Having It All

It began as a simple update but grew into a full-on redo that yielded new openness, efficiency, and style

Written by Mervyn Kaufman • Styled by Sarah Alba
Photographed by Jamie Hadley • Produced By Carolyn Weber

In 1989, when Sheila Pitto moved into her view-rich '60s Mill Valley, California, split-level, the kitchen had just been gussied up to encourage the house's sale. There were new appliances, some white, some black, and nearly everything else was white, including the bleached floor. She used that kitchen for more than 15 years; then those appliances started to wear out, a leak damaged her floor, and she knew the time had come for a remodel. "I needed more burners to cook on," she says. "I also needed two ovens and particularly wanted a second sink."

Working with Susan Lund, AKBD, of Spacial Design in nearby San Anselmo, Pitto soon increased the project's scope to include the addition of valuable work and storage spaces -- without expanding her kitchen's 12x14½-foot area. "There is a drawer-style microwave opposite one end of the island and two dishwasher drawers to the right of the main sink," Lund says. "We also added a pullout cabinet with bins for waste and recycled materials and put an undercounter wine refrigerator into the island. The new 42-inch built-in fridge-freezer stands where the old one had been."

MORE REMODELING ARTICLES