Kitchen plan, critique welcome!
I plan on having a standard range, range hood, dw, frig, no prep sink. My concern is the frig. If it stays there, I probably need to recess it to keep it from sticking out of the walkway.
Any thoughts are welcome!
Comments (25)
Jessica
8 years agoBuehl
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Advice on layout - which option and would welcome critiques!
Comments (15)When the Prep & Cooking Zones are so far apart like this, a prep sink is usually needed to make the zones work efficiently...sometimes just to function at all! Right now, you have to cross a very wide aisle (> 7 feet) and through a very busy thoroughfare just to empty a pot of boiling water. Not very safe! Nor very functional! The reason NewbieRemodeler's layout works so well is b/c she has the Prep & Cooking Zones together (the prep sink on the peninsula) and her Cooking Zone and range are protected from traffic (again, the peninsula does this). Also, notice how much workspace she has in the right places...around the range and on the peninsula. Your workspace is very spread out and you do have a lot of it, but it's not in the right places. Ideally: Prep Zone...works best when it contains a water source and is next to or across an aisle no more than 48" wide or so from the Cooking Zone. Trash & recycle bins should also be in the Prep Zone. If across from the Cooking Zone, the aisle b/w them should not be a busy aisle (i.e., no through-traffic and very little other kitchen traffic). Cooking Zone...works best when next to/across from the Prep Zone (see Prep Zone). It's also nice to have a water source nearby as well as trash & recycling nearby. Cleanup Zone...works best when separated from the Prep & Cooking Zones. This can be on the opposite side of the sink in a one-sink kitchen from the Prep Zone or it could be in a completely separate location (the latter usually only works well if you have two sinks). Obviously, it also needs a water source and the DW. Right now, you have the Prep & Cooking Zones separated by an aisle more than 7 feet wide...much too far. While having the Prep & Cleanup Zones together isn't bad (see above), in this situation it doesn't really work. Here's one idea that might work. I have other ideas, but I don't have time right now to draw them up...I'll work on it some more later, if you like. [Let me know.] One idea, btw, is to switch the table and kitchen...but that depends on how high off the floor the bay window is as well as how flexible you are with water, etc. Are you open to a banquette? A banquette might solve some problems regardless of the table/kitchen configuration. So, how high off the floor is the bay window? .. [You could reduce the prep sink to an 18" sink base and gain those 6" for either an 18" cabinet on the left or a 21" cabinet on the right.]...See Morenew kitchen... critique welcome
Comments (14)Do you have a current layout for us to see? Even if it's something you hand-draw to-scale on graph paper. (But you should have a current layout that you signed off on for the cabinet order... We had to sign off on the "flat" layout and every elevation layout when we ordered our cabinets.) In general, I would recommend making the change now rather than having regrets later, especially as this is not something that will be redone in a couple of years and as you are spending a lot of money to have regrets in the end. Kitchen remodels are expensive...even budget ones...and I would be very unhappy if I spent all that $$ not to get the best I could out of it. If you can still order new cabinets and you can work the countertop issues out, I would go ahead...assuming it really makes sense. (A current layout would help immensely!) (1) As to the filler needed next to the refrigerator...didn't the Lowes KD catch that? That's his/her job! That's basic design knowledge! If any appliance or cabinet is next to a wall, there's the potential for filler needed (depending on the cabinet/appliance, the cabinet style, and the cabinet the appliance is housed in). This especially true of a refrigerator! (2) As to countertop...don't they have to wait to do the countertop until the cabinets & certain appliances are there and installed/ready to install to "template" them? Yes, you'll have an estimate based on overall measurements, but the final can't be determined ahead of time...I know this is true of stone counters, but I would think it would also be true of wood, laminate, metal, etc. Maybe if there's a big change it would be an issue b/c the "slab" has to be at least a certain size (and maybe this is a bigger addition than can be handled w/the current order if it's something other than a stone.) [Wait for your DH to calm down & then explain to him that this is something that needs to be done right, even if it means a delay due to ordering new cabinets, etc. Explain to him what I said above, especially the second paragraph! Hopefully, he'll understand & agree with you. But, don't get too emotional, explain it calmly & rationally! (Some positive emotion is fine...so he knows how important it is to you.) Remember, this is something that you have to live with more than he does...assuming you do most of the cooking. To him, it's just a kitchen and no big deal; to you it's a workplace that needs to be very functional w/plenty of work space & storage, etc. Perhaps ask him how he would feel if you asked him to cut corners or make do for XXX XXX w/what's important to him...workshop, media room, audio/video components, etc. > ] I hope all this helps, and good luck! (Post that layout ASAP so we can give you feedback quickly!)...See MoreRaison d'etre & a request for a kitchen plan critique
Comments (43)Here's my two cents for a similar kitchen layout remodel in Eastern MA (also land of too much snow this year!). Our dimensions are slightly different but we had same discussions about swapping cooktop and fridge, prep space etc. Our final layout is similar to your latest plan but we're getting a bigger window installed with sink centered underneath and dishwasher to the left. We'll have our wall/speed micro ovens to the right of the cooktop. Fridge on the short wall with tall pull out cabinetry to the left where you have a doorway. I've been using our island as primary prep (without an add'l prep sink) and the pull-out trash will be relocated to the island to keep the mess contained there. That gives a decent triangle from sink to prep to cooktop. My only small worry is water drips over wood floors, but figure a runner will negate some of that. For me prepping under a window isn't a priority since who's looking straight ahead to a view when handling a knife--not me--and daylight isn't all that by the time I'm prepping dinners. I like the big expanse of the island so I can interact and prep with DH/guests and then any dirty stuff not dealt with immediately can "hide" in the sink and have the island clear for drinks, appetizers, buffet serving etc....See MoreSuggestions / critique my kitchen plan
Comments (17)Here is a suggestion: 1) Your front door is now on the side of the house. Like this: I would suggest getting a front door with glass panels so light can get into the hallway. Between that and the light coming down the hallway from the west-facing window in the dining room, the hallway shouldn't be dark. 2) Moving the front door allowed me to use the space a lot more efficiently and make all the rooms around the front door and the hallway more spacious without changing the overall outline of your house. It also gives people entering the house the option to spread out in different directions instead of having that bottleneck mudroom and single-file-line hallway. Someone who needs to go to the bathroom can go straight there and get out of everybody else's way. Someone who wants to drop dirty shoes in the laundry room can go straight there. Someone who just wants to put away their mud room stuff (coats, bags, etc.) can go straight down the hall and use the closets/cupboards there. And the entrance/hallway is now wide enough that multiple people can be entering and putting things away at the same time without being in each other's way. 3) I put the laundry room and the shower together. It meant you get: a) a larger shower b) more walking/moving around space in the room c) a long counter to use while doing laundry or getting ready d) the combination of the shower and sink in the same room means someone can get completely ready in the morning in here e) the ability to strip off dirty clothes and throw them in the washer and jump in the shower all in one go 4) You no longer have an awkwardly long and skinny half bath. 5) Both the shower/laundry room and the half bath now have north-facing windows, so you will have plenty of natural light in both all day. 6) You have a HUGE amount of storage on either side of the hallway. This will function as your mudroom, but it can also store china for the dining room, pantry overages for when you've done a lot of canning, extra rolls of toilet paper for the bathroom, extra things of laundry detergent, and anything else you have to put away. One side of the hallway is 24" deep for hanging coats (and anything else deep that you want to store), and the other side is 12"-18" deep (whatever you prefer) for shallow storage. You can do cubbies, shelves, whatever. A long row of shallow storage like this is the best kind of storage -- you can see everything at once and nothing gets lost in the depths of the back. 7) I swapped the locations of the kitchen and the dining room because: a) In its original location, the dining room table was quite a hike from the outdoor kitchen. Now it doesn't matter which kitchen you are using, the dining room table is right next to it. b) The original dining room location has better natural light. This is more useful in a kitchen. You don't really need excellent task lighting to eat a sandwich. Dim lighting in a dining room is often considered "mood lighting," but dim lighting in a kitchen is just bad lighting. Plus the majority of big sit-down dinners happen at night anyway when natural light is gone, after you cooked all day and could have been using the natural light in your kitchen. c) Moving the kitchen also means it now overlooks the living room, so cooks can interact with people who are just hanging out. There is some bar seating now between the kitchen and living room to facilitate those interactions. Before, the cooks could only really interact with people sitting at the dining room table, which is not where people who aren't cooking usually hang out. Usually people only come to the table when everybody is sitting down to eat, and then the cooks are no longer cooking. d) In general, it is nice not to have the kitchen be the very first thing you see when you walk in a house. 8) Inside the kitchen, you have two prep counters -- one on either side of the sink. This eliminates the second sink you were hesitant about, but it still gives you the function of a second sink because both prep areas have access the sink. One prep counter overlooks the big windows, and one overlooks the living room. Working at either should be very pleasant. 9) While still handy to the rest of the kitchen, the fridge and freezer are outside the major work zones and close to the dining area, so people can grab a snack and sit down without entering the work zones and bothering the cooks. (If you do a microwave, it should go next to the fridge for the same reason.) 10) Can the internal pillar be worked into the staircase wall? Or maybe into the end of the closet I added? I left the pillar where it was, but it'd be nice if it weren't just in the middle of everything. 11) I forgot to move the fireplace, but I am envisioning it in the living room in front of the windows like this:...See More
funkycamper
8 years agoOh, I agree that it's good to do all that now before you start paying for detailed plans that you'll have to pay to have changes to.
And I agree with Buehl's assessment of your kitchen. We cook by going from fridge to prep area/sink to cooktop/oven. That's the natural progression. You have a lot of walking to do to get to the fridge and you'll be crossing over the cooking zone to do it. You're creating a kitchen that's best for one cook. Hopefully you'll have other family members helping you in the kitchen so you want to plan for something that will work for multiple cooks and a clean-up crew. Here's Buehl's idea. It solves the main problems I see in your plan.
You didn't ask about the rear foyer area but I'm imagining it as a combination mud room and storage area. Something more like this. I'm imagining the yellow box as nice extra storage to compliment whatever you're planning to store in that small adjacent room. The blue boxes could be more floor to ceiling shelves for other storage or one of them could be a bench with boot storage underneath and some hooks to hang some casual jackets, etc. Just an idea although you may already have some specific intention for that space.
I flipped the door from the garage so it won't block and maybe hit somebody who is walking from the kitchen into that space. I also flipped the bathroom to eliminate the small, rather useless, wall that was between both doors and to allow for room for that blue box.
If you like to entertain formally and really need a formal dining room, totally disregard this idea. I just know so few people who entertain much that way anymore. Most formal dining rooms seem to become wasted space in most homes today. I know it would get little use in my home. So I played around and came up with this next idea.I moved the stairs and I realize I have no idea how much this messes up with your upstairs, and gave you a small sitting room/library instead. When the kids are old enough to play or hang around unsupervised, you might really appreciate a place where you can sneak off to read and relax for some quiet time and to entertain a friend or two without kids around.
And it gives you options for changes in your kitchen area. I gave you a pantry but there might be better options. I think I may have flipped your stairs backwards? I mean them to start in your foyer.
Here's the whole floor (before I changed the kitchen):
You have a lot of good space to play with. I don't know if you'll like an of these ideas but I thought it was fun.
mama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agofunkycamper, you always have great ideas! mom2sj, I concentrated mainly
on the kitchen, and since you mentioned the wooded view in the back, I
lengthened the back wall and gave you windows!The fridge is
closer to the dinette and great room in this plan, and in the functional
prep flow (fridge-->sink-->prep-->range), although not as
close to the garage entry for groceries. I put a reach-in/step-in pantry
at the bottom, inside the entry. I don't know if the storage room in
the back foyer area was pantry space? It will be a little larger in this
plan and PR is moved to the bottom wall.I drew a small sink in
the island, but that's optional--it could all be dish storage on that
side, or you could have a MW drawer where the sink is drawn. Normally, I
would agree with buehl about the orientation of the island, but I'm
imagining sitting at the island, enjoying the view through all the
windows.I didn't include measurements--just eye-balled it, so the plan would need to be fine-tuned.
Adding an alternate garage/foyer entry door location.
I made an adjustment to the first plan, to switch the fridge and range. Although I prefer the range on the left wall, it would be easier to vent on the back wall.
As funkycamper says--this is fun. :)
funkycamper
8 years agoBuehl
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoBuehl
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoBuehl
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agomama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years agoJessica
8 years ago
cpartist
8 years agofunkycamper
8 years agohomechef59
8 years ago
Lavender Lass
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoNice ideas! :)
Can you move the entrance from dining room to kitchen over to the right? That would give you a more usable 'back wall' for a prep sink by the fridge.
Also, I centered the front windows to make it look better from the inside and moved over the entry to the great room just a bit, so you can see through to the sunroom from the entry.
Do you want access from your rear entry to the backyard? You could move the pantry to the garage wall and have a backdoor.
Just a few possibilities....
Jessica
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Okay, so I loaded room planner. I removed the dinette, enlarged the island and opened the wall to the dining room. Hopefully there is no structural supports there. I think I like this better. The flow to sunroom is easier and opens the great room. Thoughts on this? It is hard to see dimensions, but can refer to above posts.
Not sure what to do with pantry, powder room and mudroom yet, but will get to that next! :)
funkycamper
8 years ago
sheloveslayouts
8 years agoMarcolo's ice-water-stone-fire has ruined me for layouts with the fridge and range close together. It's the first thing I check when I look at a layout. That said, my IWSF flag goes up looking at this latest floor plan.
You may have nixed this layout, it is basically one of mamagooses above, but I think it has advantages: 1) ice-water-stone-fire 2) fridge on the living room side of kitchen, so folks don't have to walk through/around kitchen to get to it 3) Range and open counter on the dining room side for easy service from stove to table 4) More full use of the island with fridge-sink-range evenly spread around it 5) view from the living room might be more lovely with a centered range hood on that back wall only.
It looks like your island may have been entered to wide in your planner. I *think* island depth is 41.5"
mama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoJessica
8 years agomama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years ago
Carol.33
8 years agoCarol.33
8 years ago
mama goose_gw zn6OH