Help with Cabin Kitchen Layout

16 years ago

This is our week-end cabin right now but will be our future home quite possibly soon. Here is a rough drawing of the kitchen. We can't move any walls. There is a loft over the space, the low ceiling has two beams lengthwise. The stove has a downdraft so I think the stove and fridge have to stay put? Is the kitchen to small for an island? I'm thinking peninsula as a workspace which connects to the dining area but also has a total waterfront view through 2 story floor to ceiling windows. How about the sink in the peninsula? Or a corner sink in the peninsula? We have a mock peninsula set up right now from the sink wall to the post and it seems to work there.

I was thinking butcher block for the peninsula but am not sure how to blend with the sink wall counter which will be some sort of stone or tile. The stove wall will be granite in seafoam or costa esmeralda (might change). I have my heart set on painted cream color cabinets. I'm thinking of a porcelain floor that is a dark color so I'm not constantly seeing mud, sand and pine needles on the floor.

I had a KD but she gave me a very vanilla kitchen with no character or space saving ideas. The grocery store is 45 mins away so storage is the most important thing as well as preserving the view. There will be minimum storage in the back porch as we have another use planned for that space.

Sorry this is so long, I know there are some very artistic and talented people here that can help me. I have a large kitchen budget as this is where we will live for many years to come.

Here is a link that might be useful:

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Comments (5)

remodelfla
16 years ago
katy... I'm trying to play with your layout but am confused about a couple of things. You show the space between the end of the wall on the north end to the window (floor to ceiling?) as 4' but the depth of frig appears equal to that. That can't be right or I'm reading it wrong. Also, are you willing to close up the pocket door and create a doorway to the porch on the opposite end?

None of your appliances have to stay put. We're moving all ours which will involve chipping up the concrete floor (Florida has concrete slabs and no basements) and moving pipes... really not a big deal. Basically, anything can be done for $$. Get your layout done first and don't worry about which cabs you pick... even though that'll be the most fun part!

Would it be possible for you to post your layout with grid lines or on graph paper?
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katybuggs
Original Author
16 years ago
remodelfla, the drawing is not to scale. We plan to put a powder room (toilet, sink) in that space but I see the possibilities moving the opening would provide. I'll work on a layout with grid lines this week end and take a photo of the existing kitchen.
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That first corner for the wood stove seems nice, especially since I wouldn't do dining at that end. (Btw, if it were ours almost no one would sit there and look at it. How about a pair of chairs with at least one reading lamp sharing a footstool, or a loveseat and side chair as a little conversation group? One side would also have a view of the TV but be farther from the noise.) This input may surprise you, sort of out of the blue. But I remember a couple of long, very eye-opening threads on Gardenweb that revealed many people are extremely sensitive to the issue of eating or even seeing food in any kind of proximity to toilets. Not me, but turns out it's far from uncommon and the strong feelings revealed have never been forgotten. Some just have a heightened sensitivity not only to sanitary issues (need not be real, just in mind) but also to seeing others entering and exiting those doors (and what's inside), as well as others seeing them. And of course many others sympathized even though they aren't as negatively influenced. Some confessed in anonymity what their hosts never know -- that they make up other excuses for not eating or taking food from anywhere a bathroom door could be seen and some that they just say good night and go home when they themselves need a bathroom. A long way of explaining that, with this in mind, I would definitely place the bed by the bathroom as in your first diagram and also rehang the door so that it opened toward the bed corner. Angling the bed as you have it would also help enhance a nice feeling of definition and separation that I think works well even without considering this issue.
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Dear Kiwi13, You have an architectural floor plan. Contact the architect or builder (if this was a spec home) and ask them which direction the ceiling framing runs in the Family Room and Living Room. In most cases the first floor ceiling framing will be run in the direction of the shortest span. In English your first floor ceiling framing probably runs from front to the back of your home.Meaning you should be able to remove either wall once you confirm the ceiling framing direction. If you are like the majority of home owners and not going to keep a formal living room, because you just never use it. You may want to consider reconfiguring that whole area of your new home. So you can get the family room and kitchen you truly want and expect, and that new, different, easier, better life you hope this new home will deliver for you. Tons of possibilities if you reconfigure the family room, kitchen/breakfast room, and living room area, you may not want to take out a wall as much as move one. Keep a family room and kitchen which you want. And add an informal dining room (breakfast area is a little tight), office, study, library whatever you need? The kitchen you have now I believe is just too small for the size of this home and awkward. Like it doesn't belong to this home. I can’t imagine that the realtors wouldn’t help you answer this simple question, especially if this is all it will take to sell this home. Hope this has been helpful. Joe Brandao Kitchen Design Company
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9 and 15 foot wall. first figure a 24 in range??? [seems fine] and an under cab hood with VENTING to the exterior..where would simplest spot be for that? I would cenrtainly want a hood . then apt sized fridge for sure,,,,17 c foot is more than adequate.... with a 9 and 15 foot wall you have a few ways to do it......get the range and hood spot first. instead of running the whole 15 foot length maybe turn even a bit for mini peninsula with a couple of stools . not sure of overall needs in space
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I glanced over all the previous comments and here are a couple of thoughts from someone who co-owns and manages a vacation rental. 1) Agree with Patricia about doing a 24" pullout pantry cabinet. I would put it at the end of the cabinet run farthest from the refrigerator. That's more than enough space for a short-term rental. 2) Agree about the powder room location - glad it's being addressed. 3) Open shelves in a kitchen only look good IF they are kept neat and organized. Short-term renters will NOT keep them neat and tidy and they will look like a colossal mess the majority of the time. Renters have a hard enough time putting dishes in cabinets where they go let alone stacked neatly on a shelf. I don't think having a fridge and a tall pantry cabinet on each end of the front wall will allow for upper cabinets BUT you could use some drawer stacks in the lower cabinets and put the plates, cups, etc. there. We use one of our lower drawers for our plates, bowls, etc. and LOVE having it there. 4) Re: Mantel Mount - we have one and love it. HOWEVER, I will say that unless used carefully pulling down and pushing back up, tv's can be damaged. It happened to one of mine when it got pushed back up a little too hurriedly and the jar from impact made lines on the screen. Plus, you have to be careful about heat from the fireplace when lowered. In a home, you'd be careful of that as we are, but renters will not be. Trust me ;) 5) Which direction will the cabin face? Those windows are nice BUT afternoon glaring sun is not. Be sure to wire the windows for automatic shades. Those windows will not be easy to clean either which could lead to negative reviews on your rental. We were in a cabin in the Smokies last fall and it didn't look like the owners had cleaned their upper windows in a decade. They were nasty. I'm not exactly sure how they could have cleaned them given where the windows were located and the steepness of the bank directly below. They weren't casement windows, either, so they couldn't be rolled out to clean from the inside. I'm in southern KY so I know that fogs can be bad in KY and TN as are bugs in the summer. Those windows will need to be cleaned at least monthly. Please take all this into consideration. Also, definitely consider using black window frames because it will hide the bug debris and spider droppings much better than white.....ask me how I know ;) 6) I definitely agree with splitting those front windows and putting the stove and exhaust hood between them.
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rosie
16 years ago
Hi, Katy. It sounds like a really nice future home to look forward to. I just wanted to agree with and underline Remodel's second paragraph. Given the investment of dollars in a new kitchen and of yourself in living with it for years, starting by assuming a pipe or vent shouldn't be moved is a mistake.

I'd suggest starting by planning your ideal layout of the whole home with the assumption that almost all changes could be made. This should help identify what you really want and need without the constraints of thinking only within the existing box. Then go on from there back tot the real world of budget and tradeoffs. Moving or adding a window typically won't cost more than a new standard dishwasher, though, and a nonbearing wall the same, but your bang for the buck in creating really desirable spaces and layout will be much, much greater.
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katybuggs
Original Author
16 years ago
Rosie and remodelfla, thank you so much for the excellent advise! Being green at this I never really thought of changing anything. I'm now at the cabin looking around and now that I think about it I might want to add more windows and make a door where there is currently a window. I'm going to slow down and really think about this
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oruboris
16 years ago
I'm importing your image [actually, your kitchens image], just to simplify:

First, I'd reccomend scale drawing with pencil on graph paper: not to scale drawings are worse than useless, they are misleading; and may lead you to assume you can fit way more in a space than you actually can.

Second, when I hear 'cabin', I think relaxed. I'd look for a plan that's top priority is ease of use in both cooking and cleanup phases. Solid work zones for the major tasks with good access to storage, and no real concern for the visiual appeal of the layout. I think you'll find that when the practical aspects are nailed down, the aesthetics will be pleasing-- yeah, you'll still need to think a bit about colors and textures, but the bones will be well established.

I'd choose appliances based on practicallity over glamour, and spend some time thinking about kithen tasks, and how to lay things out to make it easier. Take making a pot of coffee: you need to gather the filter, beans, and water-- those should be as near the coffee maker as possible. All you need then is a cab maker.

You can create a home where all these things can be accessed from one spot, or a home where they are all accross the room from each other.
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Help with Cabin Kitchen Layout

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Help with Cabin Kitchen Layout

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remodelfla

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