Gut feel - if price point is good - Yes! Love the glass and lines of the upper piece. Downside is that you lose the convenience of drawers on lower - unless it's possible to convert to pull-outs?

Edited to add that I love the contrast between the dark blue and the wood, shown at the top of the original picture:

I don't know if it matches your style but I do think that it's quite nice and I love the idea of having a designated spot for a hutch in a kitchen. i can't say it won't look weird if you raise the top part though. Do you need a counter there? If you do, I'd hold out for a Hoosier.

I like the hutch. I'd also be concerned that suspending the top might ruin the look of the lovely hutch.

Warning: Hideously bad mutilation, I mean mock-up, of the hutch with the top and bottom split, with beadboard backsplash.

Another mutilation, painted black:

It's a beautiful piece. After seeing your mock-up, suspending the top is going to make the hutch less formal, so yes, I think it will look lovely in that space. Would you paint it? The wood stain is beautiful.

edit: I have complete faith in your DH - just like I have faith in oldbat2be DH's skills.

I like it and think if the price is right, go for it. It would certainly suit that space better than what is currently there and gives you more the French Country charm you are striving for. I'm usually not one for painting wood but I think it could use a touch-up so it would look fantastic painted/stained the same color as your hood.

I think separating the pieces and hanging the top is an interesting idea. I think you would need some corbels or something on the bottom of the upper to make it look intentional. And I would guess some trim work around the bottom of the edge of the top piece. Your DH clearly has the skills to do whatever it would take to make those small changes. :)

I can't wait to see pictures when it's done. Your kitchen is coming together great!

Well, oldbat2be, price point is about $150 for the hutch. We could hardly buy wood for that, let alone the time to make it... There's at least one pull out inside, but I agree, drawers are more handy.

I kind of like the look of it, too, Fori. It's not what I would have designed for him to build, but it's not like it's a terrible piece. I don't think a Hoosier will work here because of the size constraints, even though I do think those are really neat. I don't have much more than 18" of depth to work with because of where the doorway to the entry lands.

Good question, Carrie. Do I need counter there? Well, as you can see, it's a major hot spot. This is where I stick the fruit, the bread, the canning jars that need to go to the basement, dh's lunch box, stray tupperware containers of cookies (if there are any of those around.) Maybe it would be better for all that stuff to be behind doors. I could line the glass doors with fabric...

When I designed the kitchen, I thought of using this counter as a coffee area for when we host church. Except, I've got too much junk there for it to be the coffee center right now. That means that in reality, I do coffee over by the sink, which works out better since that's where the water is anyway. Same for when we make tea; I make it by the sink. So, my little ideal plan with this cute coffee station and my everyday life aren't really gelling at the moment. ; )

If we did build it, it would probably be a something like this, with a narrow shelf under the upper that would hold some pretty toile print mugs that match my toile curtain on the pantry door. And beadboard. I need beadboard somewhere in this kitchen. : )

I like the hutch. It's a nice piece and works for French country.

$150!!! I would jump on it! I think it will look great. If in a few years if you still dream of having DH make that drawing, then fine. But, I really love that hutch. It is beautiful and the price is unbelievable.

I see 2 likes on my last post, which leaves me a little confused. :-) Is that for buying the hutch for $150, or for making the hutch I sketched? Help! LOL

Thanks Beachem. I looked up French Country hutches on pinterest, and so many of them have curvy tops. Hmmmmm... I like Funky's idea of adding corbels or something between the top and bottom if we don't keep the pieces conjoined.

If in a few years if you still dream of having DH make that drawing, then fine. I'm thinking this might be it, Rebunky. It doesn't have to be a forever piece, but for having a DH who feels backlogged almost into eternity with projects, this would be a good stand in until the pressure lets up.

I was struggling with the idea of painting the wood, but maybe this would work. A little paint, some chicken wire, and fabric.

Just for clarification, my like on your post was for the idea of using beadboard and adding a shelf for your mugs if you raise the unit. I think if you did that, you wouldn't want corbels, too. I think it would start to be too much.

I'm wondering if there's a way to put a side on the open end of the counter raising the top would create? If it still attracts clutter, it would be nice to screen the clutter from view unless you're standing more in front of it, imho. If you paint the cabinet, adding a side wall there would probably be an easy task for your backlogged DH.

The nicest part of the hutch is the glass top, so I wouldn't touch it. It's similar to a Palladian window. If you want beadboard and/or chicken wire and fabric, I'd look for a country style or even an early American pine hutch. Everyone had pine back in the 70s so there must be some around.

This piece is made to display fine china and crystal and you're talking Tupperware and lunch boxes. You're wanting to do a reverse modification of it, like taking the lipstick off and turning it into a pig. Or taking Grace Kelly and turning her into Eliza Doolittle. I don't think the lines of the hutch allow it to be a great transition. It also looks top heavy when you separate them.

I think it will be perfect for French country. It most likely will have to be a painted piece. The real issue is whether it efficiently fits in the space you are designating for it.

Thanks for clarifying, Funkycamper! I was so confused before, LOL. I wasn't intending to do a mug shelf under the clist hutch piece, but now that you've suggested it... Yeah, a side might be a good idea.

Oh, Mayflowers, the comment of taking the lipstick off the pig made me laugh. I tried to explain it to my dd, but I don't think she really got it. I was concerned that it would look top heavy if we separated it, too. Hmmmm...

Yeah, I need storage more than I need "pretty". I like "pretty", but I need functional first. I do question the necessity of a counter way over there, since it's mostly a catch-all. My experience is that I clear the spots I use, while the catch-alls continue to pile up. Eliminating the counter might be a better bet. If it's not a horizontal surface that's easy to get to, then I might not fill it!

Ok, what if we just lined the glass with fabric, would that be any less "piggy"? : ) I noticed this morning that our front door has a palladian arch on the glass. So, there would be a repeat of shape in the near vicinity.

I'm becoming much more comfortable with the idea of painting it, Practigal. The one functional question I have is trying to open those big glass doors directly across the way from the pantry. That walkway is 48" wide, and the top of the hutch looks to be inset, so that would give me about 50" to swing, a what, 30" wide glass door? Across from a 32" glass pantry door swinging into the same 50" space.

French Country is not my style, but I like for you. :) For $150, get the hutch, paint it, do whatever to make it functional, then give it to the first kid who moves out and gets her own place, then get what you really want.

Lol, pawn it off on the kids. Sounds like fun! : ) It's hard to believe that that could be a possibility in just a few short years. I look at my 15 year old and am amazed I was married at 20. How can that be (potentially) only 5 years away. DH and I met when we were 16. Yikes!

Back to the scheduled topic, we plan to look at the hutch tomorrow. I'm pretty sure it'll come home with us, from DH's point of view. : )