Before & After: Kitchen Moving a wall makes it work

Grabbing a few feet from the adjacent dining room yields major layout improvements

- NINA MALKIN

Having family mealtime is a must, but sometimes parents need their own space, too. That's one reason Wyncote, PA, homeowners Molly Eigen and Sarah Elder-parents of three, all under age 11-wanted to preserve the formal dining room in their 1950s center-hall Colonial. But their cramped, dark kitchen was crying out for more storage, better traffic flow, and updated finishes. "It wasn't in sync with our simpler, more modern style," Molly says.

Interior designer Libby Rawes was able to deliver on all fronts by making one crucial move: bumping into the adjacent dining room by 37 inches. Those few extra feet allowed her to add a floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinet next to the opening to the dining room and a square island that doubled the storage and prep area of its undersized predecessor. Moving the cooktop out of its awkward corner and scrapping it and double wall ovens in favor of a traditional range allowed for another tall pantry where the stacked ovens had been, as well as better-organized base cabinets.