Need Help designing Kitchen bench seating

8 years ago

We are planning a new build kitchen and having trouble designing the bench seating that we would like to include. Below is a screen show of the kitchen plan

We are a family of four and plan to use the area for weekends breakfast/lunch and dinners. Breakfast and lunch during the week would most likely be at the island. Anytime additional family is over and holidays will be in the dining room.

We were initially thinking a corner bench on the upper right hand of the drawing, on the same walls as the fridge and the slider.

The questions are the following;

- How big should the bench be? Should it be the whole 7 1/2 feet to the fridge and the 5' to the slider?

- This feels like it is too much for that space, so if we should cut it, what should the measurements be?

- Do you think it should be a round or rectangular table?

- Should we just do the bench on one wall to avoid any dead space?

Thank you in advance for any help that you can give. We are really stuck on this.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

mama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years ago
I'd make the bench on the fridge wall the full length, and make the
other one 2' plus the depth of the benches. If benches are 20" deep, the
shorter bench would be 44", corner to edge. I'd use a rectangular
table, but you need to allow space for the fridge door to open fully,
and even if the fridge is counter depth, the doors must extend beyond
the counter to open. You also need to allow space for the fridge
enclosure panels (if fridge will be enclosed), so the 7'10" space will
be reduced by 2-3". I'd use a table 32" x 54" m/l.

I
have 16" deep window seats which were made for reading nooks for the
grandkids, but they are kind of shallow for adults, although we use
them, too. I found this on the 'net:

I like your kitchen layout. If you are planning on living in the house when the kids are old enough to help out, you might want to add an 18" prep sink to the island, to provide space for a helper. It would also be pleasant for you to face out while prepping, instead of facing the corner.

If you don't want the island counter interrupted, you can have a cutting board made to fit over the prep sink, returning it to counter space. Good luck!
0
Swedepie
8 years ago
I have an 80" straight bench which was my choice. I didn't want anyone having to scoot in and around a corner for seating purposes and decided on a chair for each end of the table. In looking for a table, I wanted a 42" round converting to oval or rectangle no shorter than 60" or wider than 42" with a butterfly leaf that could be extended for extended family style dinners. For me, 32" wide would be too narrow to hold plates, serving dishes and glassware. I know it will stick out a bit farther than ideal, but it will serve our purpose very well. I also wanted trestle style legs or a center post to make getting into and out from the bench easier. It took me three months, but I finally found one yesterday, and I'm very pleased.
0
Related Discussions
Need help designing window seat cabs beside corner fireplace
Q
Comments (29)
carol-well I CAN get to Canada from here quite easily...but I think it'd be easier travel with a snowmobile and that I do not have. ;) In our last home we had a fireplace in the corner and the TV on the adjacent wall with a sectional very similar to redroze. It did work out well but I think redroze's dimensions and your own being more square would make it all the better. Our 'TV' wall was much longer than the fireplace wall. I know that putting it in the corner does eat up more room and that is one negative but in our case it made the most sense and I really liked it. I felt like you could very comfortably watch the TV and get the warmth from the fireplace ("my" seat was of course the closest one to it). The TV wasn't massive and really didn't 'steal the show'. Unfortunately I do not have a picture of the fireplace and the tv in one frame and we have moved on from there. I like Senai01's window seat pic - that is awesome. Too bad your window is too far removed, that would really work well otherwise.
...See More
Kitchen Design Help Needed - my Mom's Kitchen
Q
Comments (39)
I can't imagine that putting a door to the DR would be very expensive--it's a DIY project if ANYONE in the family could do it in a weekend. The two houses I've dealt with that had pass thrus to the DR drove me nuts. It would be so much nicer to have a door there! That, and having a 1/2 bath would be absolutely top priorities for me, but the 1/2 bath could add more cost than she might be able to pay for. If you use a small corner sink, the pocket door will be fine. Since she wants electric, I would STRONGLY encourage her to look at the positives of induction, and get a range with an induction top. It is SO much better than regular electric--easier to clean, much safer, absolute and immediate control of temperature, boils water faster, doesn't heat up kitchen, it's energy efficient, etc. My induction cooktop is by far our favorite feature of our kitchen! Even though it cost more than we'd planned on, it was definitely worth it. It's not that difficult to learn how to use. (I'm only a few years younger than she is, and I don't usually like learning how to use new stuff, but this was easy.) Of course, that might mean new pans, but maybe the family could go together for a present of one of the more inexpensive sets that works with induction. Also, you may have the extra expense of running electrical to accommodate the induction, but from a safety standpoint alone, it might be worth it to have the induction. It seems like plan #8 might work best, especially if you switch the double sink with the prep sink. That way, your mother could also use the prep sink (make it a large one) to work with her plants easily, since it would be right by the back door. Also, this end of the kitchen could have her tea materials, beverage cups and glasses for the rest of the family, the MW, toaster oven, and she'd have the large window view and lots of natural light to do these pleasant daily tasks. The double sink under the smaller window would put it, the DW, and the dishes closer to the DR. If she wants more storage, I'd get rid of the curved upper shelves (in one of your plans) by the smaller window, and add 3-6" to each upper cabinet, unless she has lots of knick-knacks that she wants to reach up and dust as she gets older. Obviously, an island would give her more storage than a table. If you make the island 36" w x 48" l, you could have two 24" wide cabinets opposite the range, and a 12" deep "table" overhang on the dog dish side. Anne
...See More
kitchen design help needed
Q
Comments (50)
I know this is a very late follow up but wanted to thank everyone who helped me out through this kitchen thread. I ended up using Buehls layout for the most part and after utilizing it for 7 months it works very well! I love having an overhang on the end of the island for an additional seat. I use it a lot when we have guest over or just for dinners when I want to be able to face my kids who are lined up at the island. We ended up putting a prep sink in the island and a large one bin sink in the main cabinet run. It works very well. We did the microwave next to the refrigerator. We are not big time cooks but coming from our prior home this kitchen has an abundance of storage and cook/prep space. The walk ways around the island and counters are plenty wide enough and my concern for the spacing between the dining table and the island were a non issue. We did center the table and light on the room and I feel we have plenty of space on all sides of the table. I would have followed up earlier but I wanted to include a couple pics and finally got around to doing my backsplash last week. I still have my crown molding that needs installed but Im 99% done! Thanks again for all the good advice, especially Buehl if your still here!
...See More
Need Design Help: Open Concept Kitchen Family Room w/o Eat-In Space
Q
Comments (26)
Yeah, I know it’s a tall order to come up with something that accomplishes what I want but I figured I'd see if others on Houzz had some ideas. Both sectionals that I'm considering are pretty spacious. The first one is 144” x 79” and the other is 120” x 110.” msteezzy - here’s a picture of the space you asked about.
...See More
Related Professionals
Fresno Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Lafayette Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Owasso Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Peru Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · University City Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Green Bay Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Hoffman Estates Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Mooresville Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Saint Helens Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Spokane Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Weston Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · South Jordan Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Prospect Heights Cabinets & Cabinetry · Foster City Tile and Stone Contractors · South Holland Tile and Stone Contractors
mama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years ago
sdemichele, I don't think you can go longer than 54", because of the fridge door, and also you'll need at least 18" to allow someone (one of your children, I assume) to slide onto the back bench.

When my kids were small and we always ate at the DR table, we plated at the range, so that we didn't need to carry serving dishes to the DR. After doing that for so many years we usually still plate at the range, and if anyone wants seconds, he gets up and serves himself, or an adult fetches for a small child (grandkids now :).

We have 30" wide folding tables we set up for large gatherings, served buffet-style, so no serving dishes on the table (except for S&P, and butter dishes), and that depth works well for plates, glasses, and silverware. I also sometimes use candles and small decorations for holidays, and it's not too crowded.

If the slider opens left-to-right, you could go up to a 54" square or round table:
0

Need Help designing Kitchen bench seating

Comments (3)

mama goose_gw zn6OH

Swedepie

Related Discussions

Related Professionals

mama goose_gw zn6OH

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US