Everyone has their own idea of what makes a great kitchen. Read about the solutions of three families from Montréal, London, and El Buchén, Chile.

1. The Newly Minted Interior

Two- and three-story apartment buildings, known as plexes, with one or two units per floor, each stretching from the street to the back, have defined housing in Montréal for more than a century. With their exterior staircases, stained glass, wood floors, and moldings, plexes offer plenty of charm, but their lineup of small rooms sometimes feels incompatible with contemporary life and taste.

architect Stéphane Rasselet with renovating the ground-floor apartment occupied by her daughter, Mariflore Véronneau, who was also keen on retaining the building’s character while breathing new life into what was previously a dim interior." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Thomas Bouquin" photoUserId="6197971578648674304"/>

When Michèle Beaudin decided to transform the 1,500-square-foot ground-floor apartment of a 1920s fiveplex she owns, she tasked local architect Stéphane Rasselet and his team at Naturehumaine with a delicate mission: Update the space without erasing its original character.

“Everything we did was based on this duality,” says Rasselet. The redesign takes cues from existing elements. The green color bedecking most of the cabinetry was inspired by the tiles in the vestibule as well as the botanical motif of the original stained-glass panels in the apartment’s doors.

The curved row of vertical slats that replaces the wall separating the kitchen and living spaces echoes the fluted columns and arch at the dining room’s entrance while also allowing more natural light to reach the apartment’s core.

Designed for Michèle’s daughter, Mariflore Véronneau, a mother of two, the kitchen is, of course, the home’s busy hub, requiring it to be as orderly and spacious as possible. Rounded cabinets and an island add much needed, concealed storage and create a sense of movement toward the back windows.

With both grandmother and mother laughing at how often small handprints are found on the light-colored surfaces, the kitchen’s easy-to-clean finishes are appreciated as much as its streamlined design. Full-height cabinets are confined to limited wall sections, opening up sight lines from the kitchen to the dining room, where Mariflore frequently hosts dinner guests, and the kids’ play area in the living room beyond.

The ceiling and exterior walls have been thermally and acoustically insulated anew, which led to difficult decisions about sacrificing some original details such as wallpaper and ceiling moldings. However, by opening spaces while keeping the basic floor plan, the transformation is both fresh and respectful of the past. And, says Mariflore, the views of the courtyard framed by the new windows in the kitchen and in her bedroom are “magic—they almost look like a painting.” —Olivier Vallerand

2. The Discrete Addition

Back in February 2017, when James and Kate Greenfield were looking to move within South London, the first house they saw was a late-Victorian so rundown that their agent refused to walk in. “It was absolutely trashed,” recalls James. “But all of the original features were intact,” says Kate. “And it had an enormous garden.”

Smitten by the home’s potential, they bought it but understood the tremendous work ahead. James, cofounder and CEO of London branding studio Koto, had grown up in houses remodeled by his father, and Kate worked at student housing developer Scape, where she’s head of branding and marketing. They mapped out a two-stage renovation plan: First, make the house habitable by improving essentials and installing a temporary kitchen; then, get a feel for the place for a few years before plunging into a serious remodel.

By fall 2020, with a one-year-old and a second child on the way, Kate and James were ready for an architect to help them create an enlarged kitchen and dining area that would flow from a living room and play area in front to the garden in back.

Through a connection via a design leadership course, James met London architect Benjamin Wilkes, who was as excited about the project as they were. “The clients are very decisive, which is refreshing,” says Wilkes. For the 215-square-foot extension, the Greenfields wanted natural light but not the expanses of uninterrupted glass they were seeing on Pinterest. Wilkes’s design brings light in from above, with skylights alternating with oak beams that continue in a steady rhythm outside as a pergola. Bifold panels open along a window seat.

Plentiful concealed storage keeps clutter at bay, while open shelving above the sink and along the opposite wall provides a decorative counterpoint. Warm natural finishes complement the muted-green and soft-pink Pluck island and cabinets.

Even as the Greenfields delight in their first family home, they realize they might not be there forever. “We didn’t do this project to flip it,” Kate says. “We chose the finishes because we want to enjoy living with them. When we come to sell, hopefully others will like them, too. But we will have been living in a space that feels well and truly ours.” —Amrita Raja

3. The Island That’s Everything

Three hours from their home in Santiago, Martín Bravo and his husband, Omar Zúñiga, have built a true escape. In the Chilean capital, Martín helms Design Systems International, a studio “for designers who code,” and Omar makes films and is a founding partner of Cinestación, an international production company. But deep in an Andean forest, at the end of a serpentine dirt track, is a hillside retreat meant simply for cooking and conversing with friends as they take in the spectacular views.

To create a simple design for the complicated location—“We’re an hour drive from a store, so you need to know what to bring and make sure you bring it,” says Omar—the pair called on Martín’s architect brother, Sebastián, and his firm, Oficina Bravo, in Santiago.

They settled on a stripped-back A-frame with lots of glazing and an open 1,300-square-foot layout that includes a loft bedroom on each end. Because life in the cabin revolves around eating and drinking, with Martín and Omar charming guests while kneading the next morning’s sourdough bread or whipping up predinner Negronis, the kitchen was the most meticulously planned element of the house.

In a feat of collaborative ingenuity, everything—refrigerator, freezer, range, pantry, and sink—was condensed into a single customized unit. Martín and Omar sourced a nearly eight-foot slab of lenga, a native Chilean wood, that was wide enough for a carpenter friend to make cuts for a stove and sink. From there, Sebastián devised and precisely measured shelving to store tableware and a supply of nonperishable food and cocktail ingredients.

Above, a suspended rack provides space for pots, pans, and larger items as well as dish-drying over the sink. The result, says Sebastián, “is a piece of furniture as succinctly compact and functional as it is attackable from all sides.”

And one that still leaves plenty of room for a German-style beer garden dining table, which can be easily moved from the kitchen area to the terrace outdoors. There, during the summer months, Martín, Omar, and their guests can feast beneath a canopy of oaks. “We really wanted a space that doesn’t have transitions between eating or cooking or interacting,” Omar explains. “There is this idea that we are, at all times, sharing both a space and an experience.” —Mark Johanson

Project Credits:

The Newly Minted Interior | Montréal, Canada
Architect of Record: Naturehumaine Architecture & Design and CDO Rénovation
Structural Engineering: Geniex
Cabinetry Design: Ébénisterie CST

The Discrete Addition | London, England
Architect of Record: Benjamin Wilkes
Carpentry: DJR Carpentry & Building Works

The Island That’s Everything | Chile
Architect of Record: Oficina Bravo
Construction: Constructora Fass
Structural Engineering: Adyacente Cálculo y Diseño

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