A Kitchen for a Family of Five

As part of a comprehensive whole-home remodel, this Encinitas kitchen was designed for function and comfort.

The homeowners wanted to restructure their home with more intentional space for raising three children, gathering with family and friends, and eventually retiring here. Moving the kitchen was one of the biggest changes. Rather than remodeling the existing kitchen in place, we moved the kitchen to the opposite side of the house to create more space and improve the flow of the main living areas.

Room to Gather. Room to Work.

At the center of the new kitchen is an oversized island with seating for five and plenty of room for food preparation and everyday use. The custom wood countertop came with specific manufacturing and shipping limitations, so the island was intentionally redesigned around the countertop’s available sizing and configuration. The result is a centerpiece that works both visually and functionally within the larger kitchen.

Wood kitchen island with sink, white cabinetry and range wall

Kitchen corner with sink, built-in ovens and stainless steel refrigerator

A Functional Layout

During Project Development, we worked with the homeowners to clarify how the kitchen needed to function, then refined the layout, cabinetry, appliances, windows, fixtures, and selections into a complete design ready to build. The island sink creates the work zone near the refrigerator and wall ovens. Generous perimeter counters provide additional workspace without concentrating every kitchen function in one place.

Kitchen bar with blue tile backsplash and open wood shelves

Built-in kitchen desk with open wood shelves and white cabinetry

More Than Kitchen Cabinets

A bar sits on one side of the pantry opening, with a built-in desk, open shelving, and storage on the other. Together, they extend the kitchen’s usable space without crowding the main work areas.

View from the butler’s pantry into the laundry and mudroom — The pantry is located between the kitchen and the mudroom.

Mudroom laundry area with stacked washer and dryer, utility sink and blue cabinetry. — Mudroom laundry.

Mudroom with built-in blue storage, open shelving, hooks and wood bench. — Mudroom storage and bench.

A Pantry Created By Rethinking the Floor Plan

The walk-in pantry provides substantial additional storage and room for a second refrigerator. It also connects the kitchen to the mudroom with laundry, and the garage.

Creating the pantry required more than adding cabinetry. We removed the secondary staircase and reorganized the floor plan, creating better connections between the kitchen, pantry, mudroom, and garage.

Connected to the Outdoors

This may be the ultimate kitchen window. Folding pass-through windows open the kitchen directly to the outdoor living and cooking areas, while the long countertop provides plenty of workspace and a convenient place for serving outside. The sink defines a second work zone, and open wood shelves add a soft decorative element.