Cresecent-- OH MY G-d love your kitchen. A few questions

1- what state are you building in? (we are in NJ)

2- What cabinet maker did you pick...approx how much are the cabinets only?

3- suggestions- personally I HAVE NONE- i love every thing that you did... very well thought out. Are you doing a farm sink?? I thought you were not? I loveee a farm sink. Do you have pics of your materials (cabinets, floors etc)...

4- Are those pull out spice racks next to the cooktop-ok jealous- thought about doing that but I would have lost too much counterspace :(

LOVE IT ALL!!

Thanks Suzie- this forum was so helpful- I think I must have posted 5 different layouts and I am still making changes!

I really am struggling with whether I need to do a prep sink in the island. Also, since my island is a "barrier island", we are thinking of putting a refrigerator drawer on the sink side since the work flow from fridge-cooktop- sink is a little off.
I think I am fine with it and can see using the island as a drop zone for things I need for prep/cooking from the fridge but want to make sure I won't regret the decision.

I also worry a little that the pantry is farther away but I have tons of storage so I think that should work too.

It is very exciting to plan but nerve racking too. So much $$$ that I want to be sure to do it right the first time:)!

We are also building in NJ and chose Wellborn cabinets. I will try to take pictures of the choices but the perimeter cabinets are cherry with a cocoa finish and the island is greystone (creamish gray) maple. If you check out there website, you can see them.

The floor will be hardwood (med. finish) and we are considering using dry sage for the paint color.

We haven't made a final decision but I am considering doing the wet bar and desk area in a distressed pimento color. Got the inspiration from rhome's color scheme.
Those two pieces are out of the main kitchen area so I thought it would add some interest and make them look more like built in furniture pieces.

We are doing a farm sink- 30" shaw and I am deciding between ORB and wrought iron hardware.

For lighting, like you, I am also considering a chandilier. I wish I were better at posting but love the this hubbardton forge light- there is a pendant and a chandilier.

BASE ITEM NUMBER: 121026

One last thing- yes- they are spice pull outs. That mantle was a major decision because you do lose counter space but I really loved the look and still feel that I will be fine. It will definitely be the focal point of the room!

I have 24" of space to the left for a drop zone/mini-baking area and then to the right and extending around the corner to the sink, I have close to 70" of counter space for prep and that doesn't include the island.

I feel very lucky to have this opportunity to be building this beautiful space and am so excited to see it come to life! We are currently renting a condo while we wait for the house to be built. We have been here 10 months and it will probably be another 6 but I know it will be worth it so I don't mind.

Thanks again for your kind words.

Other opinions and suggestions are welcome. TIA!

Oh my-- i will def check out all of your stuff. but i have to tell you-- we are renting a condo too (and have been here exactly 1 year!) ahhhhh and where we are building they are estimating another 10 months with permits etc.... i'm going NUTS!! We are in central NJ (South Brunswick)-- just curious if you are building in our same development- lol - now that would be funny!!!

I think your fridge / island is fine- we pretty much set ours up the same way and I also plan to use the island as my "prep" area (the same way I did in my last home)... I like the big open space.

Your furniture idea sounds BEAUTIFUL!!

Suz

LOL Suzie- that would have been really funny but we are building in Berkeley Heights (near Summit).
Our foundation is in the ground now for 3 months but they are waiting for demo permits for the last house standing in order to put in a temp road so the trucks can get in. Builder says they will start framing this week but I will believe it when I see it.

Condo living is starting to drive me crazy too- I miss having a yard now that the weather is nice but I do think we are lucky that we sold when we did. No pressure of the bad economy/housing market. I can only imagine how stressful it would be trying to build and sell now!

Let me know what you think of the finishes when you get a chance to look.

BTW- what granite yard is your builder sending you too?

Ok it would have been hysterical if we had been moving to the same place... neighbors lol

I miss so much about "space!" but i totally am thrilled we sold before the market crash. So now we can build our home. The good thing about the condo is that we have a community heated pool-- we are LOVING that... so we will suck it up for another winter and pray this time next year this is a distant memory- lol

i'm looooving your cabinets-- that cherry is sooo warm - reminds me of the color we had in our old house (masterbath)-- i also love the chocolate glaze! the island looks devine.

The only thing i'm not sold on is the distressed pimento-- i guess i'd have to see it.... but i love the other two choices... what about Sage mocha? Not sure I would have to see live samples. You should take pictures of the cabinets/tops all together like i did- makes it easier to visualize all together.....

Dare i ask how much was the farm sink- i really wanted one of those... have you heard anything about the finish on it(Ie if you slam a pot into it will it chip?) i was worried about that b/c I'm not a "delicate" cook- lol

Keep us posted.... looking great!

Since you asked, these are my reactions/concerns. I have to admit that I'm far better at assessing floorplan layout than cabinet design and specifics of what drawers go where:

-I would vote much more strongly for a prep sink than fridge drawers, and not because I think you have a barrier island, but because I love separation of zones. Also, I steam veggies and thaw meat in my micro and find having a sink handy to it is very helpful (in the case of the micro, the island is a barrier). I would put a prep sink on the corner of the island so it can be used from the stove side and the fridge/micro side. (I probably told you this in a previous layout post.)

-I'm not personally crazy about the valence over the window that has question marks on it... I'm also not a huge fan of an down-up-down-up of varied height cabinets. I like a couple of changes that have specific reasons, but not necessarily this much. I hope this doesn't offend you, because it's just personal preference.

-I'm really worried about the cabinets that come down to the counter around the rangetop or cooktop. That would make me feel crowded in and I think it would be a pain when moving things onto and off of the stove. Anything you want to set onto the counters to either side of the stove will have to go out and around those pillars.

-You have doors in the base cabinets under the micro and the glass front cabinet...Do you have specific uses for those that call for doors over drawers? Just something to think about.

-Are you not carrying any of the pimiento into the kitchen?

Best wishes!

Rhome- I agree about the valance over the windows. The KD drew it in for me to see but I think that it is very busy and makes for a lot more staggering of the cabinets on that wall.
I was looking at the coffee bar at the end with the glass uppers to be a decorative focal point so may keep keep that piece at the ceiling height to match the hood but reduce the staggering on the others.
I know it is a personal preference but what do you think?

Speaking of the hood, I realize that the spice racks coming down to the cabinets will create a barrier on the sides of the cook top but I absolutely LOVE this feature- in fact it is the 1st thing I knew I wanted, so I am willing to make this sacrafice.
There are 9 inches on each side of the 36" cook top so I will have some room for setting down spoons/oils/salt/pepper/etc.. I realize that the same can't be said for hot pots/pans though:(
If I turn out to be wrong, I'll add you to the list of people who said "I told you so" but I am hopeful I will love it as much as I think I will :)

I appreciate your thoughts on the prep sink and yes- you did mention it before. One of my layouts from you has it in the corner. If we decide to do it, it will definitely go there.
I hope others pipe in because I am struggling with this. The open space just seems so nice but I have a feeling we will choose this over the drawers for better functioning.

I had planned on doing all drawers for the base cabinets but thought that in the snack area below the microwave, pull out shelves might work better. I was worried drawers may not be deep enough for bags of chips/pretzels, etc..

No real reason for pull outs in the coffee area. I intend to store tea bags and coffee below plus use this space for paper products since it is near the french door to the deck. Paper plates and plastic cutlery would be fine in drawers too.
Maybe I should change this?.

I only planned the pimento for the eating side of the kitchen- do you think this will be a problem? Too much of a disconnect??

I am going to play around with the sink wall to remove the valence and will try to post it to get some more opinions.

Thanks again for the great suggestions.

You have such a big beautiful space to work with ... how lucky!

I think the mantel-style surrounds are very pretty, but having only 9 inches to each side of my cooktop would drive me batty! Would it be possible for you to stack some bricks or something on each side of your current cooktop for a week or so just to get a feel for that tiny amount of space?

I have 1 shallow drawer and 2 deep drawers under my snack area and they are definitely deep enough to hold bags of chips,etc. Drawers are so much more convenient than roll-outs in a heavily used area like that.

I can tell your kitchen is going to be wonderful. You must be so excited!

Erika

I do like the staggered heights of the cabinets. The crown will really stand out.

I realize you really like the surround around your cook top but it wouldn't be for me. For me the space on the side would be too narrow to be of much use and in an emergency with a hot pot or pan it actually might be dangerous if one had to stand back and move around the pillar.

I realize why the sink is not centered under the window - because of the dishwasher I assume. I do like balance so it looks strange to me not to have the sink centered under the window.

Bottom line however is that the kitchen is beautiful and you have done a fine job. Look forward to seeing the developing project.

There won't really be room for oil and salt and pepper, I don't think...The space will be for pan handles and elbow room. The oil and salt and pepper will be getting knocked into and be in danger of landing down across the stove. JMO...And I never want to be in an 'I told you so' position. I want you happy, even if it's a compromise I wouldn't have chosen.

I think that the coffee center way up to the ceiling while the tall wall (fridge, etc.) doesn't go up that high will look 'not quite right'. The fact that the bottom section is set back, for the cups, I'm guessing, will make it even moreso. But maybe if it ends up looking too high when being installed, you could drop it down a bit and it won't hurt to have it hang a little lower toward the counter? I think that could make it look more hutch-like, anyway. Unless you need a specific amount of room for the coffee maker or something...

Great suggestion Erika!

The kitchen in the condo we are renting actually is surrounded by 12" upper cabinets. I have found it comfortable to work with but realize that I need to take into consideration that the spice pillars will enclose the space and be 3" narrower.

I am going to have my 5 year old son help me construct walls with blocks and see how that feels.
I'll take some pics and report back :)!

Good news on the drawers for the snack center- I will definitely switch it from the pull out shelves.

Gosh Rhome- hope I didn't offend... it is just my nerves talking because so many people have commented about the lack of space around the cook top.

Well, here are the results of my little building project. Not too much space but a pot can fit (although not a big saute pan)!

So... what do you all think? Obviously, I have made my desire for this piece known but I do appreciate hearing other opinions- maybe someone will be able to talk me out of it??

BTW-jb1176- the window selection is not finalized- I also like symmetry so will have to look at whether I can change the window size to make it centered on the wall.

I wanted to add that we chose a 36" 6 burner thermador professional series cook top.

What do you think of the idea of using a cover on 2 of the burners when they are not in use ?
Then it can act as a landing zone for hot pans or ingredients.
i am definitely not a great cook but do like to saute so maybe that could work?

While I love the overall design, the one area of concern for me is the position of your double ovens. I don't see any landing spot immediately adjacent to the ovens so the cook will always be crossing the traffic path to and from the dining room to get to the island. Unfortunately, I am not seeing an obvious alternative location, but I also don't know how much that doorway is actually used - maybe it isn't an issue.

If it were my kitchen, even though the end result wouldn't have as much symmetry, I would consider switching the fridge and snack center so that I would have that bit of counter as a landing area for both the fridge and ovens when necessary.

Crescent- I had people recco moving my micro/refridge/oven too b/c mine is set up like yours... my feeling and hope is that i will just utilize the island as my landing spot for most things-- there is a little space below my microwave too, just like yours...

As far as the spice racks next to the cooktop- i originally had that in my plan just like yours and i did end up taking it out. For ME i felt functionality had to outweigh the look i really had wanted. I added some spice racks to the upper inside cabinets. I can tell you that part of me wishes they were still in the plan just because i think hte look is beautiful and b/c i like hte spice holders.. but i also dont use A LOT of spices that really "warrent" it. If you are a spice girl that uses a lot of spices than keep it, if its more about the look - than consider letting it go??

uy!!

I hope I didn't sound offended! I just wanted to let you know that I respect your opinion in the end, even if it's different than mine, and only give my, in this case, negative opinion in order to help you think it through and be sure.

To be honest, I think that you have carefully staged things around the cooktop...while it's off and while you're not in a hurry. :-) I have to say that it still looks tight to me, and would make me feel claustrophobic, like I didn't have room to work and move. I would suggest trying to leave that new construction project in place while you make meals for a couple of days and see how it works. It may work for you and the look you love will be worth it...But it's better to find out now if it won't.

Thanks to all- I will leave up my block towers for a few days and see how the space seems.
In the meantime, if anyone has this set- up, please chime in and let me know if you love it/hate it and why.

afrogirl- i had considered landing space for the oven but the dining room entrance will be less used and both the island and the small counter to the left of the cook top will have to do even if it is across the entrance aisle.

I thought about moving the fridge/micro but did not like the cave like space it created . Plus I wanted to keep the snack center close to the end so little (and big) snackers are out of the way.

Keep the suggestions coming...thanks.

i like the look of the 'encased' stove also - just not that close to the actual stove. i'd feel too closed in. it's good you put up the blocks to try it out for a few days. i've seen them where the 'side walls' are farther away - like to the end of the counter to the left of your stove and maybe 1 cabinet more to the right of it.

somone did that on here - the spanish kitchen - and i loved it! but she had a BIG space for her stove.

but again, everyone is different. i don't like closed spaces or heights.

I think i'd also move the double ovens over to the end of the other counter run - to the right of the sink. you'd have the island to mix and put things together, then just turn around and pop it into the oven. if making cookies you could pull them out of the oven and slide them onto the counter top behind. pop another sheet of cookies into the oven. and just have a counter run to the right of the fridge too. i think it'd look more open in the area by the door on the left of your stove area if that wall wasn't floor to ceiling cabinets/appliances too. it looks a bit congested in that area.