Donegan, Fran, "Built to Suit," Homeowner, September, 1990.
When the DePuys wanted a bigger
kitchen,
they ended up needing a bigger home.
Among the items on Jacques and
Margot DePuy's kitchen wish list were two that had top priority: They wanted a
larger kitchen and one that included an eating area.
"The old kitchen was so small that you couldn't open the
dishwasher and an adjacent cabinet at the same time," says Margot,
"and there never seemed to be enough usable counter
space."
The couple didn't have to do extensive planning before
calling in their designer, Karl Keul, because he had already remodeled kitchens
for the DePuys in two previous residences.
"I presented the preliminary drawings to them, and they
were pleased," says Keul. "From there it was a matter of
fine-tuning the design by working in the accessories."
But Keul's job was just in the kitchen. once that
design was worked out, the DePuys called in Tim Wallace, a general contractor,
to come up with a way to make space for it. The first idea they kicked
around was to build an extension that would simply square off the back of the
house. Wallace, however, felt the addition would have to extend out an
additional seven feet (see plans at the lower right) to give the DePuys the
kitchen they really wanted. The extra space allows for high ceilings,
plenty of windows and a generous eat-in area. The French door along the
back wall open onto a brick patio.
As for the kitchen design itself, there are two features that
Keul especially likes. "One is the tall cabinets at one end of the
island that we used to camouflage an unsightly support column," he
says. "We lost about six inches of cabinet space, but most people
don't even know the column is there. I also like the planning desk
nearby. It's separate from the main areas, but it's still close enough to
be part of the overall kitchen."
Along with enjoying the new room's light-filled spaciousness,
the DePuys are quite enamored of the island. "Karl suggested
it," says Margot, "and it has become our favorite spot. When
friends come over, they sit at the counter and enjoy a glass of wine. We
can't get them out of the kitchen!"
