Round 2 of lay-out - Need your advise

12 years ago

We are getting closer to ordering our cabinets and I would love to hear your thoughts on our potential floor plan.

{{!gwi}}

What do you think about the cabinet and drawer placement?

Although we tried to put the cook top somewhere else, the island placement really is our best option. Assuming we are going with the cook top in the island, please take a look.

Our current island has space for 3 chairs on the long side but they do not get used much. I was considering not having seating at all but of course yesterday, my two young teenage boys were sitting in the chairs and actually doing "something together" and it made me question our thinking to get rid of the seating. Thus I came up with Option 2.

I am hoping not to have a seam in the island so if we want to have seating, I thought we should just take down the size of the drawers and cabinets.

Here is a picture of Option 2:

{{!gwi}}

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

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Comments (6)

remodelfla
12 years ago
How much clearance is there between the frig and island? There's a part of me that wants to flip the ovens and frig.
sosouper
Original Author
12 years ago
It's around 52" of clearance.

We have been imagining the frig in both spots and we were concerned about having the oven right next to such a well travel path. The path to the dining room is not used very much and a person running in the kitchen from that side would see an open oven door.
Thank you!
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I think it's looking pretty good. Another thought here, though, is that the home's space at the back of the garage would be sadly underutilized. This is high-quality space. For one, this is under-roof/on-foundation space--very expensive and very precious. Do you really need to give up all the other ways you could use that space and spend, what? $80/square foot to store your lawn mower, Christmas ornaments, and bicycles? Maybe a shed or two against the garage wall or the back fence and a platform in the garage ceiling for that stuff? Two, it's one of the structure's precious 4 corners, meaning it can have sunshine from two directions. Corner condos always cost significantly more than inside ones for that very reason. People who can afford it build more corners into their homes for that reason. Sunny homes with corners maximized as good living space sell for more. In your case, one of the corners at that end is already sacrificed to the garage, so this is also the only potential living space that can have sunlight from that direction, whichever it is. The only good reasons to use a rare corner for storage would be if you were trying to block noise from jets taking off nearby or adding protection from an extreme climate. If there's a privacy/ugly view issue, higher window? Third, see one and two. That precious space needs to be inside. For busy living, not left dank and dark, gathering dust. Your needs are guaranteed to change over the years, and some of those changes you just won't be able to predict now. Think flexibility. Fourth, if you really have your hearts set on allocating that precious space for a storeroom, and maybe a workbench?, what's to keep you from using finished space that way? Give it a door to the outside for direct access, a utilitarian floor, and HVAC for comfort, and you have an additional room available should someone need a place to practice the drums or grandma ever need to move in. Fifth, consider rolling this room and the washer/dryer space together, either by a connecting door or as one room with lots of storage cabinets. Again, for flexibility. BTW, have you given thought to a brisk, efficient laundry washing system yet? So you don't end up living with piles of dirty and unfolded clean clothes lying out more days of the week than not? You'll need one more and more as your family grows, and this is the time to make your home amenable to whatever your preference may be in future. Lots of families have posted their systems on the web, and they can be fun reading. Laundry rooms can also make good craft/messy play space for the kids as you guys work. Flexibility. :)
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dianalo
12 years ago
We have a lot of similar elements to our layout. We have the stove in the island and it is the same length as yours (108"). Our is in the center to have equal prep spaces should there be 2 cooks at some point, but yours has space on either side too, so that is good. I'd move the island to have more aisle space on the work side than the other side. When the dw door is open, it would cramp the walkway. I'd add at least 4 inches to that aisle because you have it to spare.

Our sink wall is similar to yours only the dw is on the other side of the sink (well it is also on the left, but our table is on the right). The cab closest to our table has silverware in it, so it is convenient to the table. We scrape off plates in the garbage pail at the end of the island (where you show seating) then the dishes head into the dw out of the way of the person at the sink.

One major difference is our fridge is not so far from the cooking area. Ours is at the end of our sink run away from the table but you have the doorway to the dining room there.
Would it be possible to move your fridge at the end by the table? It would be move convenient to be near the table and it would be closer to the sink and prep area there. If you remove the cab next to the dw, you would have room for it there, or better yet, move the dw to the other side of the sink and put glasses and dishes in a drawer stack base cab between the sink and fridge.
If the fridge is not by the bsmt door, I'd move the wall oven to over there. It won't be opened into a walkway/entry area then. We put our micro on a shelf 13" over the counter between our fridge and sink and that has worked well for us. I am not sure I'd want it so far from the action as you have shown....

Since your boys are teenagers, they may not be around much to cozy up together at the end of the island. I'd skip giving up so much space there and maybe keep a stool or 2 tucked on the other side by the open shelves. Those can be moved around to any part of the island for hanging out. With the table for eating so close by, it may be redundant to make the island a regular eating spot as well.

While I love open shelves, I was wondering if anyone would see what is on them on the far side of the island. There seems to be a wall facing that side.....

You asked about cabs and drawers and I can't tell which of each you have and what you plan to put in them. I can say that having all base cabs be drawers is one of my fave new things about our kitchen. I'd even try to make the sink a drawer cab if I ever do a kitchen again, lol.....
lisa_a
12 years ago
How much room do you have for the dining area? Make sure you have enough room for table and chairs and clearance around these before you add island seating on that end. NKBA recommends aisles 44" wide for walk behind seating and 36" for squeeze behind seating. This is for seating on only one side. If you have seating on both sides of an aisle, you need much wider aisles to allow people to pass between diners.

What is the reason for the odd counter angles at the end of the sink wall cab? Seems like you're giving up storage space there.

Is your cook top already in the island? If not, be forewarned that island venting is much more expensive than perimeter venting.
sosouper
Original Author
12 years ago
lisa_a --The counter angle will give a wider feel to our doorway into the dining room. It has a front and side cabinet opening so we will have great access to the space.
sosouper
Original Author
12 years ago
Dianalo,
I really want the shelves for a place to put my cookbooks and not as much for display. That is why I was thinking to tuck it in the middle of the island.
Thanks for you feedback.

Round 2 of lay-out - Need your advise

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Round 2 of lay-out - Need your advise

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