A cramped Vancouver kitchen gets a functional overhaul with a pop of colour | Canada Voices

When Vancouver’s Jeanette Kopak retired from her career in digital media, she wanted to get into baking. Unfortunately, it was a challenge to get excited about cooking anything in her existing kitchen. “When you spend more time at home, the little things really start to bug you,” she says. “I started to hate the kitchen. It was dark and cramped.”

She and her husband, Rick, who is also retired, discussed their options. “We considered moving,” Rick says. “But our neighbourhood is perfect for us.” They also talked about doing what they refer to as a “lipstick” renovation. “We thought, well, we’ll just paint the cabinets, we’ll lighten the place up,” Jeanette says. “But the more we thought about it, the more we realized we didn’t just want to make the kitchen prettier. We wanted to make it work.”

Previously, the kitchen was a narrow galley and had a small, west-facing window that let in limited light. Adding new windows wasn’t an option. The Kopaks live in a townhouse with strict rules about changing the Arts and Crafts–style exteriors. The best option was to tear down a wall that separated the space from the rest of the ground floor, bringing in sun from south-facing patio doors near the dining area, and borrowing a bit of square footage from the adjacent entry.

For the redesign, the Kopaks collaborated with Andrea Jae of Andrea Jae Studio. “We liked that she had a degree in art history,” Jeanette says. Some of the couple’s inspiration came from the past, including Bauhaus modernism. “The Bauhaus is form and function together,” says Jae, who added utility wherever possible. The kitchen now has wide, uncluttered counters that are ideal for kneading dough. It also adjoins the entryway, with a peninsula packed with storage shelves and cupboards. Although it encroaches a bit on the foyer, it also gives back. By the door, the Kopaks sit on a new, built-in bench to get their Cairn terriers, Smokey Smith and Frederick Banting, ready for walks. “There is a drawer for their leashes,” Jeanette says. “They are members of the family and were very much considered in the redesign.”

Within the kitchen, two ovens and a proofing drawer sit next to a new induction cooktop. “I’m finally getting into baking,” Jeanette says. “But what’s nice is that it’s spacious enough for Rick and me to be in there together. He’s a pasta guru and does most of the day-to-day cooking.”

In terms of form, Jae focused on modern clean lines and high-quality materials. Rounded white oak dowels give the entryway a sense of separation, but they’re spaced apart to ensure the sun still reaches the cooking area. The same white oak is used on some of the kitchen cabinetry and on the banister railing for the nearby stairs.

“The Bauhaus also had an affinity for colour,” Jae says. “As do I. So, I wanted to imbue colour where I could.” A runner climbs the stairs, patterned with rectangles in bright, primary hues. The kitchen itself pops with reddish-purple cupboards. “One surprise for me is how much I enjoy the colour,” Jeanette says. “It’s unusual, but when the light hits it, it glows.”

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