Please advise on small rectangular kitchen layout in as-is unfin. rm.
We are
talking to GCs to install a second kitchen in a currently unfinished to studs heated
room in the basement of our 20-year old house and would appreciate some layout advice.
The entire basement will be living space for our son, fiancée and small
dog for several years. They cook together daily, heavily using the cooktop.
Function is key over form. The kitchen will be used for
cooking, clean up and food storage, not dining nor entertaining which is
infrequent. Meals will be eaten in the adjoining family room. It is desired to
keep the walls, window and double doors AS IS. The doors will be closed when
needed to help quiet dishwasher noise. Since there is a slab floor, it is
desired to keep the sink, dishwasher and refrigerator to the right side where
the wall is the wet wall of an adjoining bathroom.
We desire to use standard (not pro) appliances, including a
33-34" wide standard depth probably bottom freezer refrigerator, 30"
free-standing probably gas range, 24" dishwasher, over-the-range microwave/vent
and garbage disposal. We wish to vent to the outside. We’d like a top
mount stainless steel single bowl sink 25-27” wide (interior dimension), trying
to fit it in a 30” cabinet. We’d like 24-30 inches of pantry space.
Durability, low maintenance, and ease of cleaning are very high
priorities. We want light-colored all wood cabinets. The most luxurious item
we'd like is quartz for the counters (and possibly backsplashes over the range
and sink.) We dislike the wasted space
and expense of corner cabinets (super-susans OK) but at least one may be
desirable. We’d like floor space for the dog dish. We already have luxury vinyl
flooring planks. The style would be transitional to modern.
Any advice would be appreciated. (I'm a newbie with NKBA planning tool! OTR microwave does not behave. Room depth dimension is 1" short from earlier measurement. Dishwasher is to right of sink. Center circle is a light just to brighten the front view.) THANK YOU ALL!
Comments (18)
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Layout help, please! Tiny '20s kitchen, big problems
Comments (88)Look at Bmorepanic's layout on Fri, Mar 12, 10 at 12:09; it has a similar layout for a range on that wall...only with more work room. You really need more than 12" next to a doorway for safety's sake. While 12" may be Code, that doesn't mean it's best, especially if you have/are planning to have gas. There also isn't much workspace room overall next to it...I know it's better than what she currently has, but that doesn't mean it's enough or that it can't be even better. Another consideration...be sure to have at least a 24" overhang if you have the range (or cooktop) in that location. I do not recommend seating behind a range or cooktop, but if you insist on doing it, at least make it safe! Venting will also be an issue...for truly adequate venting, you need an overhead range hood...in this case, you'll need an "island range hood". [The majority of downdrafts are ineffective. Telescoping downdrafts are better, but then you have a vent in front of anyone sitting there and it's only effective for items right next to it and shorter than it by several inches.] About island range hoods... First, island range hood's are more expensive than wall hoods. Second, an island hood will hang down in front of anyone working or sitting there, will block the view to/from the DR & Kitchen, and will put the noise of a hood in your visitor's ears...and if you put in a raised bar, it's even worse b/c your visitors will be sitting another 6" higher and closer to the hood. Third, island range hoods need to be larger and/or stronger than wall hoods b/c of the increased air currents...meaning more $$ and more noise. Noise can be cut down by getting an even stronger hood and running it on low, but that adds yet more $$$ Fourth, that hood hanging down will most likely be a "commanding presence"...unless you get a low profile hood (meaning a thin hood) and/or glass (which means cleaning it often)...but those hoods have even less capture capability b/c there's no place to trap smoke/steam/grease/odors/etc. for venting out...so that means an even larger hood and more power and probably mounting even lower. IMHO, it's made even worse b/c the area is so small...a large hood will overwhelm that small peninsula. There are three main differences b/w BmorePanic's layout & JohnLiu's: Seating on the DR side of the kitchen. Is there room to take 24" of counter + seating space out of it? I can't tell from the pictures. Refrigerator location...I like John's location better b/c it puts it on the periphery and allows outsiders to get to it w/o interfering with those working in the kitchen DW location....I like Bmorepanic's better...it keeps the DW out of the Cooking Zone and out of the best Prep Zone...also across from the range. Why is that the best Prep Zone? Two reasons: (1) Because it's directly across from the range so going back & forth is easier and (2) It's out of traffic coming in/out of the kitchen. ......See MorePlease Help! Small Kitchen Layout with pics
Comments (62)Sorry, they are difficult to read! I had to shrink them a lot to get them to be a reasonable size (not too big/not too small). RHome410 & ScooterMom are right, while it's nice to have 24" on each side of the range and you should strive for it, it's not always possible. In this case, it's more important to have the additional work space on the other side of the range and 18" is a good amount of space for emergency landing space as well spoons, etc. I also agree about the corner prep sink...while it gives you two Prep Zones of a sort, the one nearer the range is the more important and it's just too small w/that corner sink. I just included it so you could see various options. The corner susan, btw, is a great place to store pots & pans. In my old kitchen all my pots & pans, colanders, etc. fit in our 36" lazy susan (the one w/the pole in the middle). Here's a closeup of the Snack Center containing A tall 24"W x 12"D cabinet either for additional pantry storage or for a utility cabinet for broom, mop, cleaning supplies, etc. A long counter that is very shallow by the garage door and gets deeper as you move away from the door. The widest part is 22.5" deep, which means... The two cabinets (24" & 30" wide) under the deeper part of the counter are 21" deep instead of the standard 24" (Ikea cabinets can be cut down, check IkeaFans for more information.) Under the shallow portion of the counter is a bookshelf for cookbooks A MW sits on the counter as part of the Snack Center. If you also drink coffee, you could put a coffemaker there as well. If you like them and they're in the budget, you might consider a 24" MW drawer so the MW is off the counter, leaving quite a bit more room for the Snack (or Snack/Beverage) Center. Snack Center Pros: It gets the MW out of the main area of the kitchen so it isn't taking up valuable counter space nor is it taking up cabinet space (under or over) in the main part of the kitchen (where the primary zones are located: Prep, Cooking, Cleanup) The MW is still fairly accessible from the kitchen's Prep & Cooking Zones but out of the main working area so snackers can use it (and/or the refrigerator) w/o getting in the way of those working in the kitchen The MW is located near the refrigerator/freezer where most foods cooked or warmed up come from MW is near the prep sink so if water is needed it can be gotten w/o, again, getting in the way of those working in the kitchen If you also put a coffeemaker there, it's also close to the prep sink for water. Actually it's not that far from the main/cleanup sink as well, but the prep sink is much closer and more convenient It helps spread out the various functions of the kitchen so you have more overall workspace. You could even work in front of the DR window if you needed to Snack Center Con: It might make that area a little......See Moreneed help with a small rectangular living room.
Comments (64)I'm late to the game and I use Homestyler too. What fun the snapshots are! (especially the 360 panorama) You have some nice arrangements. I would probably skip the fireplace and put a chair there and in the future you could put a TV on the wall with a credenza (where the 2 small chairs are). If you skip the fireplace and do shallow storage across that wall, you might be able to keep a chair in front of the storage shelves. If you want to keep the fireplace, I would move it down toward the door more and put a plant in the corner or maybe some storage. I would skip a chair in front of the fireplace. (Why block it?) I would definitely use smaller scale furniture, maybe even with legs so you get a more open feel. http://www.homestyler.com/designer/251ab2d8-32cc-4a0c-a273-ee33f1fa79d2 You should be able to view this in 3D if your are signed up for Homestyler by copying the layout and opening it when you are signed in. Maybe you don't have to sign up??...See MoreHelp with small dining area layout.
Comments (8)A banquette bench across the back with a round table so legs aren't such and issue would give you a less cluttered look. I see you have a radiator complicating things. I will say in our first kitchen we took the empty corner installed a trestle table and two benches and increased our seating capacity from two to six. Moving chairs take up A LOT of room....See More
mama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoIf structurally possible, I'd do a wider uncased opening--at least uncased on the kitchen side, so that the fridge can move against the wall. That should leave enough room in the corner for a 42" corner unit (I posted a pic for someone else today, so I'll attach it), and keep the counter continuous for prepping, which will be done between sink and range. Tell Fido I apologize.
Adding: 34" fridge, 24" DW, 30" sink + 24" for the corner unit = 112"
toycar77 thanked mama goose_gw zn6OH
toycar77
8 years agopalimpsest
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoI also did it because I would prefer continual counter between the sink and stove.
Also, the two tall elements bracket the window and make that run of counter good for set down space and small countertop appliance use.
The other option is a built in corner pantry that you can step in
toycar77 thanked palimpsestmama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoUsing palimpsest's first plan, which doesn't necessitate changing the opening, you could use the corner unit in the left corner, then have cabinets that come all the way down to the counter, for pantry storage. You'd still have a nice prep space on each side of the room, and wider drawers beside the range.
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palimpsest