Kitchen renovations often entail removing walls or building an addition to create more space for cooking, dining and entertaining. This room more than any other is the heart of the home, so the bigger the better, right?

Not necessarily.

As Linda and Rick Ban's pint-sized kitchen in Fox Chapel makes clear, even small spaces can prove functional while serving up high style. For their effort, the Bans were one of two runners-up in the 2008 Renovation Inspiration home renovation contest, small project category.

Because expansion was blocked on one side by a well-used garage and on the back by a much-loved deck, the couple aimed to keep the same footprint but replace the cramped layout and ancient appliances that made daily cooking such a chore. And they wanted something, well, pretty to replace the dated vinyl floors, laminate counter tops and dark oak cabinets with faux-Colonial strap hinges.

"It was very, very ugly," says Mrs. Ban. "It was so depressing to walk in here every morning."

The key was finding a designer able to eke out every possible inch of usable space while also choosing accessories that increase its size perceptually. Ruth Thompson of New Angle Design, who led the Bans' elegant remodel last summer, did all that and more. In just six weeks, she took a room that was hopelessly stuck in the '50s and transformed it into a sparkling, contemporary gem. And because the Bans and Ms. Thompson gutted the old kitchen themselves one Friday night over a glass (or two) of wine, it didn't even break the bank too greatly.

"It was a fun, team effort," says Ms. Thompson.

Because Mrs. Ban is both her friend and accountant, the designer was well-versed in the old kitchen's flaws and able to hit the job running. To provide additional workspace and storage, she repositioned the range and dishwasher to allow for more counter top and cabinets, replaced two small sinks with a single larger one, removed the large bulkhead that extended around most of the room and added an L-shaped island near the back door. She also replaced an odd window that looked into the garage with a mirrored niche framed with tiny glass mosaic tiles like those in the backsplash. Illuminating the sink below is a whimsical crystal pineapple lamp from Bellacor.com.

Dark colors make a space feel cozy and intimate, but they also tend to make a room feel smaller. Little surprise, then, that the Bans' new kitchen employs a light color scheme that gives the illusion of a much larger space. White appliances and bright-white European-style cabinetry with a porcelain finish, installed by Julian Costanzo of Brubach Construction in Blawnox, give the room a streamlined beauty, while pale-yellow walls evoke a sunny summer day. A white ceramic tile backsplash studded with tiny glass tiles, which tiler Miles Young laid in an intricate diamond pattern, adds to the airy, open feeling.

Granite counter tops are typically polished to a high shine so sunlight will dance off the stone's small crystals. The Bans, though, have two teenage boys. So the light-green "leathered" granite they fell in love with at Ultimate Granite Surfaces in Gibsonia was installed with a matte finish to mask fingerprints and nicks -- a decision that not only "softens" the kitchen, but adds to its custom look, notes Ms. Thompson.

Even so, "I use it as a tool, not a jewel," says Mrs. Ban.

The Moroccan tigerwood plank flooring from Karndean International, purchased from Riverview Carpet in Verona, is also unique. It looks like real hardwood but is actually made of pure virgin PVC.

Other details include a furniture-like cabinet near the back door that has decorative feet and corbels and ogee edges; integrated trash cans; and a spice rack whose containers are long tubes instead of jars. Made in Germany, it hangs under a flat-screen TV next to the breakfast island.

Bright lighting is key to small kitchen design, so it was fortunate that a previous owner had installed a glass back door that leads to a deck overlooking the back yard. Even when it's freezing outside, this wide sheet of clear glass floods the kitchen with sunlight; in summer, it naturally extends the living space outdoors "like one big room," says Mrs. Ban.

Relaxing in the kitchen today, she wonders how the family ever managed without the extra space and beautiful, decorative detail.

"Oh, my goodness! I just sit in the room and look around," she says. "It makes me so happy."