Floor Plan--Please critique NYC apt.

10 years ago

I am planning on renovation a NYC, second floor 1200 sq ft apt. Currently, kitchen is 11 ft x10 ft.

This layout was done 12 years ago when I moved in. 2 bedrooms on the left sided below. Living room on the right side with kitchen and dining room in the middle.

Here is the enlargement of the living room and kitchen that I plan on renovating.

I plan to make the kitchen smaller by moving the pennisula closer to the stove, from 7ft to 4 ft. I don't have enough space to put dishwasher and sink against one wall, hence, the corner sink. See below. I am also putting in new shelves/cabinet on the wall against the front window in the living room. And I like to get rid of the closet and put in desk space for a couple people in the living room ( adjacent to the staircase). One cook in the house, BTW. Any input will be much appreciated. Thank you.

Here is a link that might be useful: proposed new kitchen and living room here.

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Comments (5)

Kathy Rivera
10 years ago
I had a U shape with a corner sink until our recent reno. I actually like the corner sink and think it's a great way to get a long stretch of prepping countertop in a small space. My setup was exactly like yours, actually, so I'd definitely suggest you move the DW to the peninsula. That was the most annoying thing was standing there while prepping as I'd have to move if someone wanted to get a clean item out (or heaven forbid someone load while I was prepping! :) )

I also had a cab over the sink (as you seem to be thinking about in your plans) and it was big and where all my dishes and glasses fit. It was nice to pull those things out and put them on the peninsula before plating. I've attached a pic below and you can sort of see it. The far side is over the paper towel holder. I will say, the far side of the cab was a little hard to get to (I'm almost 5'8"), but all the everyday dishes and glasses were easily accessible in the left side just above the sink. I also never felt that the cab was intruding into my head space as I worked at the sink. In a NYC apt, you need all the extra cab space you can get, so I'd definitely think about cabs on that wall.
Kathy Rivera
10 years ago
Here's a better picture of the over sink cab...
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Rosie, Sorry for MIA. Thanks for thoughtful questions. You got me thinkingÃ¢ÂÂ¦.. Here are my answers: Hi, Nancymark. To start, you don't say what needs all these changes will meet. What functions are you hoping to improve over the original layout? I wanted to create more cabinet space, so I moved the refrigerator and add pantry to the dining room. Very importantly, is there no way to work within the original footprint to get a kitchen that will function for you? What kind/amount of cooking does your family do? Good point. I cook dinner daily from scratch. So I do use the kitchen extensively and we love to eat. We have friends over for dinner but nothing fancy. Why do you want to move the refrigerator to the back wall of the dining area? That was my way of creating more cabinet space. I also want to get CD refrigerator which means I donÃ¢ÂÂt have enough space where it is now. My vent hood is going to be 36Ã¢ÂÂ instead of 30Ã¢ÂÂ ( what I have now). What will an island do for you that a peninsula would not? Or, why do you want an island? Currently there are 6 feet inside the U. I think I am wasting space there, I usually cook alone. With the island, I can move it closer to the range and create seating on the other side. In addition, I thought I can possibly put refrigerator at the end of L, ie sink, then DW, then counter depth refrigerator. Regarding your current proposed layout, on first glance it seems to miss achieving improved functionality, not only because the refrigerator is now back in the dining area, but because of the positions of the potential work surfaces in relation to the work triangle. An efficient triangle would normally be defined by your movements from refrigerator to sink to stove--working within that triangle, but the island surface is outside that and so is that really nice counter space to the right of the sink. It would be helpful to examine, right in the beginning, any assumption that a sink should/must be placed in front of a window. Why? What makes rinsing lettuce and dishes so much more special than drying lettuce, chopping onions, measuring spices, beating eggs, and so on and on? :) GOOD POINTS.
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Brandywine72
10 years ago
I had a corner sink in the last place I rented an it didn't bother me at all. It was a tight U shaped kitchen, which I found extremely efficient. I actually like a smaller kitchen rather than a larger one. (I find it ironic that most suburban homes have kitchens larger than what you find in the average restaurant.)

Also, in an older galley kitchen in an apartment in Chicago, there were 42 inch cabinets that ran the entire wall, including above the sink - or rather in front of the sink. I gotta say, I didn't even notice or realize the difference until I started measuring for my current cabinets and reflecting on all the rental kitchens I have lived in. Shelving is often 12" deep and counters 24" so I guess having a foot in front of me before the cabinet started didn't make me feel like my head was in a cabinet while at the sink.

I am curious about the dining table layout, though maybe this is not anything you want to change. Do you spend much time at your dining table other than to eat and would you like to spend more time there? I have adored having an eating space and sofa close together. I find that I use the table so much when they are paired together. And it is nice to be able to sit and eat close to somebody who is lounging on the sofa. So for that reason, if this were my home and space permitted, I would move the new double desk area to where the dining table is. I would push the sofa and living room set up along the entire front wall, over into the area that you have designed currently for the desk. And, I would put the dining table in front of the bookshelves that are going to be on the other side of the kitchen, so in the area where you are planning on putting the arm chair. I have no idea if this meets your needs or how you would feel about the desk area being where your table is, but I would so much rather have a big open flow between eating and lounging space, and have my workspace more cordoned off.

Keep us posted. It is so refreshing to see a city space posted here. And, I love your drawings.
nancymark111
Original Author
10 years ago
KathyNY: Thanks for the photos, they are really worth a thousand words :) They gave me a better visual of how a corner sink and cabinets look like.

Brandywine72: Thank you so much for the wonderful ideas. I wrote them down and hope to get more ideas here.

Thanks again.
texasgal47
10 years ago
My firewall would not allow your plan proposals to be viewed. IMHO, your most functional option is to move the sink to the peninsula after the peninsula has been extended to the same length as the other leg of the U. The layout would have a 3" wide support for a stone countertop at the peninsula end, next the DW, then the sink, and finally a drawer bank. A half wall would have to be built for the pipe to run through on the outside perimeter of the peninsula. I know this would mean extra expense, but it would be money well spent to significantly improve your layout. What say you?

Floor Plan--Please critique NYC apt.

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Floor Plan--Please critique NYC apt.

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