pieces that were per-conceived by others in an order book for mass-production.

This Spokane kitchen design was the first project that was "mine", in my first design job! To this day, I am thrilled and proud of the extraordinary creative space we created!