Actually, the pipe is a wonderful design element. I'm sure your architect can find a way to incorporate it into some kind of innovative decor feature. You will love it--just give it time!

Whoops. Should have posted this on the Widgets thread. Sorry. :)

Okay, I'm not joking. Why not box in the pipe, and have it as a diagonal line through the counter to ceiling pass through? It looks high enough not to be in the way, and would be interesting. Alternatively, have the top of the pass through end on an angle at the bottom of the pipe. Again, interesting. Who says openings that bodies don't walk through have to be body shaped?

part of me also thinks you could use it to some modern-design advantage. but also..could they take the bend that is there and just 'move it up' a bit? extend the straight run and then go diagonal at a higher junction?

There may be a reason it can't be done, but could they re-route the pipe under the floor and have it come straight up in a more convenient place? Does it have to come up through the floor right there?

Can you tile a pipe? I'm thinking you cover it with shimmery glass mosaic tiles and it bisects a tall opening up to the ceiling, drawing the eye up.If you like modern design, it would be cool!

I'm wondering what the pipe is piping... and can't it be redirected? Or would that be cost prohibitive? Seems like a bad design from the beginning, which of course, you and your architect have no control over.

Both pipes look like a sewer drain for the apartment up above. Why you have two, I don't know. perhaps you can tie them into 1 pipe if they are both sewer drains.

I don't know how these (sewer pipes of one apartment running through the other other apartment...) things are handled for apartment buildings. (legally and practically since the people up above will not have access to plumbing for the duration of your work, ie hours to days...) Why can't the pipes be moved? Is it because of the logistics of people up above? Buy them a real nice bottle of wine, send them to dinner (on your tab) on the day that your plumber is working. Ask really hard questions....

You need to have a plumber come and give technical advice if it is able to be moved. Then have him give you an estimate for moving that. You will have a number to work with to see if it is worth it to you or not. If you spend enough money, just about anything is possible.

we are the people above - there are no apartments above ours. So I could definitely buy myself a bottle of wine (or two or three!!!!)

I'm loving all the suggestions!!!

sadiebrooklyn, Please let us know what you decide.

It seems to me you could have the pipe drop straight down to counter height, then slope across under the pass through window.

Else:
I'm thinking a triangle pass through, or maybe a trapezoid, like a rectangle sliced at a diagonal. Then square off the upper point and hang a pendant light from the top inside the passthrough, so it looks "meant." Then on the side shown, build display shelves on what would be the other half of the triangle. Ikea has some box shapes you can hang. Make a stair step design to fit, and your shape will seem architectural. Can you put other diagonals in the room, to make it a theme?

Also, an arch top might fit.

What was functionally wrong with the old opening? view? separate feeling? You may try widening the doorway above the pipe. What if you had three triangle openings instead of one? Does that fit your style?

well - what I want is an eat in counter which is open to the kitchen. This might be something of a tall order! I think if we can can do lyvia's option one then I can get it!

They are waste stacks and one appears to also have something vented into it.

There may be a particular reason why there are two and why they are configured in this way. For example, in my locale a toilet should be within a 3 foot radius of the vertical portion of the stack while a sink drain need only be within a ten foot radius of the verical portion of the stack. How it drains to the vertical portion of the stack is also determined--a sink or tub drain drops at something like 1/2" per foot of horizontal run.

If this is a co-op or condo, those pipes do not "belong" to you, they are a part of the common element and you may need to have permission to move them, which may in turn require that the plumbing contractor or architect verify that you will not alter their function by moving them. When I demolished my kitchen I had a series of vent stacks running across the kitchen ceiling at 8 feet when the rest of the apartment was 10' ceilings. I got permission only because we were able to re route with no additional length or bends. And then I had to give the unit owners below the opportunity to object After the rerouting if they didn't think their range hoods or bath exhausts worked as well, at which time I would put them back to the original configuration at my expense. We actually had engineering formulas to figure out the effect of changes in pipe length.

(Actually I figured out that the runs for the apartments on the lowest floors were too long to function properly anyway, but this was beside the point.)

yes, this is a coop - so any changes we make will have to be approved by the board. It probably helps that there are no other units above our triplex. Also may help that we are only now gutting our apartment because the standpipe (located above my children's bedroom) failed during a fire department test, and emptied the watertank (approx. 80k gallons) into our apartment. So I think they will want to be helpful if they can!

well blow me over with a feather. My contractor came to look at the pipes today and said the big one can be rerouted. "No Problem" He does a lot of work in the building (including many apt. combo's) and so knows whats what.

phew!

My architect is going up there today - hopefully I will have a kitchen layout SOON

Whoopee!

Which one is the one you consider as the big one?

My take on this picture is that the diagonal one is the drain from above, and the straight one is the vent. It's larger because there is more to vent, downstairs.

You can verify all this all by yourselves by touching the pipes when someone upstairs makes water fall into the drain, and you will feel that the vent pipe remains as is (no reaction) while the drain pipe feels like it has falling water going through it. The water temperature will make the pipe colder or warmer too, so the effect will last long enough for others to notice it too if they come along late to the scene.

Drains often get offset (configured as zigzagging from floor to floor) for a technical reason unrelated to the need to go to where the drain needs to go. The drain does not need to go diagonally across that space in that way. It can be reconfigured. Both can be reconfigured (moved). A Master Plumber will advise you and the condo association will pass this.