When Think Chic Interiors (White Plains, New York) took on the renovation of this 1914 Georgian colonial in nearby Westchester, the vision for the new kitchen was clear. Aside from needing to be universally accessible for both kids and adults, the kitchen itself needed to be unified in design after a prior renovation left the space feeling split and disjointed.

“I felt this cut off the flow of the space,” said Malka Helft, who led the design on the project. “To correct that, we installed a large metal beam to open the connection between the partitioned areas. But the ceiling had to remain at its original height. To avoid the feeling of two separate, choppy rooms, I decided to give this space its own personality and turned it into a breakfast room.”

“The homeowners [also] keep kosher, which means they need room for two of everything: two sinks, two dishwashers, two sets of dishes, two sets of pots and pans,” said Helft. “So it’s double the kitchen, in essence, but in a relatively modest space. Given all the extra features required, ample pre-planning for design and budget were key.”

Versatile Design Addresses Kids Now and Seniors Later

The homeowners were adamant that the kitchen remain high-end while remaining accessible for all five members of the family, from the children to the adults. Coincidentally, this led to a design that would ultimately help make the kitchen suitable for older generations as well.

As Helft pointed out, many aging-in-place touches are also incredibly child-friendly. Some of the designs she included in this project that meet this criterion are pullout lazy Susans installed in corner cabinets, dishwasher drawers, pullout pantry and spice storage cabinet inserts and pulldown shelving in some of the upper cabinets.

Unexpected Touches

The clients also requested the space have “happy elements.” Helft responded with a bevy of surprising design details that bolster the kitchen’s appearance as well as its functionality. One of the designer’s personal favorite features was the fruit drawers.

“Anyone who tries to keep a stocked fruit basket knows that one basket is often not enough and that they end up adding to the clutter in the kitchen,” she said. “The ventilated drawers we used at the coffee center provide the perfect solution – they’re out of the way yet within easy reach, owing to their below-counter location.”

Another version of this article was originally published on our sister site KBB Online.