As part of a down-to-the-studs deep energy retrofit and green remodel by Mike Peterson of Material Practice, this kitchen aims to embody efficiency through materials selection, energy use, and durability. The existing circa 1949, 620 square foot home’s kitchen was already well-proportioned to the rest of the house. Its compact but efficient galley-style layout was primarily in need of cabinetry that maximized space and new finishes and lighting to bring the space into the 21st century. The hallway-free design of the home was already the definition of efficient; a simple widening of the doorway between kitchen and living room helped reinforce connectivity.
The existing 1949 cabinetry wasted a huge proportion of potential storage space, and the shallow countertops left little real estate for kitchen duties. Full-extension drawers and six inches of added cabinet depth transform the utility of the space.
Cabinet faces and drawer boxes are crafted from Douglas Fir, salvaged from the home’s roof sheathing and framing members. The same material was used to trim the doorways to the living room and pantry/utility room. To reduce the risk of warping, cabinet faces are veneer Fir over a no added urea formaldehyde MDF core. Drawer boxes are solid salvaged wood; cabinet boxes are Forest Stewardship Council certified exterior grade plywood.
The cabinetry was crafted by Justin Benson at Norwegian Northwest. At Justin’s suggestion, the longest pieces of Doug Fir roof sheathing were set aside to create the cabinet face veneers. This allowed us to grain-match, floor-to-ceiling. The verticality of the grain also helps the compact space feel taller than its actual eight feet. Salvaged material that didn’t meet quality standards for veneers and drawer boxes was milled for edge banding, resulting in very little waste. All wood surfaces were finished with a plant-based, mico-porous oil.
The kitchen’s lighting is nearly all super-efficient LED, with a single overhead fluorescent fixture for general illumination. The dimmable, halogen-like LEDs spotlight the kitchen table, sink, and countertop, providing flexibility and theatricality in the lighting design.
Efficient, European-sized appliances, including an 18″ wide dishwasher, 24″ oven and cooktop, and 24″ footprint refrigerator/freezer are in proportion with the rest of the house and free up more room for cabinet space. The countertop is 1/2 inch Paperstone, a recycled paper and naturally derived resin product that is workable with typical woodworking tools but gives the appearance of slate. The backsplash tiles predate the remodel; they were retained in place with the cabinetry designed around them.
Exterior walls employ the Airtight Drywall Approach for a draft-free environment; existing stud bays were filled with dense-pack cellulose coupled with four inches of rigid mineral wool exterior insulation. As contractor Anton Adams explained, we built a Thermos. Triple-paned windows with a u-value of 0.19 help keep the kitchen–and the rest of the house–snug. Walls are finished with a natural clay plaster finish that helps moderate humidity in concert with the home’s heat recovery ventilator, which exhausts stale air from the kitchen and bathroom and supplies tempered air to the living room and sleeping areas.
Old-fashioned natural linoleum brings the kitchen full circle, replacing the sheet vinyl that replaced the original 1949 linoleum. I’m confident that we’ve built a kitchen that will happily and efficiently service occupants for the next 65 years.
