Now there's room for two cooks and guests.

A remodeling success story, the spacious and lofty kitchen you see above started out as a narrow galley that left little room for more than one cook.

Without changing the ranch-style house's outside appearance, Sacramento architect Steven Goldstein tripled the workspace by knocking down the wall between the kitchen and a breakfast room. The new space measures 15 by 19 feet and allows plenty of room for owners Scott Ann and Todd Setzer to share in meal preparation. Guests find ample space to sit at the 65by 99-inch central island (it adds storage space as well).

Overhead, the 8-foot-high flat ceiling was replaced by one that rises to the roof line. Soffits around the perimeter step up to the 6- by 1 2-foot skylight in different widths and depths. A band of black slate that rings the room matches floor tiles.

The skylight brightens the room and provides views of a tall shade tree. (The tree and roof-mounted shadecloth block the high summer sun.) Two pairs of 2-by-8 joists and 2-by-4 rafters, centered beneath the skylight, tie the roof and outside walls together.