BY NINA MALKIN

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LAURA MOSS

WHILE OPEN-PLAN KITCHENS may be popular, they’re not for everyone. Take Kevin and Kaly Sullivan, owners of a 1901 twin home (one of two houses that share a common wall) in Narberth, PA. “We needed more storage and workstations, but hoped to have the kitchen respect the architecture of the house,” Kevin says. And, as Kaly puts it: “We didn’t want to be looking at the sink while sitting on the couch!”

With a laundry and toilet closet hogging adjacent square footage, the Sullivans sought out designer Sean Lewis of Airy Kitchens to reconfigure the space rather than bump into the dining room. Lewis replaced the laundry wall with a peninsula and enclosed a stacked washer/dryer and a toilet in the back corner. This allowed the sink, range, and fridge some breathing room in the remaining U-shaped cook space, along with two runs of cabinets. Lewis increased counter space to 13 feet, gave food storage a boost with a pantry cupboard, and put in two new openings to the dining room to improve flow. Black and pale blue cabinets and a colorful patterned floor combine for a traditional look with a modern twist. “We’re grounded people with a nostalgic, quirky side,” Kaly says. “The new layout really works for us, and the look captures our personalities perfectly.”

The storage-starved 125-square-foot kitchen had one bare wall and no place to sit

Now 184 square feet, with better storage and prep space, a spot for snacking, and more open access to the dining room, the kitchen boasts improved function and flow