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jrm1504

Kitchen remodel layout idea

jrm1504
13 years ago

Our kitchen is in need of some gutting. Counters are falling off and it is old and lacks functionality. I don't see where I can expand it by knocking walls down or anything.

I do want a 36" range. I know the sink isn't centered in the window as it is now. But, that is because I wanted to push the dishwasher further away from the cabinets. As it is now, there is less that a foot between the cabinets and the door when it is open.

To "cheat" on space, I am hoping to get 27" deep base cabinets instead of 24". Hopefully 3" over the entire course will add up.

My skin is tough, so go ahead and rip it apart.

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen layout

Comments (29)

  • blfenton
    13 years ago

    Just to start the conversation:
    How many people in the family and how many cooks?
    Where it says "90' wide to wall" - Is that a peninsula?
    Why 42" of pantry. Just seems like a lot to me.
    Is the fridge going to be counter-depth or standard?

  • John Liu
    13 years ago

    Check the aisle width at the peninsula, you may want to shorten the peninsula a bit. Consider placing the cooktop where the refrigerator is, to get the range out of the traffic path, eliminate the need to carry pots of boiling water across the kitchen, and make for easier venting. The refrigerator can go by the pantry, you might still have some counter there for dump zone. A range instead of cooktop would give you more counter on the pantry wall. I wouldn't worry about the window not being centered on the window. If it bugs you, perhaps you can use a distinct counter material in front of the window, to include the sink and an integrated drain area (runnels), to make it look like you meant the window to be positioned there. I assume the peninsula looks onto a dining area?

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  • desertsteph
    13 years ago

    I agree on switching the stove and refridge. can you put the dw on the other side of the sink? keeping the cooking area out of the walk way is important - as is not crossing the walk way with a pot of hot water to drain.

    also agree on cutting back the peninsula. a wider walkway is needed there. I doubt you could even get a normal sized fridge thru that opening.

  • jrm1504
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    To answer the questions...

    There are currently two people in the house...however, it is a 5500sq ft home, so it is built for a family.

    90" to wall is the peninsula. It probably should be about 6" shorter. After I posted it I realized I made a mistake.

    42" of pantry seems like a nice amount.

    Fridge will most likely be standard.

    The plan is for a range and not a cook top. I suppose shifting the fridge and range is a possibility. However, my concern is that the there isn't enough space to have about 2ft on either side. For that, the range would but against the corner.

    The peninsula does look into the dining nook/family room.

  • artemis78
    13 years ago

    We have a similar layout and also played with putting the range on the opposite side of the door like that---it got universally panned by the kitchen design gurus for some very good reasons (having to cross the major path through the house with pots of hot water to get to the sink to drain pasta, for instance). Our old layout had the fridge there and we decided to keep it that way in the new kitchen, which has been a good plan thus far. We also put our dishwasher to the left of the sink because if it had been to the right, it would block access to that corner (which is the primary prep space for us, between sink and range) when it was open. Your plan is a bit trickier because you have the peninsula so it blocks access to something in either position, but generally I think it's less problematic to block storage/seating than prep space.

    The other thing I'd consider is maybe posting your house plan for that floor just to see if others have ideas for where to steal space in adjacent rooms. A 5500 sf house seems astronomically huge to me, and your kitchen is smaller than the one in my 1200 sf house (ours is 13x18)! There must be some space to steal somewhere, and I'd guess expanding the kitchen in what is presumably a house built to potentially accommodate a large family would add a lot of value to the home. Some of the layout folks here are really skilled at finding places to beg, borrow, or steal space---they might come up with some good solutions to give you some options.

    Re: the sink, you could also consider one of the Kohler Stages sinks, which I believe can have a dishwasher underneath part of them so they could look visually centered even though the actual main basin would be off-center and the d/w would have room to clear.

  • User
    13 years ago

    Am I reading your plan right that you have a range plus a second oven in a stack with a microwave ("oven, micro, full-height")? If so, then consider that that wall oven will block the walkway when it's open, which is potentially dangerous, especially if it's low-ish (think of a kid coming fast around the yellow part of the wall there and darting into the kitchen.)

    This may not matter so much if this is your second oven and is destined to be used only sparingly, but it's something to think about.

  • jrm1504
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Here is the entire floor layout. The house is a daylight basement home.

    The kitchen has 8ft ceilings.

    To the north of the kitchen is a family room. It has vaulted ceilings with three beams running east-west. The first is right along the kitchen wall/cutout. The second is centered in the room. The third is along the exterior wall.

    To the south is the dining room. Again, it has vaulted ceilings with beams running east-west. Between the dining room and adjacent living room, there are six beams equidistant apart.

    Pics in link.

    Here is a link that might be useful: layouts and pictures

  • ideagirl2
    13 years ago

    I'll second (third? fourth?) the vote for moving the fridge and range. Having the sink and range across the floor from each other is generally not a good idea if you can possibly avoid it, but in your case it's much worse because the range is right on a major traffic path. Mnerg also has a very good point about the wall oven. Do you actually use both ovens (range and wall oven)? How often?

    The sink/range issue is the most important one because it affects both workflow/efficiency and safety. So here are some steps that could help a lot:

    (1) Put the fridge beside the pantry. You might also want to shrink the pantry from 42" to 36". That's still quite a big pantry, and it would give you more counter space on this wall, which I think would benefit you more than the 6" of pantry space. It would give you, in order from bottom to top, a 36" pantry, 36" fridge, 48" of counterspace (plenty of room for a snack station: toaster, coffee maker etc. etc.) and then the wall oven.

    (2) Move the DW down to where the fridge currently is (end of that short leg) and move the sink next to it. It looks like that leg is about 5 feet long, so the sink and DW should just fit. (BTW, do you need a 33" sink? You might find that a 27" or 30" single-bowl is much more efficient than a larger double bowl, and that would make the sink and DW feel less "squeezed" into this leg.)

    (3) Put the range where the sink is currently shown. If local code does not permit ranges to be in front of windows, or if you just prefer a different look, move the window. Splitting it into two windows, one on either side of the range, is one option; the other would be to scoot it down so there's a big window between the range and the sink. That would be nice to look out of while you prep, and it would also probably look better from the outside than scooting the window up towards the family room, since that wall of the family room already has sliding doors and a big window on it.

  • homey_bird
    13 years ago

    I want to chime in agreement that for a 5500 sqft of house, this kitchen is very small.

    I do not know of the real estate market where your house is located, but in most areas this size will be high end luxury, and the kitchen just does not do justice to the house!

    It would be helpful to post a complete floor plan, as suggested before.

  • jrm1504
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    In response to some of the thoughts...

    I'd never do a single bowl sink. They are hateful things. In the bar that was remodeled two years ago, I went out of my way to find a small sink that had a big bowl and a smaller bowl for rinsing and dumping things, etc. My dad has just one bowl and it is a pain.

    Moving the window might be a bit difficult (translation, expensive). It is a brick home. I realize that with enough money, anything is possible.

    I know the kitchen is on the smaller side. I guess that is what I get for a 1970s house.

    Pictures and a complete main level floor plan are linked at the bottom.

    I'll try and do some updated drawing showing (some of) the above ideas tonight.

    Here is a link that might be useful: first floor layout and associated pics.

  • huango
    13 years ago

    Can you move some walls/doors?
    My thought is to make the sink wall to be just flushed, meaning no turned corners. This way, the range and sink can both be on this wall.
    Then w/ the pocket door moved down toward the sink wall AND the little wall at the microwave is removed, then you can have turned cabinets here AND the peninsula on this side. It's easier to get outside w/out having to walk around the peninsula.

    So you grab your ingredients from the fridge (where the range is in the design), cross the walk-way and prep/cook between the range and sink, looking out your great window.
    This way, it's easier to vent the range.

    Amanda

  • remodelfla
    13 years ago

    I don't have decent drawing capability with my computer so I'll try to explain my thoughts. I'm using the given that you want to work within the existing footprint and not expand into other rooms.
    West wall: narrow broom/spice pullout, frig, 24" base, 36" range, 30" base with oven installed under the counter, prep sink with MW installed above.
    East wall and L leg(s): Bottom L: 36" pantry and the rest as shown except flip the sink and DW. If you want to avoid 2 corners, you can put a base cab that opens into the family room on the peninsula side.

    With this notion, you have a cooking zone and a completely separate cleanup zone. I don't know how you feel about the oven being under the counter. I would think alright since you are planning on a range. Most 36" ranges have relatively large ovens. Another option would be to get a 30" speed oven/MW like the Miele or Advantium. More expensive then a traditional MW but you'd save on not buying the other full sized oven. THoughts on that? Do you do alot of baking or large scale cooking with 2 people or are you planning on expanding your family?

  • northcarolina
    13 years ago

    You and I agree on the single vs double bowl sink. I believe we are part of a tiny minority here. [grin] I have no great advice for you, but I'll be watching your answers. Our kitchen has much the same layout as your proposed one, except that we have an additional door in the corner where you have your pantry. I didn't find the range across the room from the sink to be much of a problem before we had children; it was a little inconvenient because of the distance to the sink, but that was all. (Our kitchen is a bit narrower than yours -- too wide for a galley, too narrow to add a prep island). The appliance layout worked just fine for my husband when he was single, too. However, now that we have small people running through the kitchen all the time, the range location is much more trouble. I have considered swapping it with the fridge too, but I have the same concern as you that there would be very little counter space beside the range on the short end wall. The other thing that happens with this layout is that all prep work ends up being done in the corner between the sink and fridge. This was sort of a pain before kids (small area, dirty dishes compete for space, and stuff drops off the inside corner onto the floor a lot) but now it is REALLY a pain because there isn't a good place for a second person to work. Some of the advice I have gotten here has been to add a prep sink on the same run as the range and to move the fridge over to the left of the main sink so it'd be accessible from both sinks; we might end up doing something like that. This might not be best for you since your situation is different than ours; I'm just mentioning the suggestion because our kitchens (my current and your proposed one) have similar layouts.

    Good luck!

  • jrm1504
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Ok, I did a new drawing. I tried to blend the best/applicable ideas.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Blend of ideas

  • herbflavor
    13 years ago

    I don't get why it's so far to walk from one counter with a pan to your original location for the range...oh well...I'd choose not to have the frig over there....you can really
    do something with cabinets and alcoves and shelves on that range wall.

  • northcarolina
    13 years ago

    I don't get why it's so far to walk from one counter with a pan to your original location for the range...

    herbflavor, it isn't the distance (though 7 ft is an inconvenience) as much as the traffic pattern. As I mentioned above, having our range across the room wasn't a big problem when only 1 or 2 people lived in the house, but with more of us (especially with children), it does not feel safe to have people milling around between the cooking surface and water source. I have to ban my kids from the kitchen when I cook to avoid tripping on them while carrying pots of boiling water or while going back and forth from the prep area to the saute pan. Not ideal family dynamics.

    jrm1504, again I have no great insight, but be sure you will be happy with the area you have available to prep. We have a peninsula in the same location as the one in your new proposal, and it *looks* like a great place for baking prep etc but in my house it has become the mail and paperwork depository. Still, if you are more organized than I am (very likely, ha) this will not be a problem for you.

  • tracie.erin
    13 years ago

    I like your latest plan, but would you consider putting the sink back where it was and DW in peninsula? That would give you a lot more space between sink and range, which is prime prep space. Be sure to put the DW far enough away from the sink so you can still stand normally at the sink and just pivot to put the dishes away; if possible, put it all the way at the end of the peninsula.

    If that works for you, you can then have some/all dish storage across the aisle next to the MW/oven. This would create a secondary prep area on the other side of the sink that would be uninterrupted by DW unloading, table setting, etc.

  • jrm1504
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I do appreciate all of the insight...

    Here is the latest rendition...and some of the ideas in the version prior the misses didn't like, so this is the version she likes.

    One thought I did have was a prep sink next to the range in one of those counter banks. Good or stupid?

    Oh, and the peninsula does collect stuff. Only now it has the cooktop there too. I think one reason it collects junk is a general lack of counter space.

    Here is a link that might be useful: version I dont know what anymore...

  • ideagirl2
    13 years ago

    That looks good to me. The only change I would suggest is putting the DW to the right of the sink instead of the left--the point there would be to make the space between sink and range be just prep space; the cleanup zone (sink and DW) would be separate from the cook/prep zone instead of overlapping with it. With a double-bowl sink, that's especially useful because you could have the right bowl be for dishes and the left for prepping.

  • jrm1504
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I also plan on putting in a built in buffet in the dining room which is adjacent to the dining room.

    It should provide a nunch of extra storage for other kitchen things as well as decorative knick-knacks.

    Here is a link that might be useful: built in buffet

  • jrm1504
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I did the DW where I did for a few reasons...

    First where it is now (actually now) it is on the right side of the sink and the sink is centered. The DW is too close to the south bank of cabinets and awkward to unload. It needs more space around it. That problem would only be exacerbated with a new fridge as the current one is an odd ball and smaller than normal.

    So, I had to jockey things around to get the DW more access space. That makes the sink off center and looks a bit funny.

    To balance it out, I do the DW on the left and the idea of runnels over it (given hear) would help to "balance" the look of the cleanup station in the window.

    Hopefully, that seems logical.

  • jrm1504
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    what do you think of the fujioh hood for this layout?

    Here is a link that might be useful: hood

  • jrm1504
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    ttt

  • jrm1504
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    So I have changed my thoughts.

    I am taking down a hall wall and then robbing a couple feet from the laundry room where there currently is a closet. The Laundry room won't feel any smaller because the closet door goes away and a wall goes back. The closet stores kitchen stuff anyway.

    This is looking from the family room into the kitchen:

    Looking from the laundry room:

    New dining hutch and entrance moved:

    Thoughts? I've thought a prep sink in the island might be nice.

  • ideagirl2
    12 years ago

    That looks good. I agree that a prep sink could work well in the island, as long as you put it where it's needed (i.e. not near the other sink). PRobably the place you would use it most is over by the wall oven--you could have a whole baking center there, keep all your baking stuff in the island base cabinets and have a little sink there for the water you need for recipes and quickly rinsing things off. It would also be where people would grab a glass of water (if your fridge doesn't have a water dispenser).

  • remodelfla
    12 years ago

    I agree that a prep sink in the island would really amp up the functionality of this kitchen (great space btw). Personally, I'd like it in the lower left hand corner across from the frig and closer to the stove; but anyway on that side would work I'm sure.

  • kaismom
    12 years ago

    The reason that your newest design works so well (an open L to the sliding glass door) is because you have created a straight shot from the sink to the pool through the sliding glass door. This will create an easy integration between your kitchen and your outdoors, which is an amazing feature for this house.
    If you want to save some money, I don't think you even need to enlarge the kitchen. just opening that up the peninsula will do the trick compared to the locked in peninsula you had.
    In taking over the hall, you have created the major traffic straight through the kitchen. I would move the frig out of the traffic, perhaps next to the sliding glass door...
    It looks like you will have alot of storage in the dining room. All your better dishes and wine glasses will go there. Again, decreasing the need for a huge kitchen.

    I would tweek the plan so that there is an easy place for the kids to grab summer drinks when they come in from the pool. (do you have another frig outside?) If the kids are coming all the way into the current frig, you will have collision.

    If this was my house, I would spend the money on integrating the outdoor with the kitchen and the living room. This is a perfect house for the nananwall..... They are expensive but oolala! There is so much potential for a huge expanse of wall opening to your pool!

    Here is a link that might be useful: nanawall

  • jrm1504
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    My kitchen is on the main floor and the pool is on the daylight basement level.

    The basement level has a rec room and bar...

    Out the sliding door is the pool. The fridge has since been replaced and we keep all the pop in the bar fridge.

  • kaismom
    12 years ago

    If you are set on this design, I would move the laundry door to the kitchen so that wall does not get chopped up looking from the kitchen. You also want to push out the door to be flush with the frig and oven. This will make the inside of the laundry room a bit odd but you want the esthetics from the kitchen not from the laundry room. I would play with the placement of the door into the laundry room. Bottom left of the kitchen may work where there is already an odd jog in the laundry room. You will lose straight shot out to the back door from the kitchen, however.

    I would consider island seating such that you are facing out the window while eating if you have east facing window/sliding glass door. I think you have enough room. It is wonderful to eat breakfast while looking out to the morning light!

    I would rid of some of the uppers and lighten the space a little. The cabinet design is too filled in and heavy, IMHO.

    In your pictures, there does not seem to be a good way to get from the upper deck to the lower pool. Is that a possibility? You really want to be able to acess the pool and your wonderful backyard from your kitchen. Otherwise, you have to maintain two kitchens in the summer. (been there and done that, and it is a PITA!)

    I have a house where our upper deck does not connect to the lower level. This is the WORST design about our house! I speak from experience... We don't have enough lot to make it happen being in the city. There are always limitations to the houses we live in.

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