I Doubled My Kitchen’s Size Without Having to Make it Any Bigger

A great kitchen remodel can add warmth and character to your home, but it can also add something you never thought possible: more room.

I live in a smaller house. While we don't have vaulted ceilings or a formal dining room, our home has always served us well and has been more than large enough for me and my family. We never had any complaints about the size of our house — that is, except for the kitchen.

Our kitchen was always known as the "one butt kitchen." If someone was cooking or baking, anyone else who entered the room would automatically be in the way. "It's a one butt kitchen!" we would yell, and anyone not making something delicious was quickly shooed away. We always thought that we were doomed to cook alone. If anyone wanted to help chop vegetables, they were out to the dining area where they would sit far away so as not to get in the way of the chef.

Ever since our kitchen remodel from Affordable Granite and Cabinetry, the "one butt kitchen" has been transformed into the social gathering spot in the house. And the best part is that we didn't have to blow out any walls or bump out the exterior of our home. Our kitchen still takes up the exact same square footage and even has the same layout as before. The secret is all in the countertop.

Our home came with laminated countertops. We never thought much about them. While they weren't remarkably beautiful, they were functional and seemed to serve their purpose. It wasn't until after our new granite countertops were installed that we realized just how dysfunctional our old countertops really were.

The right kind of granite countertop can give a small kitchen like ours an exponentially larger amount of workspace. Our old countertops weren't really good for much outside of holding bowls and plates. Any hot pans needed to find some real estate on the stove or else they'd cause the countertops to bubble and peel. Rolling pastry dough and cutting vegetables needed to happen on a cutting board. And actual food items would never touch the counter for fear of cross-contamination. Instead, endless plates and paper towels were put out to hold vegetables and meats on.

The quality granite countertops that Affordable Granite and Cabinetry were able to find us put an end to the dysfunction in our kitchen that we didn't even realize was happening. Hot pots and pans can now move directly to the granite from the stove. Cookie dough and pasta can be rolled out right on the counters. And because granite is naturally resistant to bacteria, we can safely use every inch of our counters for prepping food instead of juggling countless plates and cutting boards.

So while our kitchen is still the same size, it's actually more than doubled in usable space. And that means we can fit as many butts in the kitchen at once that are willing to help make dinner.