4 min readArchitect Everett Schram’s kitchen is a masterclass in efficient design. When giving the modest 169 square foot space a gut renovation, the architect added about 50 percent more countertop and 60 percent more cabinet space than had been there before, all without moving a single wall. “Just by rearranging the space, it feels double its original size,” he says.
It helps that Schram, his wife, and their daughter lived in the three-bedroom Baltimore home before renovating and understood exactly how they wanted to use the space. As a classical architect—his firm J. E. Schram Architect specializes in reviving old homes—Schram’s goal was to honor the history and style of his 1928 Colonial Revival while modernizing it for his young family. “I wanted it to be fun and unique and yet still timeless,” he says. Plus, Schram and his wife are enthusiastic cooks who create plant-based meals from scratch nightly, so they needed ample counter space and storage.
To start, Schram identified the problem areas and tweaked the layout. The location of the refrigerator, originally where the range is, needed to be moved to open up the space for food prep surfaces and cabinets. Next, Schram knew he wanted a wall of floor-to-ceiling cabinets to house (and hide!) all the small appliances that can easily create clutter. This paneled wall informed where the fridge would go. Schram calls the custom millwork, the largest line item on the budget, the most vital part of the renovation. “Every run of cabinets in there is one entire cabinet, so there's no joints,” he explains. “You're not losing three inches between every door. In a small kitchen, you have to get every inch out of the space.”
As for the look, Schram took some risks on color and went with the sophisticated shade Black Blue by Farrow and Ball. “That's often not something most clients are comfortable doing,” he says. “I want to show people you don’t have to be scared of dark colors.” As far as his favorite design element, that would be the custom-made Zellige subway tile. “My wife wanted subway tiles because we live in a 1920s house,” he says. “But I didn't want to use subway tiles because I use them in so many of my clients' houses. I do a lot of homes of this era.”
Luckily, Tiles of Ezra agreed to custom-make a three-by-six brick in the Moroccan glaze, a win-win for both. “I love that it's a one-off,” says Schram. “And I love that both my wife and I got what we were separately wanting.”
The Before
The original kitchen was a builder-grade renovation done around 2006 in a dark cherry with a brown granite countertop. “We had painted all of the cabinets and changed the hardware to make it more tolerable until we could afford to do the full reboot,” says Schram.
In the old layout, there was a breakfast table to the right of the refrigerator, and under the window on the left was a radiator. “So there was no cabinetry on that entire wall, and it was just really badly laid out in general,” says Schram.
The After
A major issue with the old layout was that the sink was in the corner under the window, “which was terrible to actually use,” says Schram. Since it’s unconventional to face a sink against a wall rather than looking out a window, the designer created a little moment around the sink by framing it with a gorgeous Urban Electric Co. light, which, funnily enough, actually did improve the view.
“When you stood at the sink and looked out the window, all you could really see was the trunk of a magnolia tree,” Schram explains. From the new position, you now see branches, blooms, and a view of the garden. The kitchen now feels expansive and is filled with light.
Another savvy design move was having BlueStar custom-enamel the range to match the cabinetry. “This helps not break up the lines of the small kitchen, further enlarging the feel of the space,” says Schram.
Storage Solutions
The efficient kitchen is stocked with pullout cabinets and drawers for spices, pots and pans, cleaning supplies, and trash. Schram also worked with professional organizer Lesley Drane of Clean Lines Organizing and Design to get everything in order.
“All those baskets, they actually house appliances,” says Schram. This includes items like the popcorn maker, food processors, and coffee maker that all get hidden away once the pocket back doors close.
By getting rid of the swinging door between the kitchen and the dining room, Schram was able to squeeze in a 10-inch deep pantry. Shallow pantries are ideal, “otherwise you just lose stuff in the back of the cabinet,” says the expert. The knife drawer is another made-to-fit touch. “I wanted to show how much you can do with a small space with custom finishes and details,” says Schram.
