Home & Design
Kitchen - Countertop
Kitchen - Countertop

Floating shelves above the island provide extra storage without obstructing sight lines.

Kitchen - Countertop
Kitchen - Countertop

A wall of white cabinetry houses the refrigerator, freezer drawers and wall oven.

Kitchen - Countertop
Kitchen - Countertop

AFTER: The end of the island is paneled in acid-etched mirrored glass.

Hardwood - Countertop
Hardwood - Countertop

BEFORE: Cooking took place in a cramped, out-of-the-way area in the large but inefficient space.

Kitchen - Interior Design Services
Kitchen - Interior Design Services

Gilmer took advantage of an angled space to create a visually compelling kitchen; freestanding cabinets with sliding shoji doors provide storage.

5 Cool Kitchens: Form & Function

Jennifer Gilmer tames a tricky space to create a convenient, comfortable kitchen

5 Cool Kitchens: Form & Function JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

When called in to rescue homeowners from their “disjointed” kitchen, Jennifer Gilmer was forced to think outside of the box. Multiple additions to the Tudor residence in Chevy Chase, Maryland, had left it with a small galley kitchen that opened to a larger kitchen with plenty of prep space—but no stove. “My client was forced to cook in the smallest part of this huge space,” Gilmer explains. “It was the worst case I’ve seen in my kitchen career.”

During the design phase, Gilmer discovered that the crux of the problem was a supporting brick wall that enclosed the galley kitchen. After an engineer determined that the wall could be removed as long as additional structural support was added, Gilmer convinced her clients to tear it down, opening up the irregularly shaped kitchen into a cohesive whole. 

In its place, Gilmer designed an efficient wall housing the refrigerator, freezer drawers, a wall oven and cabinetry. A large angled island makes cooking and entertaining a breeze. While CaesarStone tops the workspace, the breakfast bar is made of walnut. “I always tell people to make breakfast bars with a wood top,” says Gilmer. “It’s very uncomfortable putting dishes on granite.” She offset dark walnut cabinets—chosen to complement the tenor of the Tudor home—with innovative materials such as a glass-tile backsplash and panels of acid-etched mirrored glass that depending on the light “go from gray to green to blue to reflective,” according to Gilmer. A butler’s pantry that replaced the former galley kitchen is perfect for entertaining; during parties; the wife stows dirty dishes there—and closes the door.

She is now “ecstatic” about her new kitchen, says Gilmer. “A lot of people try to fight the shape and make a squared-off kitchen in an angled space. I tell my clients that the space tells us what it wants. You have to honor the space.”

Photographer Bob Narod is based in Herndon, Virginia

KITCHEN DESIGN: JENNIFER GILMER, CKD, Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath Ltd., Chevy Chase, Maryland. Contractor: M.R. Thornton & Sons, Inc, Woodbine, Maryland. 

**Out of the array of interior design magazines, Home and Design magazine stands out as a primary idea source for luxury home designs.  Wonderful visuals of inspired décor and lush landscapes are combined with expert advice to provide a fundamental reference point for bringing amazing home interior design ideas to life.

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