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Need your help with Zones and layout

13 years ago

I am looking for some advice on a kitchen design/layout. A few details:

This is a 1938 colonial home. We are a family of 3 with 1-2 cooks in the kitchen at meal times. We tend not to use convenience foods. Mainly scratch cooking.

Original kitchen was a galley style and sometime in the 50s it was expanded and updated with a U shaped design with attached eat in area and desk/transition area. The U shape is 10 ft wide (wall to wall) with one leg 9ft 3inches and the other 11ft 9 inches. Things I like about the kitchen include: lots of counter space, adequate storage (place for everything), efficient working in the U. I do not like the one bowl sink (need double) and lighting is quite poor.

I am looking to gut the kitchen/desk/eat in area and start over. I have included a current floor plan and also a new plan for the U part of it. Unless there are other suggestions on the entire layout, we are probably going to replace the desk area with new counter and cabinets in the existing area and would build a new closet with shelving in the nook between the garage and dining room.

Goals

Would like to keep windows and walls as it but optimize the design of the current space.

Current kitchen has a separate cook top and wall oven (single oven is sufficient for me) which is outside the U. KD have initially thought it should really be inside the U, but I am concerned over loss of counter space. So I am considering an all in one range unless I can get some other good ideas.

Where should the refrigerator go? KD suggested going on inside wall by garage, but it feels more bulky here to me.

Need to confirm prep, cook, clean zones are good

Thanks for any input. I have also included current pictures.

Daisy11

The current layout

The new option

Current kitchen

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Comments (6)

corgi_mom
13 years ago
I like your plan a lot. It'll be different from your original but not extreme in any way. I couldn't quite understand the right side w/ the 30" and 27" markings. Are these cabinets with counterspace? One thing that you might consider is putting your pantry cabinet on that wall [in the end space] to keep it in the kitchen proper. If right now you keep some of your foods in other cupboards too, with this change, you could consolidate all of it and this would save you a few steps and look more organized in general, IMO. I know you are concerned about losing counterspace but it looks to me like you will still have a lot.

Will your microwave be on the counter in the new kitchen? If you use a microwave/fan over the stove, you'd save space on your counter although I have read that they are less efficient than the regular ventilation hoods.

Regardless it will be very nice!
palimpsest
13 years ago
I am wondering if the blind corner next to the DW could actually be configured for trash/recycling accessible through a door in the garage.

The counter could have lidded chutes for trash and recyclables to drop into containers underneath that were accessed directly from the garage.

Here is a link that might be useful: Franke
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Sorry not to like it, but there are big problems with this plan. The prep sink and island (prep work area) location have no relationship to your cooking area, which is what they should serve. --A prep sink and island should offer you as the cook, a sink for your use (washing veggies and filling and draining pots of -hot- water) and expansive work counter. You should, ideally, be able to easily reach this area and get back and forth with the stove without too much walking around, and without traffic interference. The prep sink is back to back with your cleanup area (so possibly 2 people and an open dishwasher door in the same spot) with aisles that are, again, too narrow, even if it wasn't such a main, boy-and-truck traffic aisle, as you'd explained. The 3 ft you show between cabinet runs will really be about 33" when countertops are on. Your goal should be 42-48" in traffic or multi-worker aisles, and no less than 36" for a one-person work aisle. Between the cooktop and the prep counter on the island, I'd want no more than 48", but prefer 36".
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daisy11
Original Author
13 years ago
Corgi mom Thanks for the feedback! Yes, the 27 and 30 inch markings are just where I thought drawers for base cabinets with uppers above would fit. I have thought about the walk to the pantry and will look at putting it on that right end instead. Perhaps I would also leave a tall cabinet where the pantry is for small appliances. I am looking at building the microwave into the upper cabinet next to the refrigerator so it would be off the counter. Thanks for your feedback!!

Palimpsest That is a great idea! Would make a lot of sense and put that blind corner to use. Thanks for the idea!

daisy11
palimpsest
13 years ago
It would have to be a fire rated door (just a lot smaller) since it is a communication between the house and the garage, but if it met those criteria it should be allowed. I have seen this type of thing in homebuilding magazines
Buehl
13 years ago
Zones look pretty good except I don't think there's enough Prep Zone workspace b/w the sink and range, especially with a diagonal corner like you show.

You really should have at least 36", preferably closer to 42", b/w the corner and the range for decent work space. The counter on the right side of the range is not nearly as useful b/c it's so far from the sink and refrigerator...I would even venture to say that more than 24" to 30" is wasted space.

What about something like this:

36" corner susan + 18" trash pullout + 21" drawer base + 30" range + 30" drawer base

I dropped 6" b/c I don't think you want to go much past where the refrigerator ends on the opposite wall b/c it eats into your table space.

If you don't mind, then:

36" corner susan + 18" trash pullout + 24" drawer base + 30" range + 33" drawer base

You might also consider banquette seating under the two windows. It would free up some floor space, if you need to. It's a preference thing. Personally, I prefer chair seating, but many people really like their banquettes and children (and their friends!) seem to like them as well. You do have chairs on the outside, so you can accommodate everyone's preferences. With chairs against the wall, you really should have at least 32" b/w the table and wall to give someone room to get into/out of a chair. With a banquette bench, you only need about 18" (depending on the thickness of the back of the bench).

As to the MW, you have it in a good spot...out of the way of all the major work zones yet close to the refrigerator and not too far from the sink (for adding water to what you're MWing).

What about something like this? It does take away 18" of counter on the left leg of the "U" and 3" from the right leg... Is that too much? It gives you a lot more prep space as well as utility storage. Just an idea...
Buehl
13 years ago
Just to show you where the Zones are in the above layout...

If you wanted/needed one, you could even put in a Tea/Coffee or Beverage Center on the left leg. It's near the refrigerator, near a water source (for tea and/or coffee), near the MW (for warming up beverages), and out of the main work zones (Prep (primary), Cooking, Cleanup)

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