The starting point for this project was a modest, well-loved kitchen in a three-bedroom Baltimore house built in 1928. Architect Everett Schram and his family lived in the home before the renovation, which helped him pinpoint daily habits and real needs. Facing a cramped 169-square-foot space that had been updated with builder-grade finishes in 2006, Schram set out to keep the house’s historic tone while delivering a kitchen that felt modern, uncluttered, and highly functional. Early on he decided not to change the footprint: instead, the focus would be on layout refinement, targeted relocation of fixtures, and a large investment in custom millwork to extract every usable inch.
Design goals and aesthetic decisions
Schram approached the project with two parallel aims: to preserve the home’s Colonial Revival personality and to create a workspace for a family that cooks plant-based meals nightly. He wanted the room to feel both playful and enduring, so the palette and materials were carefully chosen. The cabinetry and range were finished in Farrow and Ball’s Black Blue, a bold choice he says many clients shy away from, and a custom run of three-by-six Zellige tiles in a Moroccan glaze from Tiles of Ezra provided a one-off, handcrafted backsplash. These decisions balanced the house’s historic roots with a contemporary, moody aesthetic, while keeping the focus on function: more counter area, more concealed storage, and easier daily use.
Material and appliance choices also served the visual strategy. Schram had a BlueStar range custom-enamelled to match the cabinets so the appliance wouldn’t interrupt the eye line, helping the room read larger. A plastered hood executed by Kelly Walker of Artstar Custom Paintworks and a statement fixture from Urban Electric Co. above the sink created curated moments without cluttering the space. In short, the palette and finishes were not decorative afterthoughts but tools to unify surfaces and emphasize continuity in a compact footprint.
Reworking the plan: moving pieces, not walls
Rather than knocking down partitions, Schram rearranged key elements to improve flow. The refrigerator was moved from its original spot (which had blocked prep space) to the new cabinetry wall where it became part of a continuous paneled run. Pulling the fridge into the cabinet plane opened up counter runs and created room for a deeper, uninterrupted workspace. A previous layout placed the sink awkwardly in a corner beneath a window with a radiator nearby; repositioning the sink and framing it with a pendant created a useful, pleasant cleaning and prep station that now looks out over garden branches instead of a magnolia trunk.
Small adjustments produced big returns: removing the swinging door between kitchen and dining enabled a slender, 10-inch pantry to be added, and careful drawer and pullout planning increased usable storage by hiding small appliances and kitchen tools. Schram’s team worked with organizer Lesley Drane of Clean Lines Organizing and Design to ensure every compartment had a purpose. The result was a gain of roughly 50 percent more countertop and 60 percent more cabinet space compared with the prior configuration, achieved without any structural demolition.
Custom millwork and storage details
A central technical strategy was continuous, bespoke cabinetry: Schram specified that each run be built as a single unit so there are no wasted inches at joints or filler strips. This meticulous custom millwork was the largest line item in the budget but also the most impactful decision for a small kitchen. Inside the cabinetry, shallow pantries—deliberately limited in depth—prevent items from getting lost at the back, while pullout spice racks, knife drawers, trash pullouts, and pocket doors hide appliances like food processors and coffee makers. All these choices demonstrate how tailored finishes and precise detailing can convert a compact room into a highly efficient culinary hub without altering the home’s original walls.
