Neilson Street Bungalow
An Albany family of two found that their kitchen and bathroom no longer fit their lifestyle and approached us for help. The tight bathroom lacked essential storage, and the kitchen, while a good size for a house built in the 1920s, wanted more workspace.
Through the design process, we reorganized the kitchen to maximize workflow, storage, and fluidity throughout the room. A new island became the unifying element, adding a necessary workstation that flexibly serves the other stations in the kitchen, whether they are cooking, cleaning, baking, or organizing. Designed to feel like a free-standing piece of furniture, it provides the functionality of a more formal island with integrated outlets. This was achieved by cleverly hiding wires up a hollow table leg. A custom pot rack fitted to the height of the client's reach encircles ornamental lights and serves as a centerpiece.
Other key features include an interior wall fitted with shallow floor to ceiling millwork, housing storage and a family command center. The pantry and cookbook library are located towards the working end of the kitchen, and the command center by the front door, to serve as a drop zone for keys and dog paraphernalia, as well as a charging station and tack board for the family calendar.
A built-in banquette with hidden storage in the seats is nestled under a corner window to provide a sunlit place to read the paper. The kitchen table is made from sourced vintage ironwork legs and a tabletop fabricated from our design. Natural oak and mission tile add depth and texture to the softer colors of sage and white cabinetry. Internally lit frosted glass cabinets add depth through translucency.
In the bathroom, a custom angled cabinet was sized to maximize floor space and minimize awkward transitions. Every nook and cranny in the cabinet, including the angle, is designed to supply built-in storage. A custom medicine cabinet above offers more usable space found in the wall cavity.
“Stacy Eisenmann and her staff at Eisenmann Architecture were a pleasure to work with. Stacy designed a beautiful and very functional new kitchen and bathroom for my 1936 Mediterranean-style home. Stacy is the consumate professional -- always calm, always practical, a terrific problem solver with a great sense of design and color. She maintains strong relationships with local contractors and I really benefitted from having her by my side during the interview and selection process. I also enjoyed working with Amber and Jos from Stacy's team who were able to step in during those times when Stacy was not available. I love my new kitchen and bathroom and feel very fortunate to have been able to work with Eisenmann Architects.”
- Alison (Client)