Question: We live in one of those 1953 homes notoriously described in the Malvina Reynolds folk song as "little boxes made of ticky tacky." Low flow in the galvanized plumbing is motivating a first remodel. We want to open the place up for a more airy feel.

The 5-by-7-foot bath is cramped by a gas vent nearby. We'd love to use the nearly 6 square feet another way. Would it be so awful to abandon the tub for a cool shower or find a tub that would work at an angle in one corner?

The nearly 11-by-15-foot kitchen and dining area doesn't inspire a flow between it and the living room. We'd like to knock out a wall and place either countertops, supports for table leaves, a stove top or a gas fireplace between the 2-by-4s.

Holly Bundock
San Francisco

 

Answer: Just because a home is relatively small doesn't mean that it can't have effective traffic flow and be more comfortable and efficient.

Let's start with the overall floor plan. By taking down the wall between the living room and kitchen you immediately make the two small rooms into one "great room" and accomplish what seems impossible -- making the house seem larger.

This open floor plan, as it's called, has been popular in both new home construction and remodels. With family and guests spending more time in the kitchen, it seems only natural to soften the border between the two rooms.

When making this significant a change, it's important to work with a good architect and contractor to address structural support.

Next comes designing the space to make it flow well and suit your lifestyle.

Remember that you will have the kitchen and all its functions in view, so storage and work spaces have to be incorporated into the design and your family's needs.

For example, if you entertain a lot and don't want your guests to see what's involved in preparing dinner, consider a visual barrier that separates the spaces slightly. This could be as simple as an eating-serving counter that's higher than the work space counter.

I don't recommend a stove top between the living and the kitchen spaces; this presents a hazard when people are sitting at the counter. Rather, leave the stove top where it is and use the counter as a gathering place for friends while you're working in the kitchen.

I love the idea of putting in a new gas fireplace. Put the fireplace on the wall opposite the kitchen. In this position it becomes a focal point for furniture placement and another gathering place.

There are many ways to approach the bathroom. Many homeowners are abandoning the bathtub for a walk-in shower that's longer and more spacious. But first you have to determine if you will ever need a bathtub in the future, or for future owners of the house. If you absolutely know you won't ever use a tub, then go for the larger shower.

Many new, smaller tubs can be configured into bathrooms and leave more floor space for other uses. There are diagonal corner tubs, as well as "sitting" tubs, that take about half the floor space of the lying-down-style tubs. There are even sitting tubs with a side panel that swings out so you can step into them instead of over the top.

An architect or licensed contractor should determine whether the 6-foot gas vent may be removed. If it can't, look for ways to make it look as if it's there intentionally, perhaps by using it as a shelf for decorative items or art, or as the base of a towel and storage tower.

To achieve the open, airy feeling you want, remember that the wall colors, furniture style, colors and fabrics, as well as the placement of furniture, art, accessories and plants, all contribute to the overall feeling of a space. Use light colors and furniture that isn't heavy to the eye, and minimize clutter to keep the space feeling larger than it is. Keep in mind that the art of creating openness in small spaces is the definition of the art of illusion.

 

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