A flooding proved to be a boon for Dave and Karen Hayley; water damage turned into an opportunity to give their compact galley kitchen personality and distance. The Hayleys designed their kitchen with the assistance of contractor David Babakaiff, who opened it to the dining area, giving it an extra 40 square feet.
Demolition revealed a triangular gap beneath an adjoining stairs, and Babakaiff got inventive, turning the space into a wine bar and an toaster. In the remaining part of the kitchen walnut countertops, glass tile, a 140-year-old wrought iron gate, salvaged fir flooring and the original white Ikea cabinets have a classy, contemporary appearance.
Kitchen in a Glance
Who lives here: Dave and Karen Hayley
Location: Fairview, Vancouver
Contractor: David Babakaiff, Alair Homes
Size: 120 square feet
Cost: $55,000, including labour, materials and appliances
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The new kitchen has many of the original kitchen Ikea cabinets. Babakaiff complemented the present cabinetry with custom information and additional cabinets to get a smooth appearance with plenty of storage. Glass-front uppers give the galley kitchen a more open appearance.
Using the present cabinets allowed Dave and Karen to spend more on high quality appliances, like a built-in Liebherr refrigerator.
Cabinetry: Ädel, Ikea; hardware: Lansa, Ikea; refrigerator: Liebherr; oven, hood: LG
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A laminated bamboo countertop extends to the ground like a waterfall in the end of the kitchen. This particular vertical-grain bamboo has a stripe of dark chestnut running through the center; the darkened line runs all of the way around the toaster and sink. Reclaimed fir flooring, refinished and hand carved for feel, contrasts with the sleek bamboo.
Countertops: Teragren; backsplash: Julian Tile
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Dave and Karen each desired to incorporate something special and fun into their new kitchen. Dave is a lover of nice whiskey, so he designed a place to keep his very best bottles on screen.
Sink: Fireclay; faucet: Delta; dishwasher: Miele
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They found the old wrought iron gate in a nearby salvage yard to match an empty slice of wall next to the kitchen. Babakaiff constructed slightly curved shelves to accommodate the gate’s shape as well as 30 bottles.
Microwave, heating lamp: LG
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Karen prefers wine, so Babakaiff booked a slot in the close of the kitchen to get a wine bar. Exotic bottles of white may match in the wine refrigerator, while a 3-foot-deep pullout retains reds at room temperature.
A stairs on the other side of this far kitchen wall generates the triangular nook over the wine bar.
Wine cooler: Marvel
Before Photo
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Here’s a shot of this gap with the drywall removed.
Before Photo
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The kitchen layout simply covered up the 3-foot-deep gap, squandering possible storage area.
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AFTER: Babakaiff took advantage of the gap using this new layout. Now wine racks fill the bottom of it, and also an above-counter appliance garage takes up a section of the top.
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