Kitchen Storage Solutions

Kenna MacKinnon buys everything in bulk. With four kids younger than 12, it's the only way she knows she'll have what she needs when she needs it. So when the MacKinnons moved to a house in Oak Park, Ill., that came with a sad excuse for a kitchen — a cramped layout, limited storage — a makeover was a must. It didn't require a gut job, just some smart reconfiguring by designer Rebekah Zaveloff (KitchenLab, kitchenlab-chicago.com).

The back wall once housed a chimney and staircase, which came out to make way for a built-in pantry, side-by-side fridge and freezer, additional counter space and more cabinets. The island is set up so Kenna can see the kids in the backyard or the den as she preps. The dishwasher, housed in the island, backs up to the cabinets where plates and bowls are kept for easy unloading.

The original kitchen layout left little space for cooking, let alone playing (and, as Kenna knows, kids always want to be where the action is). So seats at the island and floor space for toys were at the top of her list.

During the reno, Rebekah encouraged the MacKinnons to keep what they could. That included the cherry cabinets, subway tile, range and hood. They added off-white cabinets on the facing wall, and they painted the island a stone-gray color (Arctic Shadows by Benjamin Moore). The speckly white granite countertops tie all of the cabinet looks together. For the new backsplash across the room, Rebekah chose white glazed mosaic tiles. It goes with the old look but isn't matchy-matchy.