I need fresh eyes to look at this kitchen plan. Care to help?
My husband and I are considering this house plan for our upcoming build. The kitchen has me a little stumped. I'm having a hard time picturing how it will look and function.
The existing pantry will be moved to where the bathroom is to make room for basement stairs. The bathroom will be moved to the laundry area.
I'm wondering about the refrigerator, it looks like I might need a passport to get there from the sink. I might be able to live with that, I'm not sure. I'm also wondering if it might be better to have an island somewhere rather than the long attached open counter on the right.
Honestly, I'm open to any ideas and/or thoughts about the space.
Thank you :)
Comments (43)
ourlifeinthesticks
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoRelated Discussions
Need some fresh eyes and fresh ideas on these plans
Comments (24)The travel distances in the kitchen are excessive and inefficient. You have created too many work counters too far apart for one person. I find your comment intriguing. You are clear in conveying the gist of your opinion but you've completely left out any reference to WHY you hold this opinion. Why are the travel distances in an 8x12 open space excessive and inefficient? Is there a kitchen designer's study which suggesst kitchen designers limit the point to point travel to less than 12'? Is that what you're basing your opinion on? As for the inefficiency, here too I'm lost. Efficiency is a concept related to productivity, at least when it refers to human labor. Most of the labor in a kitchen involves either work at the sink, fridge or stove. This kitchen design minimizes travel between these fixtures. To the right of the stove is 5'6" of counter space before the sink interupts the work space. Within easy reach of the fridge are two counters upon which I can place items removed from the fridge. In terms of labor productivity I think that the kitchen works efficiently. What are you seeing that I'm missing? On the side of the kitchen opposite the work triangle is the dishwasher and plenty of uninteruptted counterspace. This counterspace has a grain mill at the end, it allows for baking to take place without intruding on the work triangle, it allows for me to place 60 canning jars without worrying about crowding, it allows me to place any gadgets that I decide I simply must have. Now perhaps you're concluding that the space is being inefficiently used because it's not being used as centrally or as frequently as the space within the work triangle and if so, yes, I'll cop to that, it's not, but if this is the line of your criticism, then it should be the case that every kitchen that incorporates space outside of a work triangle is using space inefficiently. Rather than me guessing WHY you reach your conclusion it would help me to have you TELL me WHY. What would help me even more is a suggestion from you on what I should do differently. That would be golden. A statement that the layout is inefficient and excessive doesn't help me much at all. A better configuration is a double loaded work area with support elements either side like a pantry or pastry station that you would not use as often as the central area and appliances. What is a "double loaded work area" and how would 1 person use this work area efficiently? Other than the bar sink I have located in the area outside of the triangle, what else, specifically would you suggest be included to make my time in the kitchen proceed more efficiently? If you think the basic design, a G-Kitchen, is beyond salvage, what would you suggest replace that layout? The kitchen is overly generous with space, the stair is an overly grand staircase but the entrance is into a cramped back hall with far too many doors. The elements of the house seem oddly out of scale with each other. In another thread I wrote that I couldn't offer an informed critique of someone else's plan until I knew what was guiding their choices. In this thread, in my original post, I wrote the following: The requirements were: - Big kitchen, disproportionately so compared to the remainder of the rooms. So I find it odd that, after you chimed in and agreed with me in the other thread that you needed to know more about the other person's goals before you could offer feedback, that here, knowing that I want a large kitchen, your feedback to me is "The kitchen is overly generous with space." The entrace isn't into a "cramped back hall", it's into a "cramped vestibule." Most vestibules are cramped, it's kind of the nature of the beast, isn't it? I agree that there are too many doors. I've since remedied that by removing two doors, so now the vestibule has an entry door, a closet door and two glass doors leading into the home. I moved the powder room to the back of the home and created more landing space around the bottom of the stairs and I removed the closet door on the right side of the house, across from the stairs and I use that volume of enclosed wall for a built-in accessable from the living room. See below: The space at the center of the staircase is to be used by a curving masonry bench which forms part of the fireplace and which will retain some of the heat from the fireplace. I've experienced such benches in my travels in Europe and I really enjoyed curling up on them and reading, or napping, after coming inside from a cold day of skiing. The gentle radiative heat seeping into my bones was luxurious. I admit that the inclusion of this space now is a design compromise but it's one that I'm happy to make for it gives me a space that I will use, it creates more radiative mass into which heat can be stored and it's out of the ordinary. It wasn't a "must have" but as a space filler it hits the mark on a number of fronts, far better than how I see people fill up space in their homes with chairs of tables that will never be used. The space at the foot of the stairs is available for a table, art, a build-in of some sort. The space midway up the stairs allows for a shelf for a plant next to a window. The staircase is overly grand. I've been struggling with how to incorporate it without wasting a lot of space. It's been quite a struggle. If I did away with the curve and went to a simple straight staircase I could slice a 6'x 15' section off of the plans and make an even smaller home, thereby making the kitchen disprortionately larger in a smaller home. Look, my garage is 24x24, space for my truck, motorcycle,sports car plus room to spare at the front. I'll have a metal/wood workshop in a separate barn. I have a large kitchen. These are all spaces that are useful to me. My dining room is small because I don't have large family gatherings and when I have guests it is only every a handful of people, a lady friend over for dinner, a buddy over for beer and to watch a game, one or two couples over for an evening - there are no grand dinner parties where I have 20 people crammed into my house. The living room is primarily for my own use but has space for 6 people sitting around conversing - I don't need space for more people and I don't need space, like a family of six would, for 6 people doing their own things in the LR - when I have six people in that room, I can assure you that one won't be watching TV, while another is reading, while another is doing needlepoint, and while two others are playing Monopoly. In the basement will be the utility and laundry rooms. I'll have an endless pool down there, a sauna or possibly a steamroom, I haven't decided yet, as well as a workout room of some size, and open space for whatever may strike my fancy in the future. Upstairs will have two master suites and an office if I can squeeze it in and if not, no matter, I can do office work anywhere in the house because I don't have kids or a spouse to distract me, so I don't need to cocoon myself away to find a quiet space to work. The elements of the house seem oddly out of scale with each other. There is some truth to this. Large kitchen, large garage (considering many 2 car garages are 20x20 or thereabouts), large staircase, fair sized mastersuite, small dining room, small living room. I'm not sure what I should be doing about this though. Should I scale back all the large rooms where I want space or should I scale up the the LR/DR where I don't want space and should I make my mastersuite larger or smaller and should I do away with the secondary mastersuite which might be used by one of my parents at some point in the future if they move in? Any suggestions? Criticism is useful, to a degree, but what really helps people in the design phase are actual, concrete, suggestions and alternatives. As I noted in the thread title, fresh eyes and fresh ideas would help me a lot....See MoreHelp please - need a fresh pair of eyes on exterior
Comments (34)Thank you so much to all of you for your comments. They have been very helpful and I really appreciate all of your time. I don't know how many people will still read this thread, but I am posting a couple of additional pictures showing a couple of Cape style houses with a little more punch to them. I am very interested in any thoughts you may have. Option A. This is one we really like. Not really the blue, but the contrast with the stone, the trim, etc. We would have three smaller dormers (those are too big) and I think this would be about the height of the roof of ours. The garage would be in back so we would not have the gable on the left that's why I show it with the gable and then closer in without to give the idea of what it would look like for us. Option B: We like this as well - nice color scheme. We might choose to put stone on the porch instead and we would have equal sides like I showed in my original white house above. I believe this roof is steeper/taller than what ours would be. Just curious if you like these and think they add enough pizazz to the classic Cape style? FWIW, there are not a ton of this style of house here - usually one or two in any given custom neighborhood, so they are not overdone....See MoreNeed Fresh Eyes For Layout Of Garage Remodel
Comments (15)We agree about the workroom being in the south area and the bedroom in the north area. Plus, it makes since to have the bedroom and clothes closets close to each other. Hopefully, Ill have room for a window seat with storage underneath in the south area. This could also be used when company come over. Ill just have to remember to keep my table cleared off! There is no sink in the laundry area. We had thought about adding one where door #1 would go, but cant remember why we gave up on the idea. Probably so we could put door there instead of in south area. We had thought of a murphy bed, but felt it still wouldnt give us any extra space. You have to leave the area clear that the bed opens into. Wish there was some way to lift the bed high, like a loft, for space underneath. There is the unused attic in the current workroom, but dont know if it can be made into a loft. Plus, my health is not that great for climbing stairs. However, will discuss with husband about the possibilities. Im not sure if the workroom/living area wall is a load-bearing wall. Before the garage was added on, it was just a large one car lean-to, with a dirt floor. The only room with cement was the workroom. Garage isnt even a year old. This shows that this whole situation came about rather suddenly. Otherwise, my sister would have planned on accommodating all of this. She didnt even have heating ducts run into the garage, which we now have to do. The north wall between the possible bathroom and workroom is the current outside wall. If we can make use of that, instead of tearing it down to expand the workroom, Im sure it would be cheaper. It was mentioned that we add on going east from the workroom, to the edge of the patio, and then south to the house. That would be an 8 x about 20 room, encompassing the outer walls of the kitchen and current bathroom. However, as nice and as much as I would like that, Im sure its going to be well over $10,000 and unaffordable. What ever were going to do, it needs to be completed by Sept. for us to move in. Im getting so discouraged over this, that Im about ready to hang two hammocks and put everything else in storage! Sorry about that burst! You have all been so great and I appreciate the suggestions. OK, back to the questions!! The 5 bump out is only proposed. Nothing has been done to the garage for us to move in. Right now, its just one large room with a cement floor, the existing workroom at its north end, and the laundry area. All of the walls and ceiling are dry walled and painted white. One window on west wall, one window on north wall in workroom (both have to be replaced), and an automatic garage door. Because the cement flooring is about 8-10 inches thick, we were told it would be too expensive to rip it up to put in pipes, etc. Id rather not sell the fireplace as it was a Christmas present, so still new. Dont know if mounting TV on wall will work, as its really heavy. I agree with you about the cabinets. I dont think there can be too many! I looked at the sites you sent on HGTV and it gave me some ideas. No, were not set on laminate flooring; just something that would be cheaper but not look or "be" cheaper. Yes, we have a craigs list in our area and I check it daily. We also have a habitat resale store and a large salvage yard full of doors, cabinets, etc. Weve already picked out a few things, but dont want to start buying blindly before we have a confirmed floor plan. Ill try to get a before picture so you have some idea of what Im working with. Thank you all so much! You are helping me to hang on to what little sanity I have left!! lol :)...See MoreHelp with new guest room....some fresh eyes needed!
Comments (19)Thanks so much everyone. I decided to put the ticking stripe on the bench (upholsterer picked it up yesterday). He removed the seat entirely, leaving the frame here, so I could paint/distress it if I want. That's the only piece I would paint, and think it could look great if it had more of a grey/distressed finish. I haven't done that yet, and I know AS chalk paint is all the rage, but after browsing around a big flea mkt and consignment store last weekend, I was seeing that look over and over again.....some of it looked kind of cheap. So I'll think about that one before going forward. The look I would want is more of a grey weathered finish; (a la Restoration Hardware) and don't want it to look amateurish. Also decided to go with the print on the roman shade and the bedskirt; then will use the nubby linen and stripe for accent pillows, cording, etc. I am going to start working on those projects today; or, at least, that is the plan, lol. Voila, after reading one of my responses I see what you mean! But it honestly hasn't been like it may sound. One of the goals I had before beginning this project (revamping two daughter's rooms into guest rooms for them and their spouses) was to get their ideas and create a space where they would feel welcome and comfortable. Before getting started in this room, we had a large sleigh bed, tall bookshelves, a high backed bench, a large nightstand, and full drapes. Way too much oversized furniture, tons of books, memorabilia, etc., and no room for two people to organize their belongings and feel at home. I recall many long drives to my mom's house (14 hours in a minivan with 3 kids) and while I treasure those visits; it was a little disheartening to arrive exhausted and stressed, to a room (my old BR) to share with DH that still had a small bed with a rock hard mattress, non working AC, dressers and other useless pieces stuffed with extra clothing, etc. Don't get me wrong; We all loved my mom and still treasure each and every visit, but agree that it would have been nice to have a comfortable room. My MIL, on the other hand, always had a welcoming and stress-free space, and that is what I would love to create. Travel is harder than ever now, and I know when I arrive in someone's home I am grateful for every little detail devoted to our comfort! All of the kids were here last weekend and I asked for their ideas. I was happy they spoke up and let me know what was important to them. I hope I didn't give the impression that DD was demanding certain things; it really wasn't that at all, just a conversation about what would make them comfortable. Most were suggestions, and of course they are happy with anything we do to create a pleasant space for them, as well as for anyone else who pays us a visit. I'm encouraged and excited about the room so far and appreciate your comments and suggestions. Now to get started sewing.........See More
mama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoCan you slightly rearrange both floors?
You could have a work-table island with a 2 or 3 stools tucked under for use when you have visitors in the kitchen. Similar to this:
ourlifeinthesticks thanked mama goose_gw zn6OHmama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years agoPossibly window seat/banquette, and another window, in the breakfast area:
ourlifeinthesticks thanked mama goose_gw zn6OHourlifeinthesticks
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Lavender Lass
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoWhat about a banquette on the long wall (no view?) and a cozy chair and little table in the bay? I also moved the powder room, pantry and stairs....and made the front windows just a little larger.
I love porches, but you do lose light with a porch, so bigger windows really help. And if the cost isn't too expensive, you might want to make the porch a foot or two deeper, to allow space for chairs and be able to walk past them....
Windows on each side of range.....
Inspiration for banquette with hutches on each side.
If you don't want a window between, you can always put a nice picture or group of pictures :)
ourlifeinthesticks thanked Lavender Lassourlifeinthesticks
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Fori
8 years agomama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoLavender, I love the picture with the window seat and double glass cabinets! And the stove between the windows, which would make venting easier on an exterior wall.
Ourlifeinthesticks, at 12' wide, I'm not sure you could have an island deeper than 3' front-to-back. 24" cab + 15" minimum overhang on seating side + 1.5 overhang on the other = 40.5" leaving 39" for each aisle. I live with those size aisles in an older house, but I wouldn't design them into a new one.
To preserve the view of the bay from the great room (instead of moving it to the side to lengthen the run on the top wall), you could move the fridge a little closer to the work area, and have a shorter peninsula with stools tucked under, which could also double as work space and landing area for the fridge. It would get the fridge within the NKBA recommended distance of 9 feet. I added a bookcase beside the fridge.
ourlifeinthesticks thanked mama goose_gw zn6OHourlifeinthesticks
8 years agoJillius
8 years agoThe problem with an island is that you're making your walkways around the island REALLY tight. Let me explain:
Most people seem to like around 48" of space between the perimeter and the island. However, this is highly personal, so mock up your proposed aisle width with boxes and pretend to cook. You'll see immediately that having your island a certain distance away is either too far or cramping your movements or just about right. (NB: This 48" is counter to counter, not cabinet to cabinet. Cabinets, which are what is typically depicted on kitchen floor plans are typically 24" deep, but counters are typically 25-26" deep. Counters are often said to just be a standard 25" deep, but for various reasons due to cabinet installation factors and personal aesthetic preference often make counter depth a bit more than 25".)
For the sake of argument, let's say you find a 48" aisle to be perfect. Let's also assume all your cabinets under the perimeter and the island are a standard 24" deep (this is the cheapest option), and your counters have a standard 1" overhang. On the exterior side of the island, you have a 15" overhang for seating. (The ideal overhang depth for island seating is 15", but many shrink it to 12".)
So 24" (perimeter cabinet depth) + 1" (perimeter counter overhang) + 48" (aisle) + 1" (island interior counter overhang) + 24" (island cabinet depth) + 15" (island exterior counter overhang for seating) = 9'5".
Then you also must consider the walkway behind the island seating. Here is a nice discussion about that: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2691962/walking-aisles-widths-beside-counter-seating-overhangs.
Ideally, you want 60" there to comfortably walk behind people seated at the island.
That brings the grand total kitchen depth to 14'5". Your current kitchen depth (from window to fridge) appears to be only 12' deep. You can certainly shave off some of these walkways, narrow the island, do away with island seating, etc. But something (several things) would have to give, or you'd have to be very careful in your choices so you aren't creating a permanently crowded, frustrating kitchen.Also, by making the former half bath a pantry, you end up with crazy deep shelves in the pantry. It's hard to keep that organized -- stuff gets lost in the back. Or you have to buy expensive pull-outs. There are also some weird dead spaces in the island options -- in front of the bay or in front of the great room doorway.
So here is a suggestion for the kitchen:
The sink is now much closer to the fridge, so grabbing food and then washing it will be very natural. I deepened the peninsula to 36" deep so you won't be splashing people at the breakfast table. The best prep spot in the kitchen (between the sink and range) is a nice long counter under a big window, and there is space for two people to work there side-by-side. You have a nice big pantry so you won't miss the kitchen uppers.I also started adding furniture to the layout, and I think this is a very important exercise and highlighted some other concerns:
- I see only one natural furniture arrangement for the great room, and even that is a little cramped. If the fireplace were ~2 feet farther from the stairs, it would be SO much better.
- Are you planning to have a TV? Unless you are putting it above the fireplace (which usually puts it at an uncomfortably high viewing angle, and also the heat from the fireplace is bad for the TV), there isn't a natural spot for it.
- The dining room is essentially the same size as the breakfast area and will seat the same number of people (~6). The breakfast area will be by far more beautiful with the bay window overlooking the backyard, so why would you ever use the dining room? It would make a little more sense if the dining room were overall larger so that it seated 8-10. So then you'd naturally use that room for seating big parties. Or if the room were both larger and designed for a secondary purpose (office, playroom, etc.) so it will be functional at all times that you are not hosting a large dinner party. Here is a suggestion for making the dining room a little larger, but it is still so similar in size to the breakfast area that I am not sure it helps:
ourlifeinthesticks thanked Jilliusourlifeinthesticks
8 years agoMy toddler is in melt down mode and I have so much to chat about! Ug! I'll be back in a bit!
Here is a pic of the changes we plan on making to the plan. DH said that it is possible to cantilever over the foundation and put a 2ft closet into the garage (it opens into the hallway leading outside). The miniscule bathroom will be next to it. It leaves space for a 2 ft deep pantry and a 2 ft deep closet back to back in the office formerly known as dining room.
You'd think that it would be fun to build a new house.....grrrr. lol.My furniture is not going to fit in the living room, sniff sniff.
I'll be back to read your suggestions on how many feet we need to add to the house, lol. I know it's true, but I don't want to.
ourlifeinthesticks
8 years agoourlifeinthesticks
8 years agoourlifeinthesticks
8 years agoourlifeinthesticks
8 years ago
funkycamper
8 years agoI like where your plan is going. If you can add that extra two feet, it will really help that bathroom/closet area. I played with some changes that include that extra 2 feet (although I'm not sure how much to scale my additions are so this is just a rough view). I hope I can explain what I did clearly.
upper-right: I added the two to your bathroom/hallway to back door. That will give your a better-sized powder room and that closet could also be made wider for extra pantry and/or coat storage.
Stairs: If it were my home, I would want that extra 2 feet in the great room, not the office. So I moved the stairs back over to keep the office the same size and expand your great room. I also moved the front door to the left so it still lines up with the front door. I think that extra 2 feet in your great room will make that room seem a lot more great, give you more furniture placement options and just plain more open space that will make the room just plain feel better.
Fridge Landing Space: I think the fridge placement is just fine but I do agree you need a closer landing space. I put a rectangle next to the fridge that could be a wall with upper/lower cabinets next to the fridge which gives you a landing counter. That area could be shorter if you want your kitchen more open to the great room. It could also be a pony wall with just a counter and lower cabinets so the kitchen is more open but still gives some blockage to views of the messes we all make in our kitchens. If I were to put a pony wall there, I think I'd want it about 8" or so higher than the counter so you could still see just fine over it but it would block whatever you have stored on the counter.
Peninsula: I think you are going to have ample storage with your pantries so you could eliminate a cabinet under the end of that peninsula. The red X marks a great place to store a stool. Your mom, DH, or a kid could sit there to visit a tad closer to you when you're working in the kitchen. You could sit there if you're peeling a bunch of potatoes or other task that you can get off your feet for a few minutes and do. A recent discussion here reminded me of how much I always enjoy having a kitchen stool so I thought I'd give you one.
The red angled lines next to the X illustrate my suggestion that the end of that peninsula either be rounded or chamfered. Much better if a little head gets bonked.
Elimination of your cased opening between great room and breakfast room: I suggest you consider keeping that open. If you're really going to use the breakfast room for your only dining area, I think it would make it nicer for entertaining. Especially if you end up serving dinner to larger groups. Without any kind of wall on the right side to block things, it would be easy to either have a table with a lot of extension leaves or to place extra folding tables next to your main table. The green rectangle illustrates your normal table. The yellow, an additional banquet folding table. See how nice that flows and allows you flexibility when entertaining?
Hope these ideas help a bit.Lavender Lass
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoOkay, this is one more idea. I made the porch deeper, the front windows larger and the garage moved over a few feet. This gave you more room for office storage, powder room and laundry...now with pantry. The little closet is still there for coats, too.
The kitchen has big window over the sink and range on island. It's actually a half wall, with nice backsplash and no seating. It could be downdraft or over the island hood, but if you do that...make it high enough above island to see under.
Added a seating idea in the living room (small sectional with chaise on the end) and a window seat with shelves in the office. Hopefully, with the wall of storage, this will give you plenty of space for homeschooling. Especially with three children using it, in a few years.
Oh, the little seating in the bay is for kids' chairs and table....for the little ones :)
If there's not much view on the right side, maybe something like this for the banquette? You'd still have privacy, but it would help balance the light with the windows on the back.
ourlifeinthesticks thanked Lavender Lassrachelpants
8 years agoourlifeinthesticks
8 years agoourlifeinthesticks
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoYes! That was the deal breaker for me! That peninsula is perfect for entertaining. I'd love to be able to set food out on it and be able to stack 2 tables end to end.
I made a grid in Excel and plotted out what my current thoughts are. However, adding a landing space made my living room smaller, ug.
I am in no way emotionally attached to these plans, so if they are lame me know before I embarrass myself in front of an architect! Lol. And ignore the blue windows. I think I'm as far as I can can go without a professional. ;-)
Lol...with furnature...notice the "furnature jungle" living room. Geez. :-/
funkycamper
8 years agoI think it looks good but, of course, I couldn't help myself. I had to tweak some things. All are optional and your preferences matter more than mine except one. Most of us at GW consider that one, which I'll identify, very important.
I didn't draw up changes on the second floor because I only saw one thing that I would change up there. I would put the door to the master bedroom closet on the far left side of that wall, right by the entrance door. If I needed to grab a sweater and had to run upstairs to do it, or whatever, I would appreciate not having to also run across the room and back.
I hope I can remember all my tweaks:
The red triangles are just saying NO to those small casements. They take up space and I just don't think they're necessary. And the one on the right might impact the idea of being able to put an additional table there blocking chairs or the ability to walk behind chairs and get out if you're sitting on that side. It may be OK but really think about it and measure well.
I moved the front door back to directly at the base of the stairs. This will help with a feeling of spaciousness and ability to arrange furniture in the living room.
I moved the door under the stairs back to the office. Again, for a feeling of more spaciousness in the living room and ability to move furniture around better. If you use a banquet table to extend your dining table, you may need to move some of the living room furniture up against that wall under the stairs. With a door there, it would look bad. And what if you need something in it?
Because of moving the under-stairs door into the office, I made the door between office and kitchen swing the other way.
Just because it seemed crowded, I erased the bookshelves (I think those were bookshelves, right?). Where it says recessed, I suggest you build recessed bookcases into the wall under the stairs. I think it will look quite interesting whether you go with an angled, gradually taller top stile or a stair-step style. (Hope that makes sense) It will give you more room and won't be so crowded for traffic walking through.
All of those are just suggestions. This is the important one. IMPORTANT!! Really. I moved your DW to the other side of your sink. The main area for prepping is always going to be the counter between sink and cooktop. It's natural to prep there, efficient, and we all just naturally do that. If your DW is in that spot, nobody can load/empty the DW while you're prepping. You will effectively make it impossible for the kids to do kitchen chores while you're cooking. It makes your kitchen almost like a one-person kitchen. If you decide you want to do a bit of clean-up while prepping, you have to step back, open the door, close door, step forward to counter.
With DW on the other side, you can leave it open while prepping so items can go directly into it. This keeps your kitchen much cleaner as it eliminates the step of piling things in the sink or on the counter and then moving it into the DW. So much more efficient! And, of course, allows something to load/unload while you're prepping.
When it comes to storage, you'll want all the items you generally use to prep in the prep area. Moving the DW allows you to have an additional cabinet (hopefully a drawer stack) in your prep area. All your knives, gadgets, colanders, cutting boards, bowls, pots/pans, etc., should be able to fit in that area. That extra storage will make a huge difference in making that work.
And now all your dishes, eating utensils, glassware, etc., should be able to fit in the cabinets in the peninsula to the right of the DW and you'll be right there standing next to where you store them.
When the DW is open, it will probably be blocking the drawers immediately to the right of it on the peninsula. You will want to store lesser used items there. If you store your dishes and such there, you will have unload them onto the counter and then close the DW and move them into that cabinet. Annoying. I would probably put casseroles, baking pans, gadgets, and such that I only use occasionally there. Your items may vary but I'm sure you get my drift.
I think your plan is shaping up nicely. I really like the pantry, closet and 3/4 bath area. And I really like how you just went to French Doors without the bay in the dining area. I tend to like bays but I think this will be a cleaner look and give you a bit more space. I think this is going to be a nice, comfortable layout and a house that's easy to live in.Let us know how things go once you sit down with the pros for blueprints and stuff. I'll be curious to see how it all turns out.
ourlifeinthesticks thanked funkycamperLavender Lass
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoActually, if there's no seating on the island, you don't need 18". This is more of a half wall, with view to the living room. Something like this...but with the range on the island, not the peninsula.
This may or may not work for OP, but it gets rid of the peninsula...and having to walk around it all the time...and allows the cook to see into the living room. It also provides a little more prep space on right side of sink and gets rid of one of those corners.
There's always the option of swapping range and sink...with windows on each side of range. For the only dining area, the peninsula just seems to block the area off so much, IMHO. And not all islands need seating, especially with the table right there :)
ourlifeinthesticks thanked Lavender Lassfunkycamper
8 years agoourlifeinthesticks
8 years ago
Meris