The phrase “waste not, want not” typically refers to food but can just as easily apply to the kitchen it’s cooked in. Such was the case for this kitchen in Mukilteo, a city twenty-five miles north of Seattle. At 299 square feet, the room was plenty big enough for the homeowners, but with too much wasted space, it was not living up to its full potential. The corner sink didn’t have enough counter space for dishes to stack around it. The cooktop hogged the peninsula, taking space from dinners, with a pot rack overhead gathering dust. To top it off, there was a good two-and-a-half feet on unused wall space.

“We stayed within the existing footprint,” said lead designer Erica Davidson, who worked closely with principal designer Anna Popov, founder of Interiors by Popov, and the homeowners on the ensuing overhaul. “There was dead space that wasn’t being used properly. So When we redesigned it, we were able to create a lot more functional space and use every possible inch.” Now, a much larger apron-front sink has been relocated to a longer stretch of counter under a window. The stove sits against a wall to make its own pretty vignette, and the designers lengthened the peninsula to create more prep space.

While there was much to eliminate, there were also key aspects of the room that needed to be kept, such as the tall, sloping ceiling, clad in tongue and groove wood, and a band of windows with gorgeous views of the Puget Sound. “That was one of the obstacles that we were facing,” said Davidson about the window. “Because there’s a whole wall and corner that you cannot necessarily use and you don’t want to block it.” The answer was to anchor the opposite side of the room with taller storage and a built-in refrigerator and design a floating glass shelf over one window for quick grab items and display. “That,” Davidson said, “balances out the stove hood.”

For finishes, the designers chose slate tile floors and a quartz counter, both with understated veining. But the star might be the custom cabinets painted Sherwin Williams Smoky Azurite. Not only is blue the owner’s favorite color, but every single kitchen item, from small appliances to the smallest spice jar, has been assigned a place.

“We take inventory of the client’s things,” said Davidson. “Every drawer has a purpose.”

With the room’s reinvention, now the attention can go, not to cluttered counters, but to the views of the water outside, something the designers encouraged in the subtlest of ways. “That’s not your typical subway backsplash,” said Davidson.
it has a little bit of texture and movement, so it mimics the water and acts as a reflection of it.”

1889 Washington’s Magazine