Small awkward kitchen layout, help?
Here's what the cabinet designer came up with. I'm just not excited by it.
the plan is to enlarge the window,
move the dishwasher from to the right of the sink to by the fridge and slightly push over the range.
I really want a pantry cabinet as we live in an old home with no storage, any suggestions for placement without it being overly bulky? I want an option for another place for the microwave and I just want a spice drawer, is it worth sacrificing asthetic.
Thanks for any input!
Comments (21)
cpartist
8 years ago
Mat
8 years agoI've been reading that it's not the best to put the dishwasher next to the fridge because of the heat/moisture that is created from the dishwasher. Have you thought about not using lazy susans and using blind corners? You could then put the dishwasher next to the range, move the fridge in a bit and have a pantry cabinet surround the fridge.
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Small Awkward Kitchen Layout - Help!
Comments (17)Wright, I'm finding I'm guessing way too much what the context might be. Is the driveway running along outside the basement stairs, or does the dining bay look out on it? Is there garden outside that back door or garbage cans? Where are the sunshine and views to be treasured and used? Is the bay to the floor or does it stop short? Is there a relatively spacious living room that could easily provide space for dining for 2-6? Is the living room so small that it really needs the open dining area shown to keep it from feelling cramped? Could you shift the door to the basement to the bottom of the stairs and open the stairwell at the kitchen level to open up the space visually? Would that be a bad idea because you never go down there if you can possibly avoid it? Just imagining in lieu of a real picture that: You have a pretty back yard outside that back door, do use the basement enough to make opening up that wall a less than horrible prospect, and the living room would be pleasant and attractive without the dining area: In that situation I'm imagining shifting the kitchen to the wider living room side in a precision engineered U. Dining for two by a glass back door, and maybe a pretty window added to make it particularly to sit there. Perhaps the bay remounted on the back wall. Open banister to stair well on left, art, mirrors, whatever displayed on the wall beyond, traffic flowing unimpeded along the left from back door to living room. BTW, DH wanted to catch tarpon, so I'm in Florida right now in an old mobile home juust under 600 square feet, but the layout is so excellent I'm constantly amazed at how large it lives. Except the kitchen. It was designed for an unaugmented area and its 7x10 was supposed to hold the dining area too. I fantasize about what some tweaking within its footprint could do for it. Someday maybe--if a storm doesn't wash it out into the estuary first....See MoreThose darn corners - Please help with my awkward kitchen layout!
Comments (8)Thanks, everyone, for your ideas so far! Stan Z - Nixing the upper corner cab is an interesting idea! I love the balance it would bring to that wall. I'm just not sure if I would be able to reach everything, and I'm paranoid about not having enough storage (especially if the W/D goes in the "pantry"). Do you think it would look better if I put another upper cabinet to the right of the stove (instead of open shelves) to balance that out? If I end up with the second design (corner Susan and larger 24" to the right of the stove) I was planning on putting an upper there. I've definitely gone back and forth on the peninsula thing... but we're pretty set on keeping a separate dining room. desertsteph - sorry about the measurements on the floorplan not showing up well! I didn't realize the image would post so small. I will simplify the drawing so it's easier to read once I get home. The curved line is a door (in my terrible drafting skills). Those are the stairs to the second floor, and the stairs to the basement are underneath it (enter through the dining room). I just included that to show that the flow of traffic is going in that direction. The kitchen originally had the opening on the other side, but I think it makes more sense to direct the traffic on that side. No bathroom on the first floor, unfortunately, but we have a street level walkout basement with another bathroom. There really isn't space for one on the first floor, and probably less than half the houses in the neighborhood have added one, so I'm not too worried about it. mgmum - Switching the DW and sink is a definite possibility. I thought if I kept the bar seating there I thought it would be better to have the dishwasher next to it instead of the sink (since we probably wouldn't be loading the dishwasher while someone is there, but we might be working at the sink). Maybe that's just not true, though. That is an exterior wall by the bar - it's a garden window looking out at the patio (the shape in the mockup is correct but I couldn't figure out how to make the panes see through). buehl - I'm open to the sink going somewhere other than by the window... it just seems like the most obvious place that people think is "correct". I've never had a dishwasher so I keep thinking in terms of my old paradigm. It's going to be an adjustment (the good kind!). Honestly the window doesn't have a great view - it looks at the brick wall of the house across the street. I'm more concerned about the dishwasher door or sink being too close to the breakfast bar if someone is sitting there and snacking or chatting with the cook. At first I was being stubborn about the blind corner, but once I realized it might not fit into the design, I began to think that a corner Susan would be better anyway. I'm kind of the same size as a small child, but that sounds like a royal pain to deal with. I think I just got dazzled by the fancy pullout at Ikea! Maybe it's better to void the corner to fix the issue of the stove and sink being too close. I'll take another look at what that would look like. mama goose_gw zn6OH - Yes, that window is pre-existing. It's actually not a pass through and doesn't even open except a little vent at the top! It's not the highest quality window but I don't mind it and would probably prefer to change it out later down the road to save some money. It does seem like one of those "while you're at it" things, though... it's probably more cost effective to do everything at once if I can scrape up some more. I do like your U shape design a lot, but I was reeeeeally hoping to put some seating in the kitchen since the dining room is separate. Good point about the fridge - for some reason I was thinking it would stick out enough (though it definitely doesn't the way I drew it) or we would put a filler piece there to allow it to open. I'll have to double check on that. lavender_lass - You just said the magic word! I blew my bathroom budget by a mile because I went on a tiling spree... but I'll probably wait to tile the kitchen and DIY it later on, so that might make it feasible. I do love those feature tile walls in a kitchen! Is the breakfast bar what's screwing me up here? Do I need to give up that dream?? Would people think I made a giant mistake if the sink is still under the window but not centered? I could tell that idea gave my contractor a twitch when I brought it up!...See MoreKitchen design advice for small awkward layout in 1900 farmhouse
Comments (6)Maybe, push peninsula even further back to give more space within. keep chairs with people out of walk way. need panel on right side of microwave hood. Keep same spacing on both sides of window to keep balanced symmetry around window. Stoves that close to corner is not ideal. make sure fillers in corner are wide enough so drawers don't hit handles...See MoreNeed design help on small awkward kitchen design
Comments (30)I always try to cite the NKBA guidelines, because they are standard for a functional kitchen, and it's better to know all the rules, before we start to bend them. ;) In my own kitchen, on two sides I have narrower aisles than recommended, but it works OK for my layout. My DW opens into a long aisle, not against the island, and the island overlaps the fridge and range by 50% each, so there is step-back space in front of each appliance. Behind the seating I have base cabinets and uppers, providing more space at shoulder height than vertical elements would. My DW is in the prep space between the sink and range, but due to an entry on the other side of the sink, that couldn't be changed. One of the advantages to an island is a second egress--if someone is blocking a path on one side, another person can go around. For instance, if two people are sitting at your island on the long side, anyone entering from the back door can cut through the work aisles, rather than try to squeeze by the second seat. Of course, then you have someone cutting through the work zones, but that might not happen often, if ever....See More
funkycamper
8 years ago
Carrie B
8 years agoBuehl
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoBuehl
8 years agoBuehl
8 years agoBuehl
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoBuehl
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agopractigal
8 years agoRachele Roberts
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoooo oh you guys! These are great suggestions
the top is when we were considering an addition so we drew that out, however we just decided to close off the doorway in the kitchen extending it a bit more into the dining room.
Rachele Roberts
8 years agoCurrent configuration. I could've cleaned but with a mess of a husband and 2 year old i can't bring myself to it yet today.
Jillius
8 years agoIf you were considering an addition, then this might be an option for you. Expensive, but less expensive than an addition and buys you 4-5 more feet in your kitchen.
What I did was shift both the staircase and the powder room towards the front of the house, and I also shrunk the powder room. This makes your kitchen four feet longer without an addition. (In my drawing above, the powder room is 5' x 6' now, although it could be as little as 5' x 5' if you want another foot in the kitchen.)
The staircase now dead-ends into the wall like this:
Except with only one step at the bottom landing like this (so it won't crowd the front door at all):
Rebuilding a staircase and shifting bathroom plumbing is no joke, price-wise, but it might be worth it to you?
Jillius
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoHere is a really quick sketch of a what kind of kitchen adding that space would get you:
(The counter on the window wall is 30" deep. The counter on the range wall is standard 25" deep.)
You now have a nice wide counter (and deep!) between the sink and range. That's the best location in a kitchen for prepping, and now you have a great big counter right there with a window over it to make it extra pleasant to work there. There's also a wide counter to the right of the sink for clean-up (loading/unloading the dishes) or snacking (using the dishes and the microwave) without disturbing the cook working at the primary prep counter. The counter to the right of the sink could also be used by a second cook.
Here's a terrible mock-up of how much more open your kitchen would feel compared to the current plan:
Rachele Roberts thanked JilliusRachele Roberts
8 years ago
sena01
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoIn the KD's layout did you close the doorway from the foyer? Looks like you have more than 87" on the range wall in that layout.
Here's what I came up with with the entry closed and fridge recessed into the hall (and maybe part of the closet/not quite sure about the area there).
I have a 36 corner susan on the left of the sink (33" sink cab) and the corner next to the DW can be void or you can use deedles' solution.
GW · More Infocpartist
8 years agoRachele Roberts
8 years ago
Buehl