Please help me finalize my Kitchen design

10 years ago

Hi All - I have been reading and researching for weeks and have this narrowed down to three options. The input from everyone here has been invaluable so I hope you don't mind lending your opinions!

First - We are a family of three - two 6'+ adults and one tall 10 year old. We also have one black lab / hound mix dog.

I have made a decision on appliances: Wolf 6 burner range, 36" Broan professional style canopy hood with 1200 cfm external blower, 42" SZ SxS, GE Monogram Advantium speed oven and bosch DW.

The existing floor in the kitchen is wide-plank maple, which will stay. Cabinets will be a simple shaker-style in an off-white. Currently there is a wall between the kitchen and dining-room, which will be removed and replaced with a peninsula.

One of my requirements is a place to feed the dog in the kitchen. Either a book-case on the end of the peninsula with cut-outs on the bottom shelf for bowls, or just an alcove / overhang at the end. One design has the peninsula end with table legs.

I have three options - the first is from a custom-cabinet maker. He would do the demo, build cabinets, install the lighting, cabinets, hood ductwork, etc. The construction would be plywood frames with maple cabinets and drawerfronts, dovetail drawers, softclose, etc - no MDF. He seems great but to get in line with budget it would not include roll-out shelves and some of the fancy finishes I hoped for - such as furniture legs on either side of the sink, panelling on the back of the peninsula, dummy doors on the end of cabinet runs etc. Is it difficult to add some of those things later?

He is also recommending no seating at the peninsula - and only a 12 inch overhang of countertop. There is enough width in the DR to accommodate up to 18 inches of overhang from that wall - as there is currently a hutch against it that is 18'' deep. Should I have counter seating or not? The current kitchen is 'eat-in' although we don't eat in it. We always sit at the DR table.

The second one is kraftmaid cabinetry.
I like the idea of the peninsula ending in table legs to tuck the dog's dish under, but am a little concerned about the loss of cabinet space. I also like the idea of the rolling 30" island that is proposed. It would be nice to order it in an accent color. These cabinets would be loaded with all the bells and whistles - roll-outs, soft-close, details etc. It will also cost about $5K more.

And the last is a design provided by an architect who also represents several cabinet lines.

They each have their strengths and weaknesses. How would you choose? Any suggestions are welcome.

For context - my existing kitchen only has cabinets on two walls and feels very closed-in. Opening the wall to the DR will incorporate light from three large double-hung windows.

I am very ready for this phase to be over - but don't want to do it if it isn't going to be right.

Thank you all in advance for your feedback!

PS: To add a little more context - here is the surrounding layout of the house around the kitchen -

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Comments (5)

sena01
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
If the extra cost would not be a great problem I'd say 2nd alternative.

I guess the 30' island 'll compensate for a part of the loss of cab space on the peninsula.

Does the price include countertop cost? Since you eat in the DR, if you don't need a deep countertop for any other reason, maybe having no extra overhang on the DR side of the peninsula may help economize on countertop cost and I think rolling island will have a lighter(and cheaper) countertop.
animacafe
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks Sena01, I appreciate the input. I think I like the table-leg solution best for hiding dog dishes too.

Would the absence of an 'eat-in' kitchen become a concern if or when we go to sell the house? I don't have any plans to move and could be here 'forever' (its already been 13 years), but you never know.
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Thank you all for the feedback, especially bmorepanic for the plan! If we decide to go with an island plan, we will definitely use the north wall rather than the south wall. I think a common comment was about the play area not being necessary. It would be our long-term plan to turn the "play area" into a study area with desks in the future. @kaismom - Thanks for the tip about getting the cabinets now to ensure that they match, we will certainly do that, if that's what the space is used for. The area we had labelled as the play area was previously the eating nook. I should also note that you can see into the family area from the former nook area, as the wall has an opening about four feet up so the family room is not really private at all. My husband actually grew up in this house (buying it from my parents who want to downsize). There is a rec room upstairs to spend time when the kids want to stay away from the parents. That room will still be up there as a rec space and was used as a computer area also. There is also another computer area as my husband is a consultant that works at home and thus will have a room dedicated to his home office upstairs. The reason we like having the dining room table on the west side is because it can be extended to seat six on that side (12' across even with the angled wall) and there is space in the living room for an additional table or two if necessary if we want to entertain (the room is about 15 x 30 - not measured, guessing). As suggested, we would likely use the room for a large folding table when we want to host events. Also, we feel that having this setup would encourage us to use the living room more often as the room has vaulted ceilings and nice large windows. The room wasn't used very often previously as the dining room and family room were only used when entertaining guests (which I guess doesn't seem that uncommon in all honesty). There is a large walk in pantry (with a slanted roof under the stairs) whose entry is just to the left of the north-west door. Not sure if we'd miss having a pantry in the kitchen but there is a lot of space to leaving things in that room which is the plan for now. We toyed with the idea of building access to the room directly from the kitchen but realized that the angle of the roof line would not accommodate access a door from the kitchen very well (there are stairs going up which run parallel to the kitchen wall from east to west). Nobody in the family currently plays music, historically there has been a piano in the living room but if it was played, you could hear the piano throughout the house except in the family room. Thanks again!
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Is the window over the sink also existing? Because I was thinking that it would be nice to get the stove on the same wall as the sink. It would be better to have the prep area between them, and easier to vent the hood on an exterior wall. Then the microwave could go on a shelf next to the fridge. That area could be snack central for the kids, and maybe a baking area. That would also give you more options for making the island a bit smaller, without a MW drawer. I hesitate to say this because I love my island (work table really), which is 3x5 with seating on one side, with 36" of aisle space. But that side is not up against a wall, which means that there is ample room for shoulders. In your plan, shoulders will be brushing the wall. Any time some one is seated, traffic will have to pass through your work zones. Although I'd love for you to have that wonderful island with seating, I'm starting to see that there probably isn't room for it. Since you have a chance to play with ideas today, consider leaving out the island, but using a smaller rolling cart, instead. I think you could shorten the wide door on the FP side, then wrap cabinets around that corner, over to the broom closet. Since you'll have a nice wide opening on the DR side, the broom closet could be made wider and deeper (the depth of the new cabinets) for more storage. All that storage would make up for losing the cabinets that were planned for the island. You could make some of the cabinets look like the china hutch posted above, with shallower cabinets on each side. The rolling cart could be incorporated into the design, to be out of the way when not in use. It could be a lovely feature to make up for losing the island. Maybe someone with better computer and design skills can elaborate on these ideas. Good luck!
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sena01
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
"Would the absence of an 'eat-in' kitchen become a concern if or when we go to sell the house? "
************

From what I read in the forums it appears that it may be a problem if you decide to sell the house.-((
Kathy Rivera
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
We are working with very similar issues/designs, so I feel your pain!

The EIK depends...it's something I am struggling with. My realtor said I needed to keep it. But it makes my work area so small and not useful. So I am opening to the DR and having a breakfast bar. I'm hoping the open space and functional kitchen will be what people see and not the fact they can't stick a kitchen table there. Besides, the counter gives a space to eat breakfast/lunch, do homework, socialize with guests - all things a table can do. But it took me a loooooong time to decide to go this direction.

I would say you need to keep seating at the bar to make up for the lost EIK.

I like the KM design. I think I'd switch the fridge and the oven (do it as shown in the architect's rendition) - you aren't gong to be able to open the right fridge door all the way where it is. I'd also loose the island. You don't really have the space to support it - th aisles will be very narrow and it's so small, it's not going to be that helpful. That can save you money and you can add one at another time. There are tons of nice work table/islands you can purchase - it doesn't need to match the cabs. This was also something I struggled with b/c I felt the space was a little too open without it, but everyone here convinced me to leave it out and if I find I do want something there, go for the work table.

To save money you can also do furniture/particle board cabs - most everyone here agrees it's a great way to save about 15% on cabinets! Also, GW is the land of drawers! Ditch the cabs with rollouts and go for drawers. Easier to pullout one thing than to open doors and then pull out. Though probably won't save much $$ b/c I was told cabs with rollouts are about the same cost wise as all drawer bases.

The architect drawing - did he give you a price? His plan is very similar to the KM plan and you could just ask him to do furniture legs on the end for the dog bowls - every line carries something like that. He might be able to get you a better deal on another line (or he might not!)

Good luck! I am at the same point as you right now so I know how frustrating it is! I go back to my KD tomorrow to make some tweaks and see if I'm ready to take the plunge!
animacafe
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks KathyNY76! Your comments are really helpful. I had mixed feelings about the rolling island and keep thinking it will just be in the way. I love all the 'gadgety' cabinet interiors that are available today and was wondering whether they are really worth it - or whether I can add them later with rev-a-shelf or other modules for less.

My only concern with the KM layout is it doesn't have an angled cabinet on the fridge run next to the door, and I wonder if that will make the entry feel like an odd little tunnel with no transition into the room - or whether it will be fine since it is only standard counter-depth.

It is so hard to make these decisions on paper! I have been having nightmares that once I have made all the decisions and the kitchen is in - it won't be anything like what I expect it to be. This is a very stressful process.

Good luck tomorrow!

Please help me finalize my Kitchen design

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