West University, Houston
Villanova Residence
Two dark rooms became a kitchen open to the backyard and a primary bath that finally made sense.
Franco Albarran, Founder
Peninsula Gone, View Open
In this kitchen, a peninsula walled the cooking off from the room it should have opened onto.
When we met the client, the concern was simple: from the kitchen there was no view of the backyard they loved, and they did not want new windows or a reconfigured rear wall. We took out the peninsula and the cabinets that hung from it, ran a long linear island in its place, and the view opened.
Most kitchens have one thing that quietly gets in the way. What would you change first about how yours works?
Matched Wall to Wall
In a kitchen this size, upper cabinets usually stop wherever each wall ends, and the two sides rarely match.
A pair of exterior doors capped the cabinets along one wall. We matched that same length on the wall opposite, so the upper cabinets read as a symmetric pair across the room.
Some symmetry only settles once the cabinets are going up.
Room for a Real Island
A galley kitchen like this one rarely has room for an island, let alone one you can sit at.
This kitchen had the width for both. We ran a long island down the center and set stools at one end, by a breakfast area, so cooking and gathering happen in one open room.
An island can be a workspace or a gathering spot. Where do you want people while you cook?
Sink, Prep, Cooktop
Before the remodel, the cooktop sat around a corner from the sink, a few steps too far in the middle of cooking.
The client wanted the sink to stay put, so we brought the cooktop over beside it. Now the sink, a stretch of prep space, and the cooktop sit in one continuous line, with a second prep sink built into a center island behind.
The distance between the sink and the cooktop is felt every day.
Pantry Wall as Backdrop
There was no room for a walk-in pantry, just one long wall for cabinets, and a risk that it would read as exactly that: a wall of cabinets.
Floor-to-ceiling cabinets anchor the two ends, and in the middle the run steps back to a countertop with glass-front cabinets and lit shelves above. The client wanted to stand at the kitchen sink and feel like they were looking out a window, so they keep flowers on that counter, a new bouquet every week.
The view from where you work can lift a daily chore. What would make yours feel like looking out a window?
Organized Around the Toilet
The primary bath had a lot of wasted space, and the one fixture that could not move was the toilet.
Relocating the sewer line was not worth the cost, so we left the toilet in place and planned the room around it. The shower, the tub, and the toilet all went along that wall, with the vanity facing them, which kept the plumbing simple and gave both sides room.
Sometimes the fixture you cannot move sets the whole plan. What would you build a room around?
Mass Broken by Light
Floor-to-ceiling linen storage holds a lot, and in a small bath like this one that much cabinetry can close the room in.
We kept the storage and lost the bulk. A band of lit glass shelves breaks the tall run partway up and adds a glow.
Storage does not have to read as a wall.
Tub Deck as Shower Bench
In this bath, a tub deck and a shower bench could have been two separate builds.
A window sat at the far end, so we centered a tub beneath it. From there a quartz deck wraps the corner into the shower, where the same slab becomes the bench.
The best details tend to do two things at once. Where could one surface do two jobs in your home?
How I work, from first sketch to move-in.
Build the team early
Architect, builder, and designer aligned from day one
Design around real life
We study how your family actually lives before drawing plans
Eliminate surprises
Budget and design evolve together throughout the process