Posted: May 2009

Situation

The tri-level is a quintessential 70’s era suburban home.  These homes line pockets of Redmond streets and traditionally draw move up buyers – young families looking for good school districts and the suburban lifestyle.

One characteristic of the tri-level home is the Pullman kitchen, a small narrow galley where appliances and counter space are fitted in a continuous array with no space for a kitchen table. The Pullman or galley kitchen is an outdated floor plan given today’s kitchen larger trend.

A family with two high school aged children hired GMS Architectural Group, AIA to extend their Pullman kitchen and create a larger dining room area. The requirement was specific – a cost effective plan that updated and brought about a better flow among the key communal areas of the house – kitchen, dining room, and living room.

Small Changes that Add Up

The project began by enclosing the area that was under the existing roof adjacent to the family room. The enclosure of this exterior space resulted in a larger dining room with extensive built-in cabinets overlooking the family room.  Meanwhile, the original dining room became a breakfast nook with large window and a French door that opens to the new raised deck area. 

The “Pullman” kitchen was extended and the appliances relocated to make the kitchen much bigger. New cabinets and granite counter top were installed to give a fresh and warm feel to the kitchen. The combination of materials used and reconfiguring of the kitchen made the kitchen more open. Lastly, larger more energy efficient windows and French doors were critical elements to the new design that brought in more natural light and connected the outdoor spaces with the new kitchen and dining area. 

This story was written by the team at HomeSavvi – your guide to finding local resources, ideas & tips and expert advice about home remodeling.

GMS Architectural Group AIA is a Bellevue area-based architecture firm that has been the recipient of many Marketing and Merchandising Excellence (MAME) and community service project awards. Learn more about GMS Architectural Group AIA.