Maybe a free standing unit in front of the pass through? You don't want to use it now (right?) but may want to use it again in the future. So how about something like this?

Vintage-Inspired Inglewood Cottage · More Info

Here's a link to the same thread this picture came from....on vintage kitchens, including a few fireplaces :)

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3153542/more-interesting-cabinet-ideas-for-vintage-kitchen?n=12

lavender_lass, thank you for the link and feedback! i have been following your threads as I love looking at all the interesting vintage kitchens! yes, we won't use the pass-through now, except for occasionally passing snacks through!

do you think if the fridge is paneled, it can look nice enough? maybe if i make it look like a hutch? i thought the fridge location was good as it was out of the way of traffic and closer to the eating area, and am struggling with location, lol..

I do love the fireplace! And the seating :)

But honestly, I think the layout is a little awkward. I looked at your earlier thread and I really like the windows in some of the other plans. Your new plan seems kind of dark and off balance. What about something like this?

lavender, thank you! yeah, i agree the new design feels darker, but there is also a skylight so it won't be too bad, with respect to lighting. i like your reshaping of the island. it does feel less awkward with respect to the seating area in front of the fireplace.

the issue with putting the range on the pass-thru wall is that it permanently blocks the pass-thru, which i thought was charming to have and a good way to spy on my kids, lol. also we have a vaulted ceiling which starts to peak at that point in the wall, so i thought ventilation might be expensive there...

hmmm... maybe i should do a sink on a peninsula instead of having an island?

i'll do another layout and post. thank you!!

I don't see how you can do a farmhouse sink in the corner. The DW door will be banging into the sink I think.

cpartist, good point! maybe i will separate the d/w and sink with a skinny cabinet, or some filler pullout.

I know the fireplace is unique in your area and it could not be replaced as-is because of code, however, I think there is a missed opportunity in that back wall of the vaulted space. You could have some fantastic windows and create a real feature there that would emphasize the indoor-outdoor living that you can do in California.

As is, it just doesn't look well-designed to me. Also, the fireplace doesn't provide any true function.

Of course, if you really really love that fireplace--if you find it beautiful and it brings you joy--I think you should definitely keep it, but if you're just keeping it because it's unique? Don't feel bad about demoing it. It's not original to the house anyway.

Sorry. I know it's a dissenting opinion, but I'm wondering if you considered removing the fireplace if you wouldn't have a prettier kitchen overall.

disclaimer: we removed a fireplace in our house. and we're happy we did, so I'm biased.

benjesbride, thank you being the voice of reason! but both DH and I really do love the fireplace. our yard is very small as we are in a small-town downtown area, so not much views to speak of, except for what we would create with landscaping. i have to admit it is a struggle to fit everything in and look nice, but i do want to give it a few more goes before giving it up, lol!

i did have a crazy idea to use the fireplace for rotisserie or pizza, .. though maybe doing all of this designing is making me insane, lol..

Can you tie into the back of the kitchen fireplace and have an outdoor fireplace? Maybe screen the back porch, so the fireplace is in the screened portion? That would be nice :)

I can't offer any layout advice. Just want to say your dining area is just lovely.

That fireplace is great! I can understand why you are determined to keep it.

I think you may not have enough space to have the two chairs and table facing in front of the fireplace and have room for a nice usable island.

Maybe you could move the desk area as it is not really part of your kitchen work space anyways. I was thinking of a nice cozy banquette in that corner. Maybe something like this?

Love the fireplace in the kitchen! Imagine having that nice view as you prep.

rebunky, thank you for the beautiful pics! it gives me a few more ideas to try out!

lavender i like the backyard fireplace idea. i will look into it more. i was reading up on how to convert a fireplace into a pizza oven today. turns out, it is quite an endeavor, so i think that idea is out.. i might put a gas insert in and use it for zone heating in winter if i can't cook in it, lol.

ok, so i tweaked my plan quite a bit.

I took out existing fireplace built-ins and replaced with 2 matching pantry hutches. took out desk area ala rebunky's suggestion, and added a much-needed door to take garbage out.

I tweaked the island, ala lavender's suggestions, which gives more room for the chairs in front of FP.

since i had the pantry hutches, i made the pass-thru cabs regular depth, which i think makes that cabinet run look nicer and gives me more counter space.

i am still not liking the wall cabinet run. should i frame the pass-thru opening more by taking one cab down to counter? it would mean giving up some counter space but i guess i could hide some small appliances inside..

new layout

pass-thru wall with apron sink in corner, the green color is what you see of the dining room thru the pass-thru, fridge and d/w are paneled

range wall view

island view

michoumonster, I remember your other thread, but didn't weigh in because you had a lot of very capable help (still do). Excuse me if you've already stated that you hate clean-up on an island, but I think your latest plan is perfect for a corner prep sink, with DW, clean-up sink, and shared trash on the island. The pass-through behind you doesn't pose a conflict, and the DW would be on the DR side, convenient for incoming dirty dishes. It would also give you a second prep space close to the fridge.

Adding: Instead of having trash beside the clean-up sink, you could have it where the DW is currently drawn, and have a dish-drying base cabinet with inserts similar to these:

Since the right side of the island faces the range, and isn't seen from the DR, you could put ventilation holes in a recessed panel, or put a perforated metal insert there, then either could be replaced if you decide to change the drying cabinet. Line the bottom of the cabinet with plastic or a sheet of stainless steel, and use microfiber mats to absorb water drops. You could also put a mat on each pull-out shelf to prevent water from dropping on the floor when the shelves are extended. (When my dishwasher was out of commission, and I washed dishes by hand, I seriously considered replacing it with a drying cabinet as I've described. My kitchen is vintage style and the cabinet would have looked appropriate with vent slits like the old sink cabinets used to have.) GW thread on sink cabinet vents.

I really like the back wall with the range, windows, and door.

I way prefer that latest design. I understand why you want seating facing the fireplace, but there is something really bugging me about it - can someone help me put it into words? It seems like it is "floating" and needs to be anchored somehow. In my house those chairs would never be sitting nice and symmetrical, they would tend to "travel" and I would be straightening them all the time. They have no reference point and they feel really close to the food prep/splatter zone. Also it is not clear - are they to sit and eat at? Would that start happening? My kids would end up there with their cereal, like a breakfast nook, and I don't think that's what is intended.

It might just be orientation - I went and looked at some houzz photos and found these two pics - note they are facing into the room and have more of an ottoman type thing, it makes it clear that these chairs are for relaxing. I know they are more of a country look, but you get what I am saying. I think maybe an area rug under them would help define that space as well?But please think wipeable fabric, maybe you have a much neater home than I do lol!

Weston Residence · More Info

Allie · More Info

The new plan is much better on the range wall (IMHO) but the corner sink looks like an after thought. I agree with MamaGoose, it looks more like a prep sink...so why not add sink and dishwasher to the island?

As for the fireplace seating, I think it depends on whether you want to look at the fire...or have the warmth from the fire. I moved the chairs back a bit, so there's room to walk between chairs and fireplace to get to the door.

Here's the chairs and table 'flipped' to be against the fireplace and looking at the kitchen. Also room to access pantries and door, if chair dimensions are correct. Hope this helps :)

mamagoose, i do love having a prep sink, just i didn't think i would need one since the clean-up sink was so close to the range. i originally wanted to put the cleanup sink against a wall so i could have a drying cabinet above that drips down into the sink, but your drying cab in the island idea with the metal pullout would also work great. i love the venting cabinet door idea. thank you so much!!

stephan, thanks for the suggestion and pics! the idea of having the warmth of the fire on your back is very nice.

lavender, thanks for the mockup! is it the corner cabinet that makes it look off, or the fact that there is a sink there, or because of the sink size?

another thought-- it would be nice to have a FP view while i prep... so then should i do prep sink in island and keep the cleanup in corner? maybe the problem with the cleanup sink is the size-- love having a large one-bowl for cleaning baking trays and pots, but would a smaller cleanup sink still be functional?

It depends on your cooking style, and whether you'll have help with prep or clean-up. With the fridge right there, you can prep on the island, and move along to the range, or prep in the corner with the window view, or mix it up. Just because we call it a clean-up sink doesn't mean it can't be used for prep when you don't have someone else cleaning up after you as you go. Having two sinks gives you options, even if you don't always use both. In your last plan, with a prep sink, you'll have four work spaces, if ever you have a large gathering, and recruit several helpers.

If you move the chairs closer to the FP as was suggested (that was my first thought, too, but I didn't mention it because chairs can be moved at any time), then move the island a few inches to center it on the range, the work aisle will be wider.

thanks mama_goose, that makes sense. sometimes we are a multi-cook household so both do prep. unfortunately, most of the cleanup is my job, lol. i guess it is not far to go from either, so it would be easy to mix it up. just I was thinking that i should designate one as cleanup, which is where i would devote the drying cab and d/w as i don't want to give up too much cabinet space and get 2 d/w.

So if you do clean-up, you get to choose where the big sink goes, and choose your view. ;)

I think it's the corner sink cabinet that seems out of place. Maybe too modern for the traditional style?

A prep sink on the island (looking at fireplace) sounds great to me! :)

Maybe a clean up sink (plate rack or glass uppers above) with dishwasher and recycling corner?

Also, I added one stool that can 'live' under the island, unless you want to sit and prep. Otherwise, it will slide out of the way and not be blocking the traffic pattern....

Plate rack...or even drying rack, over main sink...third picture down in link.

http://www.skimbacolifestyle.com/2009/01/scandinavian-kitchen-products.html

A couple of things: In your plan, loading the DW does not look comfortable with the corner sink--you'd have more room to maneuver with the DW on the island, and room for a bigger sink. I love my 33" apron sink--I've posted before that I fell in love the day I realized that my oven racks will lay flat in it. :)

I have the DW across from the fridge, but unless you store your dishes in the fridge, you probably won't have both open at the same time. If you're cleaning up and DH needs something from the fridge for prep, someone says, "Excuse me for a second" and moves on.

You can store dishes in the shallow cabinets across from the sink, in the uppers above the pass-through, and/or in drawers between the prep sink and range. Or switch the trash to the other side of the prep sink, and put dish storage on the right side. Pots in drawers beside the oven

I didn't address the MW, which could go in a drawer on the back of the island (with some snack or breakfast items), a drawer beside the oven, or on a shelf beside the pass-through cabs.

I like the sink location (on the wall) in lavender's latest plan--if it was a clean-up sink. I wouldn't destroy the built-in to put a DW there, but if it fits, that might work. Given the choice I'd still put the DW on the corner near the DR.

Adding: If you put the prep sink on the island, which I also like in lavender's plan, I'd put it on the corner across from the fridge, then put the trash on the other corner, so that it can be shared between prep/clean-up/cooking zones. That leaves the max amount of prep counter.

thanks everybody!

so i made changes to the plan, mostly incorporating all of the great suggestions.

i decided to put the cleanup on the wall and do a recycle center in the corner cab as lavender suggested. I added a prep sink and will prep on the island. i think functionally, everything is in place.

now, aesthetically, is there a way to improve the pass-thru wall? the wall cabs just seem unbalanced due to size differences, so not sure how to make it better..

new layout with 2 sinks

pass-thru wall the cabs above the pass-thru opening are 48", then the next two cabinets are 33". is there a way to make them look less unbalanced?

range wall -- i was thinking about doing a dutch door, or would you do a door to match the doors that go out to backyard from dining?

hutch wall

I think that a stronger backsplash on the left part of that wall might visually balance it. See how when mamagoose but the grey there, the weights seemed more balanced? The molding only on the pantry gives it more weight, too - carry that across the other cabs? Not sure what BS you had in mind...That makes me want to suggest that the cab above the passthrough gets shortened and the main passthrough is higher, now, instead of the second one.

Glad you put a stool at the island - you have a great spot for two people to work now. Love dutch doors!!!!

Haha mama, love your kids and doggie/kitty drawing!

Michou, I really like the changes you made on the fireplace wall and the range wall. Looks great to me!

I think a clear door to match the other side would look the best. Dutch door would look good too, if it had glass on at least the upper part.

I see what you mean on the sink side. Yeah, something is not working esthetically for me either.

One thought is if only the 48" cabinet above the pass thru had the glass doors, with the rest on that run being solid wood, your eye might go more to the glass cab. Then the two 33" being wood would look more planned? I am not sure what existing upper cabinets you have to work with, so might not work.

Also, adding the crown molding across everthing to tie it to the fridge will help visually.

I still worry that a white apron sink is going to draw all the focus. It does look weird to me being sort of pushed off center towards the corner like that. A regular sink in the same color as the countertop so it "disappears" would help, but you might have your heart set on the apron.

Or... And I know I am going to get scolded for even suggesting this on GW...:-/

I just keep seeing your farm sink centered in the pass thru opening. The focus would definitely be that farm sink and the glass upper for sure. Of course you might want to go with "rain glass" so you don't see the water drips if you do the dish drying rack. Haha! I would also move the island prep sink to the other side across from the fridge.

The big GW no-no of course is it puts the dishwasher on the left, which is in the secondary prep zone. Form over function is not a popular choice. However, if you would mainly be prepping at the island looking at the outside views and that gorgeous fireplace, maybe it wouldn't be a huge issue? For some on here though, it's a deal breaker. Oh well, it was just a crazy thought for possibly having a more pleasing look, since that was bugging you.

I love this!!! :)

mama_goose, lol, pic 3. you nailed my family to a tee! i didn't give up on the drying cab, i plan to put one right above the clean-up sink. I actually have a makeshift one in my current kitchen that was GW-inspired. my family loves it, so it was requested I make sure to have one in the new kitchen. I cut the bottom out of my glass wall cab and put in wire shelving so it would drip into my sink. i might try the one you designed under the sink and see if i like it better (it is a better design for shorter people like me), and i do love those vented doors under the apron sink you posted :-)

here is a pic of my makeshift drying cab. i probably should have used frosted glass to conceal the inside better, but i don't mind it.

and here is a pic of the bottom looking up from the sink

an unexpected benefit is at night when I use the undercab lighting, it lights up my glass cabinet.

stephanj, i think you are right, maybe i need to frame the other side of the sink as the molding from the pass-thru throws me off.. i think in real life there is no molding, but i would need to do something around the opening to keep the edges of drywall clean from all of the nearby sink activities.

rebunky, thanks for the suggestions on how to make it prettier! i do think it is a balancing act between form and function, so i try not to sweat a few inches here or there and have madea few choices that were more form than function before, lol... I did consider putting the apron sink in front of the pass-thru, but then, i thought the faucet would get in the way of passing things through! it would look prettier though, so i might still do it. maybe if i don't center the faucet it would work... the pass-thru has a sliding glass door, so i wouldn't worry about splash going to the other side.

Thank you, lavender. :)

michoumonster, thank you for posting pics of the drying cabinet. If my kids ever move out (at which point I should have fewer dirty dishes), I think a drying cabinet would be great--more conservative of resources, and out of sight.

That drying rack is uber-cool, michoumonster!

thanks! i actually wanted those special european drying cabinets like lavender_lass linked a few posts up, but did not know where to find them here in the US. But the wire shelving works just fine and was a very inexpensive alternative. One thing about the wire shelving though is I cannot stand up plates since the bottom is flat, so it is not quite as efficient use of space. i thought about figuring out a way to attach those baking tray holders, but procrastination got the better of me, lol. Now that we plan to move soon, I probably will do version 2.0 for the new kitchen. Doing the cabinet above the sink is nice in that it drips into the sink, but i feel a little unsafe putting my hand-washed heavy pots or pans up there above my head (maybe because I am short). So a drying cab under the sink with a tray to collect drips might work better for pots and pans.

funky, now that you are back, I have to bug you-- can you send me pics of your pocket door setup? TIA :-)

Would tray holders need to be attached? Couldn't they just sit on the wire cabinet base? How about using zip ties? If they work better for you, those looked racks Lavender posted are cool, too. I am just so impressed that you figured a budget way to create one yourself! Seems you could design your own for lower as well. Maybe lowers with roll out shelves and then just place a regular dish rack on the shelf with one of those drying mats under the rack. The door front can be replaced with attractive wire mesh for air flow.

When my own remodel is done, my DW and clean up sink will be on an island. Well, more like a peninsula as one end is against a wall. The sink facing out to dining/sitting room. I don't want dishes piled on my counter either so I bought a Raskog cart from Ikea. It is metal, has three shelves with raised sides and the shelf bottoms have lots of small holes. It is small but I don't do a lot of dishes by hand so it will work fine for a drying rack for me. My aisle is wide enough that it can sit against the wall without blocking DW or drawers from being opened and I think it looks cute there.

Thanks for the reminder. Making myself a reminder note to do a photo in the daylight tomorrow.

I really like how your space is coming together and glad that you are keeping the fireplace.

I love the drying cab, so cool! When I was in Hawaii the house had a drying rack that bumped out over the outdoors, so the dishes dripped on to the plants outside :-) I could never figure out how to bring that into a colder climate and now I see! I am saving this idea for my next kitchen!

funky, using the zip ties didn't hold up the dish rack tines for me. i couldn't get them tight enough not to flop around when you pt the weight of dishes on them, so i think they need to be soldered. it just takes some focus and a push to get those things done. It took me 12 months to get all my drawer organizers in place, lol.

I love the raskog tray! especially the blue one. DH wanted the gray one, which we use as a bath cart by our kid's tub for soaps and shampoo, etc. . I have to get the blue one next, it has a cute retro feel for sure.

stephan, what a great idea! good way to conserve water too.

Sorry it took me so long to get you my photos of the slider. We had some things piled in the way to move out for a garage sale and I was lazy about getting them moved. Anyway, here tis. Please excuse the ugly pink carpet that's going soon and the shabby chair that will be recovered eventually and the mess in the corner and the ugly light fixture needing replacing, oy veh! The door is 48" wide, original to the house which was built in 1949, and we have had no problems with the slider mechanism. I would invest in the best quality slider you can find if you do this. You don't want it coming off the rails which could possibly require you tearing out a wall to fix.

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The chair in the foreground is in the living room. The couch in the office is a hide-a-bed. The desk is to the left of the opening. I really love this door. I can work at the desk and not feel closed off to the rest of the house. However, if I need to concentrate, I can close the door. And we can close the door for guests to sleep.

The other nice thing is when we entertain large groups, we can have the door open and people can spill-over into that room if they want to have a more private conversation yet be close enough to be part of the action in the bigger, adjacent living room. We also have a shelf of children's books and a toy box in there so kids can play in there while being close enough to monitor but not right underfoot.

There is another door from the room out to the bedroom/bathroom hallway so you an access the bathroom without having to walk through the living space.

I think it might be a great solution for that bedroom that backs up to your living room. I absolutely love that door as it makes that space so multi-functional with flexible uses.

We got the cream Raskog. It matches the background in our linoleum flooring perfectly. Yay! I'm thinking of getting another one to use on our patio. With the high sides, they are quite handy for a small cart, aren't they? As well as super-cute. I want the blue one, too! But it matches nothing on my patio. ;(

Edited to add: If I was doing this in a new build, I would investigate if there is a way to install the sliding mechanism in the wall but have the opening be about 1-1.5" wider than the slider. The only thing I don't like about it is that at 4-feet wide, the expanse of space really calls for a piece of art to be hung there and there is no way to do that. I would love to have a huge print on that wall that could slide into the wall with the door when it is open. I have no idea if that is possible but just thought it worth mentioning.

thanks funky! DH likes this idea too. I agree, it would really work to add that slider in our living room and small bedroom. we are thinking to make that room a guest bedroom/office or playroom (we are still trying to figure out which room to use to contain their mess but where we still can monitor them, lol), so that would be perfect.

i wonder if the key to making it look good is having paneling around the doorway? your walls around the slider and the door are all the same material, so it looks more hidden.

maybe you can hang a tapestry on the door, those aren't as thick as a painting.

I'm so glad both you and your DH like the idea. I really love it. That room would be so dark and little used without the slider. Of course, if we still had both kids living at home, one would have that as their bedroom and then the slider would probably never be open. The door material is solid and heavy enough to block sounds well from the living room if it was being used as a bedroom.

What kind of walls are you doing in your living room? I think I'd be inclined to doing the same quarter-round non-molding type edges I have and then simply paint the door the same color as the walls in the living room. Then paint the bed/play/office room side to match those walls. Personally, I would rather have the door almost disappear instead of being framed with molding. However, a lot of what would look best aesthetically will really depend on your style of home. If you will have interesting moldings in your house, then moldings around the door might work quite well.

I'll throw out a couple other door ideas for you.

I have a friend who had display-case swinging doors built to hide her W/D in her combo kitchen/sitting room. They are on very heavy-duty piano hinges. There are small rails built into the bottom of each shelf to help hold things on the shelf. The upper-shelves hold things like decorative plates and books. I think she also uses museum gel (or whatever it's called) which is tacky and keeps the plates from sliding around but doesn't damage the items or the wood shelves. The bottom shelves are slanted back with a rail in front and she puts current reading material like magazines and books there, with the front of the facing forwards. I have been there when she has opened/closed them to do laundry and I don't recall that she has to be especially careful when doing that to keep things from falling or sliding. And they don't seem to be particularly heavy to move. I think it would depend on super-heavy-duty hinges to make them easy to swing. It looks great. However, she obviously doesn't have them open any longer than it takes to do laundry. If you want the doors to be able to stay open, you'll have to have enough room in the room the doors swing into to keep them open without being in the way. And, of course, if you want to monitor small children playing, the open doors could block your view. Just thought I would mention it just in case it appealed to you.

Another option might be using barn-door hardware instead of sliding pocket door hardware. Something like this but, of course, open to a room instead of a bar. Again, you would need a bit more space in the room the doors are installed to make this work. You couldn't have furniture up against those walls. Just throwing out more ideas so you have options to consider.

Personally, I like the pocket slider because I tend to be more of a minimalist in my style. YMMV

Pair of Barn Doors · More Info

I just measured and I barely have 1/8" clearance for anything to hang on my door and still slide into its pocket. So even a tapestry wouldn't work. I would even be leery of a piece of paper simply taped on it. I'm afraid it would catch and tear and somehow get into the mechanism and mess it up. But thanks for the suggestion anyway.

Well, I've rambled on long enough. I really hope these ideas help you create a space that works for all your visitors and for your lifestyle when you don't have a lot of guests staying with you.

thank you funky! lots of great ideas! I think my preference is for a pocket door too. I can leave it open longer if I choose. we just have white drywall there now, so any door would be painted white to be less noticeable. but i think it won't disappear as well as yours does unless there is paneling. we might consider adding white paneling to the entire wall, which would match a door better. i think that might look nice in a living room too..

I look forward to your reveal. I hope the pocket slider works as well for you as it has for us. :)

Hi Everyone,

I finally got it together to do a reveal! I put it at the end of this other thread. But wanted to share with you all from this thread since you all have been so instrumental in my design! Thank you!

Michoumonster's fireplace kitchen reveal