I'm a little lost, so please forgive my denseness...Are we looking at the top photo? Isn't it an island? Do you mean put the end or the backside of it up against a wall? And I'm not sure which wall is NW, South, etc.

I"m the one whose dense rhome! I was referring to the 3rd one down. I tried to imbed it and when couldn't assumed my link went directly to that ... DUH! It doesn't have to be exactly that one (though I love it, it's from Denmark and who knows if it's even available in the States). But if I did something like that. Base cabs back to back giving 4' or a little wider depth. One side cooking the other cleanup. On the upper left wall where all the plumbing and venting currently is. When the wall is removed I have over 5' depth on that wall. I could create a double peninsula I guess one could call it about 7' long. Then there's the doorway to the pantry and then the bottom wall which is 9'. On the bottom wall I could put the frig, baking counter, and double ovens. I'll have to draw it out even though I promised myself I wasn't going to do that for awhile. I'm not sure it would work and would certainly be unconventional but I just love how it looks.

I just did a quick drawing to give the idea. Placement of everything may not be exact but wanted to give the idea of what i was thinking. I'd have a 42" baking counter on the bottom. Could use that space for extra drawer storage. Plus uppers above the baking counter. Man... I hope this isn't another hairbrain idea.

I could push the double peninsula up a bit and just notch out the cab on the top left to go around the 15" inset to give a slightly wider aisle.

The only 3D capability I have is on my son's computer using IKEA. I really love the look of the third back to back kitchen in the link I provided but am more concerned with your input on how a layout like this might work in my space if all were to stay pretty much like it is now. Forgive my junky 3D. And ignore specific upper cabs... first the layout... then the tweaking. Is this a possible solution?

Where would you store dishes? Sorry, but it seems kind of inconvenient to me and you're putting in two sinks for a one-person kitchen, and your cleanup area is basically in your sitting room. I do really like the 4 ft deep peninsula, but would put storage on the far side, rather than the sink and dw.

HI rhome... how's your daughter?

OK.. so you're saying; put sink and DW on the cookside and then instead of DO put a range or induction with wall oven underneath somewhere over on frig run? OR...If I did 24", 30" range/CT/oven, DW, then 36" sink cab I'd have nothing to the right of the sink. Is it OK to do a sink on an end run? Do all storage drawers on the sunroom side?

Did you see the double peninsula on the link? Is this notion too far out there? I loved how it looked (3rd one down) in the pic.

It is available in the states. The KD, Susan Serra, reps it. I THINK she is the only one here to do so. I actually spoke with her right before she was starting with this line. I never got a quote, but she said it was pricey. That was a year ago. Probably more so now with gas prices and low exchange rate. If it's out of your price range, I'm sure with some creativity you could come up with a similar unfitted feel. Ikea does have unfitted kitchen cabinets.

Here is a link that might be useful: Susan Serra

Thanks malhgold... I saw her name on the Hansen website. Their site had prices... expensive but not out of this world expensive. She's located in NY, I don't know about shipping to Fla. Which cabs is the least of it for now... I know I could make something work. I'm not crazy about IKEA's unfitted kitchens compared to the look of this stuff. I don't know if you've followed my saga much... but what do you think of this concept of back to back peninsulas to accomodate the small space if I cant expand out into other parts of the house? I don't think my "honey" ( I guess I shouldn't call him a DH but he's not just a boyfriend) would mind overtaking some space in the sunroom for work area as long as there's no major plumbing/cutting up the slab going on and there's still room to lounge in there. We still have another family room and screen room for hanging out.

I did see that peninsula, and like I said, I love how it looks, just not sure I'd like how it'll function in your plan.

I would want to go back to how you had some other plans with the sink and cooktop/range on the same side. Maybe not as cutting edge in looks, but more practical to use...to me, anyway.

To make that work, I would probably cut down to a smaller sink cab (if you're doing a single bowl) and add another cabinet (trash?) on the end...Because I would not want the sink on the end without counterspace.

That looks very functional to me. I'm not sure if you meant to ignore the upper cabinet style or the depth, but I would do a 24" deep upper cabinet between the fridge and the double ovens just for more storage. I would also change the upper by the hood to a 24" deep appliance garage mounted on the back wall (maybe with doors on both sides if that can be done within your budget)- the counter there won't really be functional anyway, and that would be a great way to keep the heavy stuff at hand but out of the way.

And I agree with switching the sink and dishwasher to the other side of the peninsula- you can unload the dishwasher to the counter, slide it across and then put it away.

Oh Boo... I want a large sink. I could go 30"... still fit a large sink in there.

Let's see... I have 19'4" from pantry wall to the other end (his desired table end). If I have 8.5' in cab run and a 42" round table with 4 chairs ( I estimated 6' for that), I'd still have a almost a 5' pathway to the back of the house. When people are sitting, no one will be passing by most likely. And even if; there would still be plenty of room. The bottom wall where I'm contemplating frig/baking is measures at 9'1".

OT... after reading all the KIA threads I had an unstoppable desire to bake. All I had were ingredients for oatmeal raisan cookies so bake I just did. It's 92 degrees out... I'm sitting outside on the patio on the computer and running in and out to my hot oven to check cookies. I'm sweating like a horse and comforted myself with two still warm cookies.... YUM.... better start working out again!

LOL, I can relate...Cookies don't do much for me, but I've been wild about baking breads lately, no matter the weather. :-)

But those KIA threads do get to you, don't they? Because of them I invented a fruit salsa with fresh things we had on hand the other day. The only heat in doing that was from the jalapenos...and way better for me than more bread.

I've been hanging around today and the more I think about and look at some form of this layout the more I really really like it alot. I've tried every combination of placing the sink and cooktop on the same side and I just don't like it as much. That's not to say I couldn't make it work. From left to right on cook side, 24" drawer, 30" induction, 24" drawer, 18" w/prep sink, then on the end on both sides 12" depth 24" cabs facing out. On sink side from left, IKEA listed it as a 49" blind cab but I don't get the measurements (part of it sits inside 15" inset), 30" sink, DW, and then that end's 12" D 24" cab. Uppers: 30" I wanted to find regular depth in IKEA but couldn't, and 18" 12" depth next to that on sink side against inset.

Bottom end, left to right, DO, 18" drawer, 24" drawer, Frig. Uppers: 30" 12"D next to frig for baking area and 12" same depth.

Though it may not be your preference or typical... could this work OK? I keep seeing him cleaning on one side and me on the other side.

I love those Hansen pieces. Gorgeous. Sorry, i haven't followed your layout issues so I cannot contribute on that note. But I will say that I had about 67 layouts myself...am about to go into demo mode...I cannot wait. I had so many completely different designs, some okay and some totally hairbrained, but it took me all of them to get to the right design. Keep on!

Anita

It looks like it might be difficult to get things out of the upper cabinets over the peninsula. I'd imagine myself twisting around to reach for things, even on the bottom shelves.

Also, taking things from your refrigerator to the sink seems like a schlep.

I like the idea of the double depth island though and am wondering if there is another way or orientation where it might also work for you because it looks like it'll get you closer to where you want to be. Maybe even rotated 90 degrees.

jayne

Is that your dish storage on the end? I'm liking how that looks. You'll need the prep sink in this plan, though, so I'm hoping you weren't intending to leave it out.

Does he clean up? I thought you said before that he doesn't really.

If you'll love it, I like it. But do think about it for a few days, at least. I will do a rendering when I have a chance if you want. Probably not until at least Monday, as we're doing a grad/leaving the nest party for oldest DD tomorrow, and I've barely started on any of the food, and still want to make a photo album for her. I pray my printer cartridges hold out...

OH... I couldn't show it with the IKEA software but the cooktop has a 24" cab to the right and then an 18" cab which would have a prep sink in it. You're right about the upper cab on the sink side, I could do nothing or shelves; but wouldn't I be able to access the upper from the cooking side no problem?

The 12" deep shelves on the end... I could use it for whatever! I thought the 24" deep cabs left the pathway a little too narrow.

And... oh yea... he often does the dinner dishes when I cook. But I can forsee him cleaning the cooking dishes as I'm cooking and done with them. I usually clean them as I cook now since the sink is right by my stove.

I got a long time to think about it and don't know how he'll feel about this. My instinct tells me he'll love it once he gets past the two sinks thing but you never know. We're letting the kitchen thing lie for awhile. I just fell upon that link in another thread and it got me to thinking. Enjoy your family and don't think about a rendering rhome. I've got plenty of time.

Have a happy party rhome!! I could send ya' some oatmeal raisan cookies...

I do love the look of those Hansen cabinets, but believe you could emulate the style without spending for that brand...Or maybe go ahead with that brand for the peninsula and do something that coordinates with it for the oven/fridge wall?

OH... I don't know that I'd actually get the Hansen brand. Depends on how much it would actually come to, how much he like them, he may even be inspired to build something similar. They have an awesome setup that coordinates for the frig wall. Haven't priced it yet. I think the stuff is beautiful but it was more for the notion then the specific cabs at this point

It's starting to look like a nice galley kitchen. Is there any way you can use some of the space allocated to the walk-in pantry for a continuation of the kitchen? If they're load-bearing walls, perhaps some interesting architectural or cabinetry detail could be done to minimize the effect of the doorway/wall. But maybe you'd be able to get the effect of an additional cabinet on the right side of the oven cabinet.

You could then convert the right 2 doors of your uppers over the peninsula to be shelving. The leftmost one could be rotated to open into the walkway and maybe even additional ones on the other side of the "pantry" wall would appear to be an upper run of cabinets with an interesting architectural detail running vertically in there.

A new piece of sheetrock could give you the entrance into a somewhat shallower pantry if you still need to separate the room and access to the toaster and coffee-maker. (By the way, do you need to go to the sink to get water for the coffee-maker and empty the grounds?)

jayne

I can't extend into the laundry room on the bottom (oven) because the circuit panel for the entire house is there. Would be more trouble then it's worth. I explored extending the upper wall into the laundry room but it just look dark and gloomy and disconnected to the rest of the kitchen. We can't put a window on the outer wall of the pantry where I show the counter because the electric meter and a bunch of water pipes are there (on the outside). I even contemplated a contemporary take on something I learned on this forum... a scullery? Meaning putting the DW and a sink in there but realized it's probably a ridiculous idea.

An yep jayne... I'd have to access water from the open kitchen end. There's no way he'll go for 3 sinks (can't blame him in such a small space). I dont need to keep the coffee pot in there... it was just a thought since I don't like alot of clutter. Even if we did... it's something I think he could live with since he typically just makes coffee once a day in the a.m. I don't drink coffee so it's easy for me to say! I did figure some extra cabs for odd stuff and the toaster would be good in there.

Remodelfla, is it terribly stormy there right now? I see Gustav is picking up and it shows some wild colors over Florida on the weather satellite map... I have a friend in Houston carefully watching the progression and I'm certain there are people in LA needing some prayers about now...

I think that having the sink all the way around the island from the cooktop would be very inconvenient. I use my sink while cooking - to rinse my hands off after testing something or whatever, to place a hot pan in, to get water to add to a pot, and a host of other things. Maybe I am not seeing what you're invisioning, but running around the end of the island while cooking and needing the sink would not work for me.

rhome... it's windy with intermittent rain. Nothing bad gratefully. We had planned on taking a boat ride and golfing this long weekend but have been able to do neither. My DW got fixed though! All the wiring was fried and my (kinda) son-in-law fixed it. He's here with our grandson now... yummy boy...

boxie... the IKEA planner was a little limiting but the plan calls for a 24" drawer to the right of the CT then an 18" where I'd have a prep sink. The planner didn't have an 18" with a prep sink so I couldn't show it.

WIth that in place... whaddaya think?

And yes... my heart and prayers are with the people of LA.

We were down at the house today for a bit and I realized how deep his main cab run is. I never noticed but they're 33" deep because of the bearing wall we'll be removing. I never accounted for that. So... I tweaked the dual peninsula layout slightly. I thought I could do the sink side standard 24" and make the cook side 30" either deeper cabs or it may be cheaper just to build them out for deeper counter space. The additional depth gives me a wider pathway between the cookside and frig run (54"). Small still I know... but I still like it after a few days. It was never about having a huge kitchen for the sake of a huge kitchen for me, but having expanse of space to help make cooking/baking more enjoyable. Better?... at all?

I always like unique, if it's something that works for someone's particular situation. I still say, if you love it, I love it. I can see that with just the 2 of you, you can keep up with clutter and mess quite easily and an unusual layout may not be an issue...But try to imagine every possible situation...Dinners alone, breakfasts, brunches, formal dinner parties, casual buffets, large holiday meals, baking with grandkids...Where will everything take place? Where and how will mess accumulate and be dealt with? And, of course, where will everything be stored? Where will traffic, crowds, and helpers be?

I'm not at all saying it won't work for those events, just want you to think it ALL through, because loving it during those entertainment situations is also important.

I've been following the evolution of your kitchen with great interest. I know you're smitten with this design and I like the inspiration picture but I'm really concerned that you are trying to accomplish too much in the space and will be compromising all 3 functions in the process. Before you go any further with the kitchen configuration, I think you should determine what kind of furniture arrangement you can get in the sitting area. Is that a slider on the top? Which side opens? Are those windows or sliders on the sides? If they are windows, is there any room beneath them for cabinetry?

Overall, it just seems like the flow around the table and the kitchen island is a bit awkward but sometimes things work well in real life that look cramped on paper.

All three are large 9' windows that are only 17" off the ground. I've had layouts where I changed them out for counter height window but for many reasons that won't work for us. The goal with this set of layouts is to try and see if the sunroom area up top can accomodate some kind of small scale seating/lounging. My calculations gave me about 4'4" clearance between the 42" round table and peninsula runs. That's with figuring 6' for the table and chairs.

rhome... plenty of prep space on either side of the cooktop plus I'd have a 42" prep counter along the baking wall. More then I have now for baking. I imagine with the frig on the end; guests can help themselves to drink plus we will have a beverage frig out in the screen room. Most company tends to sit outside with a few of the more "stodgy" types hanging out inside. They'll tend to sit in the family room which will have a room sofa and love seat plus an ottoman/coffee table that doubles for seating. Formal dinner parties... we don't really do that. Everything we do is informal including wonderful holiday family dinners. I tend to put things out on my buffet table which is gateleg so folds up nice and compact. I figure I could also lay food out on the 12" deep run that faces out. That space would be 54" long. Just the two of us? Either eat in the screen room, out on one of three tables in the yard, at the table, or... am I'm envisioning this one... I'm imaging some kind of armless slim style love seat L with a lounge in the sunroom area. Maybe get one of those small coffee tables that raise up that supermom sent me a link to. We are very very casual. Baking with grandkids... little step stool and my helper can work with me at the baking counter or prep space on the end.

In my house now... crowds now hang either in the family room, outside, or in my way in the kitchen on holidays. My current kitchen is an L completely open to the family room. They typically don't help cook at all... but do help cleanup. What I like about this layout concept is my cooking is totally protected from others yet cleanup there for the taking. I usually am the one to clean the kitchen area while others do the dishes. I hand the food to helpers and they assist with laying it out. We get our own food and I make plates for more elderly guests.

Storage... glasses mugs in uppers on cookside. Pots/pans under induction in two drawers. Aluminum, saran, pot holders, and cooking utensils in 24" to L of CT, Dishes, in 30" on R. Mixer out on counter in bake area with all baking stuff in drawer units underneath. The uppers on that side I might use for additional pantry for oils, spices, and other cooking/baking things. The 12" deep ones? Dunno yet. The panty will have a ton of storage for things I don't use daily. I'll have drawers and additional counter space in the pantry where I"d want to keep my toaster and maybe an extra cheap MW for DH to reheat his coffee. I imagine switching out bottom plates on an Advantium might be too much of a pain for something as simple as that. I'd like to keep the coffee pot in there too but then he'd have to schlep the water which doesn't seem like too big a deal to me but I don't drink or make the coffee. We could always keep in on the end on the sink side.

I'm trying to imagine walking around and working in the space as we live. I think I covered alot.. did I forget anything?

I just wanted you to do some envisioning. What looks cool in rendering when it's 'nice and clean' doesn't always work as well during Thanksgiving dinner prep.

It sounds like you're really liking this plan and I have to agree--what works for one person may not work for another, so go for it if you think this will work for the two of you. My kitchen plan is pretty unconventional but also built around antique pieces that are important to me; thankfully, DH is understanding. I have lived with this plan for several months, tweaking every now and then and "placing" all of my dishes, pots/pans, plastic wear, etc. so I am comfortable that everything will have a home and the plan will work for us.

I am happy to see you utilizing the pantry more in your latest plan. A suggestion on your table--when it is just the two of you push closer to the wall and just put 2-3 chairs around with the other(s) close by if needed. This will give you more room between your kitchen area and eating area. I have done this in the past with a fairly decent size table when I was single (worked really well) and we are doing this in our breakfast area in the new kitchen. Good luck on your kitchen project!

I like the idea of that nice deep penninsula. I don't know if Ikea makes 30" deep base cabinets, but standard 24" might work out nicely anyway with a gap between the cabinet runs. You might even be able to have a good sized space between the back to back cabs to run wires, gas lines, plumbing and not have to hack in to your cabinets or your slab. The sink side takes the separate cleanup / scullery zone and gives you face time with your helper.

farmhouse... that is a great idea. The wood table is a 42" round with a leaf as needed. It comes with 6 chairs. One chair extra chair could go in the upper corner on the right and the other at a small desk are on the other side of the frig. There is a 51" wall That backs into the opening of the family room. If I built an open style desk, not too deep; I could keep both, one more extra chair there. GREAT IDEA! That'll add 2' to my walkway which would now be then increase the pathway to the back to almost 6'. Now I know that would be adequate. May not be the optimum situaion; but we're trying to make a small house work.

And rhome... I"m forever telling my kids at school to "get a picture in your head... what do you see" (writing lesson). It's really cute 'cause you have the class of 7 and 8 year olds sitting on the rug with their eyes close looking so serious. I'll continue to keep my eyes closed as per your request!!...:)

supermom... I somehow missed your post. That's exactly what I was thinking about building out the cabs whether we go IKEA, something else, or he builds them. I have to take him to see the IKEA cabs first, then do a price comparison with other options. This might sound like a dumb questions, but how do setups like the Hansen that are off the ground deal with pipes and wires when there's no toe kick? I mentioned in passing to him yesterday that I had come across a concept that was a double peninsula with cleaning on one side and cooking on the other. He said that you can't keep running around the island to get water for cooking which I then mentioned the 2nd (prep) sink. I had thought he balk because he wouldn't see the point of two sinks in such close proximity but that wasn't the case at all. That was a good thing... This will be one of several ideas I'll present to him as we get closer to taking out the bearing wall and adding the support beam.

You guys have no idea how much I can't wait to post a thread about which faucet or sink I should use.

I think because the legs are only toe kick height (4" tall) you don't actually see all the way to the back unless you're sitting on the floor from a distance away. It's like a couch on low legs where you feel the space expansion of seeing the flooring flow underneath, but don't actually see all the way underneath, just the first 8-10" or so. I'm so excited for you that you're getting so close.

You're great supermom... I don't know if I'm close yet and it'll probably be a couple months before the wall gets removed since he wants to pay for it all. But... my gut tells me he'll like this one. I'm not even close to knowing which of the layouts is the best for my us or the house... but once the wall is down he'll be ready to consider it. So funny... we're so different. He's pragmatic and practical, I'm impetious and excitable.

I'm the crazy cheerleader and DH is a computer nerd (no, really he works for IBM) It just works. Your DH(I'm still calling him that) not flinching at the mention of the prep sink is getting close. It's such a small thing, but for the possible kitchen project planning it's huge.

I hope you don't mind another suggestion and I hope that it's not already one you saw and already rejected. (I didn't go back through the old threads to check.) It still has the double-depth cabs but in the form of an island.

1) Keep oven/fridge wall as you drew it here (or make countertop and upper cab a few inches deeper if you will have appliances living on the counter and need extra space for your work area.)

2) put cooktop plus cabinetry/counter along pantry wall. Maybe 30" cabinet. Hood would be along wall instead of from kitchen ceiling. Also could specify deeper counter and upper cabs to give you some extra storage/work area.

3) create island - double depth, all cabs face outward. Include 1 sink/dw in a location that works best for your storage/use. Rest is usable countertop, possible even a little overhang to pull up a stool, if that's your style.
Flexible in terms of shape and orientation. Could even have pot rack overhead if you like those. Cabinets would probably be more usable because you wouldn't deal with prep sink cab or corner unit.

jayne

hi jayne...
I've had so many layouts I can't even remember what they are! The caveat for me with the cooktop against the pantry wall is that wall is just a hair short of 5'. With a 30" cooktop, that would only give me 30" space to split between either side. One of the things that is driving my layout obsession is to create a larger and more functional expanse of prep space to lay stuff out. When I analyzed how I like to cook I realized that I tend to take out all my ingredients and lay them out next to the cooktop. I also keep a small trash bag up there for scraps, papers, etc. I definitely need a minimum of 24" on either side. If I could have 4' on either side I would be in kitchen heaven!

rhome had created the most fabulous dual island layout for me that would have worked had I been able remove ALL of the wall on the bottom left. But... I can't unless I want to look straight into the air handler/old garage.

I like the thought of maybe bumping out the prep counter on the frig side. However... if I go with some form of the above layout I'm concerned that I may narrow my aisle too much since it's such a small space. I'll have to see once the wall is down and we start with a final plan.

Sometimes I feel like it's all a dream and all I'm ever going to do is plan but never really finalize or realize this goal.

Thanks for all those suggestions... keep 'em coming!!

I remember the dual island layout and it really did look great. Too bad it couldn't work.

I do have one further suggestion to try to get the 24-inches on each side. If you can put 18-inches of cabinetry near where your windows start on the pantry wall, you might try this:

Facing your pantry, make a countertop running like this (left to right):
Deep 24 inches counter
Deep 30 inches cooktop
Deep 6 inches counter [before and leading to the bump-out]
Shallower 18-inch wide section [after the bump-out]

So you'd get 24-inches to the right of the cooktop but the farther part would be shallower. The cabinet beneath would either need to be custom or 2 small pieces. If you go with a 6-inch pull-out, it could be for your trash. If your cabinet faces and counter edge all line up, it would look more unified. If this seems workable, you'd have to figure out what cabinet depths you'd want. (For my kitchen, playing with depths and semi-recessing gave me a nice solution to a location for my pantry.)

jayne

I thought we were getting very close in the last thread, but I think this current layout would drive me batty. Two sinks in that kitchen seems like unnecessary expense, and I would hate working at the cleanup sink with my back to the sitting room. (Plus, the sitting room is not that wide -- you'll need to account for adequate aisle space for working at the sink & DW in your sitting room; won't that eliminate the space you need for sofa/chairs?)

I much preferred your earlier layout.

Do you have enough room in your laundry/pantry for the fridge? It might free up a couple more possibilities and if you use your smaller fridge for drinks and stuff others need you won't have too much trapesing through your work area. Just and idea....

sarcholos... I thought I was real close with the last thread too until I showed it to BF/DH. He didn't like because, at that point, he was stuck on the notion of keeping the current dining area an eating area so the sunroom would be freed up for "lounging". I'm trying to see if I can accomodate that with this unique layout. I much preferred the other layout because it made easy sense. The regular family room is at the front of the house. I was thinking of a slim armless love seat or chaise for this spot. I wouldn't need much space. I'd put it on the other side where it won't interfer with cleanup. With the cab runs pushed out that section of the sunroom is less then 9' wide.

jayne... thanks so much for thinking of me but I don't have 18" of wall space where the cab run ends and the window starts. The window is almost the entire length of the wall.

mom2... I've been trying to think of creative ways to use the pantry/laundry room space. I don't know that putting the frig in there is it. Perhaps if I put his covet lounge chair with a TV in there? Then I'd paint a mural on the backyard on the wall!

OK, guess that won't work so well then.

Am tossing out some other thoughts (but not really layout suggestions as much as things to think about.)

You mentioned the wall behind the double oven/fridge can't be removed because you'd be looking into the garage/air handler. If it's garage space that could be used, perhaps parts of the double-oven run could be recessed in little bit or completely. Then, the pantry door moved over. Maybe some of the ideas you've liked might have another shot at working.

Also, since your name says "fla", I was wondering if you already have a generator and/or surge suppressor. We don't have a generator but a couple of people on the appliance forum mentioned how important the surge suppressors could be in the event of an electrical problem.

jayne

We have a generator jayne. Came in REAL handy after hurricane Wilma as we were without power for about 2 weeks. We also parked our motor home in the front yard so we could shower and cook in there. That can run on it's own generator too.

I don't know what kind of layout we'll end up with. I do know that my SO has to have the ability to "give" more for us to end up with something we'll both be happy with. I've come up with so many options... I've got nothing left. I believe he's working toward trying to be more flexible. He told me, "I'm trying" ... I told him to try harder... and he said he is... trying to try harder. We'll get there. I believe to end up with the best possible layout; he'll have to give up the notion of keeping the sunroom as a "lounging" space. Keep tuned...

You will get there. All of these mental gymnastics really do get you thinking about stuff and one day, "aha moment" or not, you will have your layout. You'll probably wonder why you didn't think of it sooner but nevertheless, you will have something that works for you.

Good luck,
Jayne

I can definitely relate to your situation with your DH. My guy has a really tough time with any kind of change. That anxiety and his inflexibility used to exasperate me to no end, but over the years I've learned to be patient and give him time for an initial period of resistance. In turn, he pretty much always calms down and remembers to trust my judgment and competence. Especially when he sees that I feel very strongly about something, he almost always relents because he now knows that I research the heck out of every decision I make. We each have our areas of interest and expertise. Some of mine are home projects, organization, and child rearing and his are financial and health related. We participate equally in decision-making, but we recognize our partner's greater degree of interest and knowledge in certain areas.

Sorry for the rambling! You just got me wondering if your DH is very averse to change like my own. I've already asked him to get a prescription for some sort of tranquilizers for when the house gets torn apart. ;)

I just know your patience and generosity will pay off and you'll end up with a space that you both will enjoy.

There are times when DH and I have opposing visions that I just have to be firm and say "Trust me, I know what I'm doing and you'll love this". This is always a last resort and I only do it when the issue at hand is REALLY important to me but it works everytime and guess what? Now he doesn't even argue because he's been proved wrong so many times that he now believes that there are some things I know more about than he does. This is especially true when it comes to anything "spacial". He has no clue how much space is needed for anything! I'm afraid your BF may fall into the same spacially challenged category as my DH because I don't think there's anyway you can fit a kitchen (with a big sink and a bake center), a dining space and a TV lounge into those two rooms.

I know how hard you're working to pleae him and create a space that makes you happy too but maybe the best thing to do right now is to take a break until you take down that wall. Once you do that, you can move some furniture in there and tape out where cabinets will go and get a better sense of whether you can fit it all or not. Good luck!

erika and cheri... you two are so funny and have hit the nail on the head. I think waiting until the wall comes down and taping it out is wise. He is resistant to change; especially since he had the house that way when he lived there for about 8 years. It worked OK for him because he didn't know any different and figures it should work for everyone. He does value my talents and says I know so much I ought to get a job one day doing this since I love it so much. I do tend to be impatient and want to dive right into the fun part of things... I guess I have a lessons to learn as well! Thanks so much for you support.
Elyse