Help me decide on my open Great Room floor plan! (kitchen included)
Hi,
I originally posted on this thread about my plan. It was suggested that I post the entire floor plan for better critique, therefore here it is. I am also copy-pasting list of considerations here, so folks do not have to switch back+forth.
Family: 2 adults, 1 kid and a dog, entertain and cook a lot. Entertain 2-3 compact families at a time. Cook all sorts of food, mainly stir fries and stovetop cooking. Little baking.
I am coming to this from a narrow, 8x13 closed galley kitchen which is disconnected from L+D except for one door. So, while I've always wanted an open plan, I have doubts about it working, because I've not lived in one in real life. (I am actively trying to think if any of my friends have it, and plan to visit them to see in person, but currently my only source is Houzz pictures). This is where I need help, in figuring out if it will work for me or not, and whether there's another option.
Some requirements:
- No cooktop in the island, ideally not even a sink in the island.
- At least 5ft counterspace that's hidden inside a pantry/closet to hide appliances (and Buehl and I have discussed possibility of a closet with counters for this; which I am pursuing.)
- Island seating AND a dining table + chairs needed.
- Plenty of storage. (I am thinking that if I get island as prep surface, I do not need other counterspace. But I would like to hear others' experiences) -- Wall to floor cabinets when possible.
- We hate countertop clutter. So everything that sits on a countertop needs to be hidden. My usual appliances are: rice cooker, blender, food chopper or processor, toaster. Currently I have a toaster oven (Breville) that I use as a regular oven. A kitchenaid mixer is very much in the future (may bake more in future).
- A note about my Breville: My family is small, so Breville is my "main" oven. I will get Range-Oven for the sake of resale, but will either prefer a built-in small oven, or Breville will be in the hidden spot as described in #5.
- More of a timeless look than a trendy look (should not have to remodel the kitchen to sell). We value longevity in anything and often are willing to spend $$'s to avoid future maintenance headaches.
- House style: modern, clean lines, stucco exterior, sloped roof.
- We love wood stain, so the kitchen cabinets will be stained not painted.
Nice to haves:
- Sink facing a window (side yard facing ok).
- Waterfall edge on island (but then I wonder, is it a trend?)
- A kitchen that does not look disproportionately small compared to rest of Great Room.
Option #1: (Full plan): (the lowest part of this plan that looks like a corridor connects to a garage thus not included). Entry is on the lower middle, top is facing covered porch and a backyard. Note that this is not final kitchen plan either;
Constraints: Winodws can be moved (it will be a gut remodel), however no walls EXCEPT top wall can be moved. Only up to 20 linear ft of top wall can be moved. We can add upto 50+sqft in terms of area.
Here is the full plan. Note:
1. Kitchen isle width is 5ft; I think it's a bit much, I am considering making it 42"-45".
2. My main concerns/fears for this plan are: this kitchen will look disproportionately small given the size of the kitchen relative to the rest of the L + D. However, if I decide to make island substantial to "balance" the kitchen size, then I lose the space for island seating, and may have to bring dining table closer to Living, which in turn will look like a furniture warehouse. Note that these are fears, perhaps irrational, but I want to have discussion to help me figure if this impression is true.
Constraints for this plan: for the sake of this configuration, assume that no exterior walls can move. Left, right walls are side yard, top wall faces a covered porch and backyard thereafter. We can relocate the windows. We also may be able to relocated W+D elsewhere if that room can be claimed by the kitchen.
Entry dimensions are under review and likely will become a bit smaller, but rest of the house layout is pretty close to desired.
Option #2 that I am toying with (this makes use of bumpout footage and bumps ~5ft in top left corner. It reduces width of Living (top right) by 2 ft to avoid square footage overage:
My concerns for this plan:
- Kitchen now faces L sideways. Will it look asthetically strange? (Imagine sitting on a couch in L).
- Dining bumpout is barely enough to fit a dinner table.
Benefits of this space are, more seating at island, Waterfall edge will look really pretty here, and people can run 2 different conversations at dining and living and host can participate in everything (which is where I will be!)
Help me decide!! Any inspiration pictures will be appreciated. Thanks a lot in advance!!
Comments (16)
cpartist
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Help deciding on cased openings to split up open floor plan?
Comments (12)For some reason I'm not getting replies sent to my email. Lots of great responses! I'm definitely planing cased opening and not paneled jambs. When we get slab poured and everything marked out I will mock up the furniture placement to decide on the casing to the right. All permits are in so hopefully this will be in the next month. Nini, I think your living room might be one I was admiring while we were planning. ;-) everyone seems to be doing fireplaces on interior walls so I've been nervous since we moved ours to the exterior wall. Hope it looks half as nice as third!!...See MoreHelp my open floor plan living room/kitchen
Comments (9)Consider a privacy film for the door-the curtains take away from the pretty doors. I agree that the curtains are too stark. They're also too short and not full enough. If the curtains are 84", try 96" instead. Try to find something closer to the wall color. The gray, white and navy are a bit blah. Is there a color you like that you can add in with different pillows and a throw as suggested? I also agree that the coffee table is not quite right. I'd consider a round ottoman, maybe in leather, that you can add a tray to for drinks and a bit of decor. What is the distance inside the U shape? You could add a pretty demilune shaped table next to the door to ground the artwork. Maybe something like this with just a small lamp and pretty bowl. https://www.hayneedle.com/product/belham-living-james-half-round-mid-century-modern-sofa-table.cfm...See MoreUpdated Floor plans....help with kitchen/dining/great room
Comments (29)This refers to Bedroom #2 which you indicated may be for an elderly relative. Your doorway into this bathroom is only 24” which will make it impossible for a wheelchair and difficult for a walker. I encourage you to remove or make more shallow the linen closet so you can enlarge the bathroom access door. Then make the Tub shower combo a Shower with low or no curb and a handheld wand. You never know when you will need this for an elderly relative or an immediate family member who has had surgery/broken leg. Make sure there is enough clearance on the sides of the toilet for grab bars and/or to assist in lifting. It would be simpler for this person to access the bathroom through one door instead of two, especially at night. You could remove the anteroom and make this a simple large bathroom with access door to hall and another access door to bedroom. It seems overly complicated in its current configuration....See MoreUpdate kitchen or rip out powder room and create open floor plan?
Comments (21)For the intended use in the foreseeable future, I would not spend that amount of money - plus deal with the aggravation - in order to open up the kitchen. At a certain point - especially if you have been renting it, there would probably need to be major remodeling of the kitchen anyway just from use. Since it is a townhome presumably there are equivalent homes with the same layout which would provide insight into whether it is something that other people have done in the development. Obviously people are different but I personally wouldn't care whether there was an open kitchen plan in a BnB type of short rental. I would be more concerned with location and cleanliness and comfort of beds and also whether there was a great shower. Interesting about how property is assessed. I am also in an area in which taxes are based on initial purchase price with very modest increases permitted. Theoretically remodeling triggers an assessment when permits are pulled. However, when I read the regulations, it appears that most home "improvements" aren't cause for an increased assessment since "replacements" don't cause an increase. If you "add" something like an additional bathroom or square footage it would theoretically cause an increase. There is a gray area in which *theoretically* the quality of the replacements is considered but that is really unworkable in practice since anytime someone replaces the kitchen cabinets (for example), the *quality* is going to be better presumably especially in an older residence....See More
homey_bird
8 years agoBenjesbride, thank you, thank you!! :-) However, I want to make sure we do not waste cycles in thinking up a closed/closable kitchen. I went through a phase where I thought of closing the kitchen and after much thought, I've decided to commit to an open plan.
But that said, I do want to make sure that the space works for me, and if it does not work fully, then at least I will know the sacrifices I will make going in the project. (The option #1 is also an addition to current house, and reconfiguration of spaces).
That said, if anyone has any inspiration pictures of option #2, I'd love to see them. I found this incredible inspiration picture for option #1 on Houzz.
The Enchantment: Rimstone in Sedona, AZ · More Info
sheloveslayouts
8 years agoHomey - what is the overall length and width of the space (outlined in orange.)
sheloveslayouts
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agohomey_bird
8 years agosheloveslayouts
8 years agoWhen an island and and dining set are right next to each other, I think it's best if they're not back-to-back; it's nice if folks can sit at the island and still see the tv or chat with those sitting in the DR or LR areas.
Can you put the breville in a double oven type of cabinet? And put an appliance garage in the corner?
The Kitchen · More Info
Rachel (Zone 7A + wind)
8 years agohomey_bird
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoBenjesbride, what you say regarding dining/island makes sense, but unfortunately I have ~11'x16' space to fit in the kitchen. If I decide to rotate the kitchen the way you say it, then my kitchen island will be quite small. I too started out thinking of a longer island and thus came up with option 2, and am not able to find pictures to tell me if that would look ok or not.
Secondly, currently the plan is that the Great Room will be mainly conversation area. TV will be in a separate room, so no need to consider TV-watchability.
Mama Rachel, your idea of spice kitchen is great! That's the kitchen I started out "wanting". I had to abandon it halfway, however, because of space constraints. My whole house is ~2200 sqft, therefore allocating disproportionately large amount of space to the kitchen would have meant I gave up on some other priorities.
Mama Rachel : regarding powder: we decided to ditch the powder because of the availability of full bath on that floor, which otherwise will be guest bath. We also wanted as much storage as possible, therefore decided on having a storage rather than powder.
Anyway, here's the original plan.
Note that we added ~5ft towards the courtyard and some square footage along top wall (which is facing backyard).
I am working on sizing of the entry right now, because I think it's a bit too big for the house, but that space will NOT become available to the kitchen again due to the building rules.
homey_bird
8 years agoJust to make my decision harder, I found this space that shows a Living-Kitchen arrangement (not dining), similar to my option #2:
Schaffer's Mill Custom 1 · More InfoAny thoughts, suggestions, comments? Now I am seriously conflicted!
sheloveslayouts
8 years agosheloveslayouts
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agohomey_bird
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agosheloveslayouts
8 years agohomey_bird
8 years agoBuehl
8 years ago
sheloveslayouts