FORWARD Design | Architecture was asked to redesign a kitchen, family room and mudroom in a sixties brick ranch. The space mediates between the existing kitchen, garage and a family room that is a later addition to the original structure. Because the wall between the kitchen and family room is the original exterior wall of the house, and carries the roof rafters, It was not possible to create a flush ceiling condition between these rooms without significant expense. It was our approach to take advantage of this unfortunate existing condition and use it to shape the project. The wall thickness between the two rooms is exaggerated through the addition of bookshelves to create a 16” eating bar integrated into the jamb opening. This new carved wall acts as a transition and definer of each space while maintaining visual connection between the spaces. The kitchen is designed to be a simple, functional space. The cabinets are walnut with a grey backsplash | wall and thin white corian countertops. An area is recessed to allow for a standard refrigerator to be mounted flush as a built-in would be. A trash shoot directly from the countertop to the garage trashcans has been integrated into to kitchen. This allows the client to easily remove trash from the kitchen without having to carry it through any other spaces.