Removing a Wall to Open Up the Kitchen Pass-Through

Although a pass-through was once a popular feature in the kitchen, today the small hole-in-the-wall tends to look old-fashioned.

Used to hand dishes in and out of the kitchen, the pass-through (also called a serving hatch) belongs to an era when kitchens were more closed-off, utilitarian, and used almost exclusively for cooking.

But in modern kitchens, where everyone gathers together and cooking, serving, and eating all happen in the same place, the small serving hatch often feels incongruous and outdated.

That’s how Iowa homeowner Amber felt when she decided to open up and modernize her space, starting by removing the kitchen pass-through. While planning the kitchen remodel, Amber had the idea to remove the pass-through and remove the upper cabinets, leaving a real kitchen peninsula:

But after working more with her CliqStudios designer Amy Amman, Amber took her idea one step further.

She rotated and moved the base cabinets into the middle of the room, turning the peninsula into a focal kitchen island:

Of course, removing the wall meant losing a row of upper-cabinets. But surprisingly, Amber didn’t lose storage space. Her designer Amy helped her make up for the lost storage by incorporating more usable space on her lower cabinets, taller upper cabinetry, and efficient features such as a wastebasket pull-out and corner lazy susan cabinet.

Modernizing her farmhouse kitchen, Amber installed new white stone countertops, dark hardwood floors, and a blue-gray backsplash.

With decorations such as a rustic wood dining table and a tin utensil bucket, said designer Amy, the new space retains some of the “country-feel” of the previous space. On the other hand, removing the busy beadboard cabinets and replacing them with Shaker-style doors makes the space feel cleaner and more urban.

“She lightened, brightened and modernized the whole thing,” Amy said.