Here's a picture of model home Kitchen, Please help me Improve it!

tinker_2006

8 years ago

This is the kitchen that shows in the model home we are building. Of course it is showing with $23,000 worth of upgrades... uppers are 36" and the glass ones are 42"

Anyways, the corner pantry closet is to the right, and the wall to the left or the pantry will be the wall ovens & frig. The room opens to the great room.

I'm keeping the floor layout as is... I know I'll be replacing base cabinets with door with drawers.. so what to to with the upper cabinets? I do like it as it shows with the 42 & 36, but wonder if anyone has any other suggestion I can play with in my home architect program.

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mamiller1056

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

My $.02 FWIW:

I am not a fan of uneven cabinet heights. Also, you can get more storage if you take all the cabinets to the ceiling (you can never have too much storage in a kitchen). It's a 10' ceiling, so plenty of room to do stacked cabinets. Don't worry that the uppers will be too high. Most women need a stepstool for anything above the second shelf in any case. Stacked uppers are a great place to store things you seldom use, but still need to put somewhere. Or, you can have the upper stack be glass doors, which is pretty.

Taking the cabinets to the ceiling will also do away with the clutter on top that I see there (I realize it's a model, but people tend to want to fill that empty space...), and do away with the dirt that collects on top of the cabinets when they do not go to the ceiling.

Hard to tell from photo, but hood looks like it may be too high above the cooktop. Ideally, the bottom of the hood should be 30-34" above the cooktop for best capture of the smoke and grease. Too high, and you are giving the smoke and grease more opportunity to waft elsewhere rather than be pulled in by the exhaust.

I like the glass cabinets, but would not do mullions in them. They can look busy, and it is annoying when you see the shelves not line up with the mullions. I would either do some pretty glass pattern like rippled glass, or clear glass with a bevel. The bevelled glass will likely cost more than the mullioned glass, but I am just not a fan of mullions.

Single-bowl sink not double.

I don't like fridges next to ovens, as the oven heat forces the fridge to work harder. But many people do this, so it's likely OK. Is there landing space for things going out of/into the fridge and oven? Or do you have to rely on the island for landing space?

That dark granite will show every speck and is very reflective. I would either get it honed so as not to be so reflective, or choose a granite that is not black like that.

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Comments (10)

User
8 years ago
Drop the ceiling to 102'' in the kitchen and breakfast area and then use all 42'' H cabinets with 6'' of molding to take the cabinets to the ceiling. Skip the wood hood in favor of a stainless chimney hood to pay for the to the ceiling upgrade. Put the wall oven on the cooktop wall to the left, and a built in MW in a cabinet to the right (just left of the pantry). Then scoot the fridge over so that yo don't have to go around the island to access it. The island is actually a barrier to efficiency as designed.
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Aisle widths...The NKBA has recommendations of minimum aisles... 6: Work Aisle The width of a work aisle should be at least 42" for one cook and at least 48" for multiple cooks. Measure between the counter frontage, tall cabinets and/or appliances. I would aim for 42" for each aisle for an aisle with no seating (but no less than 36" and only if you have no DW or oven opening into it). 8: Traffic Clearance at Seating In a seating area where no traffic passes behind a seated diner [and not a work aisle or appliances], allow 32" of clearance from the counter/table edge to any wall or other obstruction behind the seating area. a. If traffic passes behind the seated diner, allow at least 36" to edge past. b. If traffic passes behind the seated diner, allow at least 44" to walk past. Since you have appliances behind the island on the seating side (as well as doorways), you should aim for at least 54" b/w the counter edge to the appliance. Are you planning on getting rid of the door directly behind the island? It looks like a basement door, so I don't think you can w/o moving the stairs. All that noted, your kitchen isn't deep enough for those aisles, so you need to make some decisions on how functional you want your kitchen vs what you want, regardless of how it functions. Standard wall runs of cabinets are 25.5" deep...24" cabinet + 1.5" overhang Seating overhang for counter-height should be a minimum of 15" (and skimping won't help...people will take the same amount of space while seated regardless of overhang depth...they'll just be less comfortable with a too-shallow overhang. A human body can be squeezed only so much...) [I was thinking about this Wednesday night as I was seated at an island w/12" overhang for a meeting...no one was able to sit close to the island edge, we were all pushed back and had to lean in to get to the surface of the island...it wasn't very comfortable.] So, if you want an island w/seating in a kitchen, this is what you need for a kitchen depth: 25.5" sink run + 42" aisle + (25.5" on cabinet side of island + 15" seating overhang) + 54" aisle = 162" (13'6") You have 150" or 12'6"...so 12" short. (24" sink run cabinets + 39" aisle + + 42" island + 45" aisle = 150") [That 13' measurement includes the bay window) Now, you can reduce the aisle a little, but not much. Say, make the aisle behind the island 48" to gain 6". However, you're still 6" short. Since the DW is on the aisle b/w the island & sink run, narrowing the aisle 6" isn't really a good idea. Maybe 3", but not 6". Your only real option is to take the extra 3" to 6" from behind the island. But, as Bmorepanic noted, it will limit what you can do when someone is sitting at the island. So, what are you doing w/the bay window space? Have you considered expanding the kitchen into that area and using the DR for all meals and the island for snacks? Dishwasher...I suggest...
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funky - I totally agree with the practicality of the extra sink, water by the cooktop, the baking area and as a beverage center for parties. Ranges, I don't like them much. The simple freestanding ones are out of the question, spills run down the side into the netherworld between cabinet and stove...yak, shudder! The slide-ins don't create that type of mess and cost less at the outset than built ins, but if either the cooktop or the oven stops working, both need to be replaced, not much of a savings there. We currently have a GE top of the line slide in range in which the oven racks keep falling off the guides as (can anyone even believe this?) the oven walls have started to bow out. So much for "American made" and "top of the line" in today's appliances. Also, we're aiming to achieve a minimalist scandinavian look, and ranges, even the slide-in ones just have so much bulk to them. As to occasionally bending down, it's probably good for us, and just doesn't bother me. I'd say the bending when filling and emptying the dishwasher is much more of an issue, as we do that repeatedly each day and often for a prolonged time. If my DW would butt up to tall cabinetry in my kitchen plan, I'd elevate the DW center to counter height, the way Europeans build theirs right into their cabs, now that would really make a nice difference. benje - I've seen that kitchen, it's very cool looking. An open galley like that is what my dream home would have, so practical and no corners. And yes, it would look and work fabulous in our family room. But, he problem is, the family room would not look good in the old kitchen space, for one the space is just too small. Secondly, the almost wall to wall and floor to ceiling window and sliding door in the current family room are what make sitting there and gazing into the backyard ideal. We also enjoy these views from our kitchen, as we can see through the family room into the backyard. The reverse would not be the case, the kitchen cabinetry would block the view from people who are sitting on low couches. In the current kitchen, the window sills are at ca. 37" and cannot be changed (beneath two of them sits our tall AC). anyway there is no view out the side yard, and we will not add a "picture window" to the front of our house. So, no, I don't think we would ever use this space as a family room. Nice try though benje - thank you.
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tinker_2006
Original Author
8 years ago
Can't modify the ceiling height at all, semi custom home with restrictions!

Yes, Island is the only place as a landing area for the frig, Should I forgo the walloven/microwave combo and use a gas range with oven, and microwave drawer? That would allow a landing area near frig.
blfenton
8 years ago
Move the DW to the other side of the sink and trash pull-out where the DW is now.

Unless you're set on wall ovens, then yes, I would do as you suggested by getting rid of them.

If you're set on the wall oven then at least exchange the fridge and the wall ovens. On a daily basis you and your family are in and out of the fridge a whole lot more than you are the oven.

Can you do all the uppers at 42"?
funkycamper
8 years ago
I agree with most of what the others have said. Cabinets to ceiling or, if not possible, soffit with crown moldings so you don't have a clutter/dirt collector up there.

It looks like blfenton and I are on the same wavelength about a few tweaks. I would also get rid of the small walk-in pantry that just takes up bulk but doesn't really provide tons of storage and put in a regular reach-in pantry as shown below. You should be able to store about the same amount of stuff without taking up extra square footage and visual space.

I put the fridge nearer the eating area so people can grab a drink, condiment and such without walking so far from the table. I moved down the range and took away the wall ovens. I switched the DW and trash and added the reach in pantry. the pink space says AG = appliance garage. There are a lot of nice designs to choose from in a space like that depending on what appliances you'd put there. Or you could just have an open nook to slide appliances out of the way when you're not using them

Anyway, that's how I would do it. the range placement could be tweaked further, if needed.
autumn.4
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Is that your 'breakfast room' your dining room or an additional eating area?

My layout is pretty similar but the breakfast room you show is our dining room and only eating space besides the island. 99.9% of my prep is done where your DW is showing now - I'd definitely flip it to the other side as others have suggested and scootch it down for more prep space as much as you can but still keep the stove and sink staggered. Mine is just as blfenton said, (4 drawer stack), trash, sink, DW. Dish storage is directly behind the DW which is out of the way for table setting, DW empty/fill while I am actually working in the kitchen. Oh how I love that my kids are now old enough to help in the kitchen. Sorry that is OT but I just had that mental image while typing and it made me smile. :D

I'd probably skip the ovens too and make that a place for coffee/toaster/mw - that is a very busy corner in our house. FWIW most things taken out of the fridge here land either on the island or on the counter next to it where you show your double ovens to be. I think it's a 50/50 split depending on what it is.

edit: was cross-posting with funkycamper. If you can do it I think her pantry idea works best. Actually it's so much space you could have a counter to the right of it for a coffee bar if it's something you'd use.
edenaurora
8 years ago
We currently have a corner pantry like that and HATE it. In fact, it's the first thing I am demoing once our remodel starts in the next couple of weeks. It's grossly inefficient and takes up so much space. I'm going to gain a ton of counterspace. We are replacing it with a 13" deep full height pantry cabinet and 42" upper cabinets.

Here's a picture. The inset is the current layout and the larger is going to be the new layout.
debbie12153
8 years ago
I'm totally onboard with funkycamper
huango
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Ditto Funkycamper,

with a tweak: put in ~29-30" deeper countertop/base cabinets (or by pulling the base cabs out ~5" from the wall), to be almost flushed with the fridge.

Most people have stuff on their countertops:

- coffee Keurig

- toasters,

- spices, etc.

With deeper countertops, you still have 22"+ of usable countertop in front of the small appliances, etc.

And the standard depth fridge (which is more affordable than counter-depth fridge) will look flushed/built-in.

--

I love my appliance garage. Let me know if you want the link.

--

While you're at it, let me suggest induction cooktop. Great performance AND easy to clean.

Amanda
tinker_2006 thanked huango
tinker_2006
Original Author
8 years ago
Amanda, I have had an induction cooktop - it was awesome! Much to think about!! :)

Here's a picture of model home Kitchen, Please help me Improve it!

mamiller1056

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