Kitchen Remodel Project Completed With Accessibility in Mind

I’m sharing final photos of a kitchen remodel project completed recently that had accessibility as a priority.

This former client of mine was ready for a new kitchen, one that would be beautiful and would work for the next phase of life with accessibility and wheelchair use in mind. These clients are lovely, artistic people. I’d worked on their primary bath some years ago.

I have been involved with several projects that involved accessible design. Our goal here was to eliminate the parts of the house that were no longer working for them and make it all a more functional, usable space.

Here are photos of the kitchen that was in place.

The refrigerator was somewhat hard to access with a wheelchair and the aisles around the island were not wide enough for this homeowner.

The brick surround took up valuable counter space and felt in the way here.

BEFORE - Dated finishes and cabinetry made this kitchen a rather uninspiring place to cook for these homeowners.

BEFORE - Uninspiring finishes and cabinetry as well as a layout that didn’t work were the impetus to remodel this kitchen.

BEFORE - Dated finishes and a poor layout for accessibility prompted a remodel in this kitchen.

Items Needing to be Addressed

The big problem here was getting around in a wheelchair in this kitchen. It was very tight and there was no way to turn at all. Especially with two people cooking, it was diffcult to maneuver.

They did not like the brick surround at the cooktop, it took up a lot of counterspace and felt in the way. The materials and cabinetry were dated and the overall look was not very inspiring.

They wanted an island where the wheelchair could roll up under the countertop so they could have meals there in the kitchen. Their existing breakfast nook area would be used in a different way, as an indoor space for hydroponic vegetable growing. They already had a tower and were using it, but it needed a more designated spot. The breakfast nook was the perfect place, with that big window.

Here is a floor plan of the original kitchen.

Original Kitchen Floor Plan

The wine room was a big problem. It wasn’t used, except for a little storage. There was no way for a wheelchair to maneuver in or out of that space. You can see on the plan that there were little walls that just pinched openings for really no reason. The pantry was also really narrow with a narrow door.

Wine room that was basically unusable for this homeowner.

This is basically a square kitchen, which is actually kind of a challenge with layouts. I don’t really like to do U-shaped kitchens, as you can lose that storage in blind corners, but here there was just no way to get around it with the other adjacent spaces.

Changes Made

We got rid of the wine room and little butler’s pantry, expanding the kitchen into that space. We were then able to create 4’ wide aisles around the island. The new 48” wide refrigerator is more accessible and the pantry is much easier to roll into. A little coffee bar was added at the end of the pantry and the new layout allowed for lots of undercounter drawer space that is more accessible.

The island has a deep countertop for an eating/prep surface and is a lower height than the rest of the kitchen counters.

We had a few changes from this plan along the way, we were able to straighten out that wall at the pantry and have room around the island. We were able to remove the column too with all the proper structural support taken care of.

We went with narrow double doors on the pantry so they could lay flat against the wall outside the room.

Remodeled kitchen floor plan

We ended up with tile for flooring, as we needed the durability of porcelain tile throughout to handle the wheelchair use. Going with a rust colored, leather look tile helped ground the space and give it a warmer look.

The aesthetic showpiece here was the figured quartzite that provided pattern and interest in this kitchen.

A few wood elements like the hood, stools and lighting continue to add warmth. The hood, wrapped in stained oak tambour, relates to the vintage furniture items they have elsewhere in the house.

AFTER - Wide aisles to allow better wheelchair access, a lower height bar with a counter for eating/food prep and lots of lower cabinet storage were client needs that were addressed in this remodel.

AFTER - The pantry is much more accessible than before.

AFTER - Here was the pantry just after construction.

AFTER - Induction cooktops are becoming really popular these days. The custom hood adds warmth and contrast.

AFTER - A coffee bar was added over by the pantry.

We added an appliance garage in the back corner, perfect for that mixer, air fryer and instapot!

AFTER - We added an appliance garage in the back corner, perfect for that mixer, air fryer and instapot!

AFTER - There is room for lots of drawer space, including vertical pull-outs to hold oils and cooking utensils, right by the cooktop.

More Items Addressed in this Remodel

While we were at this reno and doing things like replacing all the flooring to make one surface with no transitions for ease of movement, we did go beyond the kitchen.

The powder room (door on the far right side of the plan) also had a small door and as it swung in to the room, became a very cramped space. There was a divider wall between the sink and toilet in there too, which prevented wheelchair use.

The fireplace was not used in this home and they had the tv in front of it. It is hot and humid almost year round here, basically our fireplaces are not often used in Houston!

BEFORE - The fireplace wasn’t ever used so we got rid of it in this remodel. The bookcase was redone in a more streamlined fashion and the niche filled in for more furnishings options on this wall.

We decided to remove it and redo the shelving for a cleaner look. The niche was just an odd interruption in the wall and prevented them from putting art or furniture there, so it was filled in with sheetrock.

In the entry hall, a curved ledge was the feature as you enter, taking up some valuable space that could be used for storage and would also open up a wider space into the hallway to the left. This was addressed in the remodel too.

BEFORE - Curved ledge at entry hall could be improved for use in this home.

DURING CONSTRUCTION - You can see the ledge and the soffit above that was torn out and how that added about a foot of floor space in that corner for wheelchair turns.

AFTER - A simple change but one that made a big difference.

AFTER - A cabinet was built in to the niche for shoes and crutches that allows them to be out of sight.

Powder Room Changes

The powder room was also refinished. It had a wall between the toilet and the sink, so it was impossible to get a wheelchair in there. We eliminated that wall to open up the room and then installed a wider door that opened out to the hallway, instead of in. By doing that, we made room for the wheelchair to be able to maneuver inside this bathroom.

Here’s a design tip, I often flip toilet room or small powder room doors so that they open out instead of in to that little space. Squeezing into a small space like this hardly permits room to move at all, much less go in and close the door. I’ve seen so many toilet rooms where the door almost touches the toilet!

Also, people tend to shut the door when they leave more often when the door opens out. I’m not a fan of seeing into toilet rooms and small bathrooms. I prefer to have those doors closed.

BEFORE - This pic was taken years prior when I worked on this home before and we had changed the pedestal sink out. However, that wall and the mirror and light fixture were still there, so we elected to include this room in the remodel.

AFTER - This powder room received an update too, since we were redoing the floor in here as well.

• Contractor: CA Design Build - Shaun Bain, Gus Bruna

Have you thought about accessible design for your home? See more projects and tips for aging in place below!