A "Working" Kitchen

Carving out a dedicated area for conducting business in or near the kitchen is clearly in demand today. Whether it is in the model homes that I visit or in the floor plans that I study, what once was a small counter/desk area in the kitchen with an overhead cabinet has now turned into a dedicated room located off the kitchen. The space as I see it most often provides an L-shaped counter area with upper and lower cabinets and space for one or two chairs. Tasks such as homework, bill paying, coupon clipping, etc. are intended to be conducted here. If I were to have this space in my home, I would make it multi-functional by incorporating floor to ceiling cabinets or open shelving to dual function as a pantry and an informal office space. With some creativity and well planned design elements, this small jewelry box type of space may trump the larger office space that has become a necessity in most homes these days.