Looking for new build kitchen layout help
Greetings!
We are going to be building a new home in the next year or so and have just finished preliminary plans to get costing. While we wait, we're starting to play with kitchen layout since we have a blank canvas. We've been studying the NKBA standards plus the "New to Kitchens" topic here.
I am hoping we can pick the brains of folks here who are way more talented at this than us in laying things out. This is the third house we'll have built but the first where we aren't starting with an existing design and just making modifications.
Two adults, no kids. Love to cook. We know we want a 36" rangetop (with vent hood), 30" double ovens, 36" freestanding fridge (we'll put cabinetry around it to make it look built-in and ensure side clearance for doors to open), under-counter wine fridge, and will be putting a full-size microwave in an open upper cabinet. We prefer a large pantry so are thinking corner walk-in. We are trying to avoid plumbing on outside walls.
I'm including our builder's initial idea for the kitchen as well as how it relates to the rest of the house.
The walls for the pantry and the angled one behind the ovens are shown for this layout but can be changed. The single window on the wall is at the back of the house and is just an idea. It can be larger and there could be additional windows (as long as I have enough upper cabinet storage).
The angled island shown is a 2-level with raised bar for eating/serving. Trash would be in the lower cabinet to the right of the main sink. Again, the size/shape/angle are just the builder's idea.
The wall ovens in the corner look nice in the iso view the builder showed us (and mirror the corner pantry), but create some "interesting" cabinetry challenges (we will likely be doing custom cabinets). I did see some photos of corner ovens done where the cabinet isn't a box with 90 degree corners but narrower in front and wider in back but didn't care for the look (it made the corner look "bulky"). It looks like there are distinct prep/cook/cleanup areas in this layout but we aren't going "wow - perfect" when we look at it.
We prefer to run the cabinetry to the ceiling, uppers being more of a decorative transom cabinet look. Probably going to do a Craftsman-style door on the cabinets. We would like to do 10' ceiling height since the kitchen is open to the family room and flex/dining space but are also considering 9' depending on the impact to building cost.
One thing this layout doesn't show is our espresso machine and grinder. The machine is a commercial one (16.5"W x 16.5"D x 15"H, grinder is 7.5"W x 12"D x 17"H)) and needs to be plumbed in for water fill and convenient to a sink to dump and clean the drip tray. It only gets used in the morning, so in this layout we actually put it in the laundry room (through pocket door off the hall). It's not an inconvenient location and it would be out of sight when not in use.
Suggestions for layout ideas are much appreciated!
Thanks,
Michelle
Comments (12)
blfenton
7 years ago
mama goose_gw zn6OH
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoI'd rearrange as follows: Consider a speed oven/mw combo and put the
ovens next to the fridge. Put in a corner prep sink (doesn't need to be a
circle, but my program does not draw diagonal boxes), then move range
down with a window on each side. You'll be prepping in front of the
window, and the island has more space without a sink. I pulled the
fridge out--it will need to extend past the wall to open fully, but that puts it closer to the island for landing. I like
your separate clean-up area.
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Help revising kitchen layout in new Build
Comments (8)My thoughts from my own standpoint, so you can take or leave, as will work for you: I would put the pots and pans drawers to the left of the main sink. I would put the 18" trash on the end of the island closest the stove and across from the sink. My opinion about the rest of your island depends on what you want the 18" cab with drawer for. I had some cabinets with drawers in our island, but I had them changed to drawers. I also think a 2-drawer bank will make the drawers VERY deep. I have drawer banks with a standard, shallower top drawer and 2 drawers under that, and they're nicely deep. As far as uppers and design.... It matters most about how they look around the window, because that's what you'll see most easily. If you have cabinets to each side of the window, the spacing between them and the window should match, one side to the other. If you decide to run the stove wall cabinets straight to the window wall, instead of wrapping around, you have more flexibility in how you size the cabinet on the right. You could even have a hutch type of thing, like I do. You could actually have a hutch in either case, if you wanted. I can't tell what you're planning, but also think that it's important to leave nice wall space between the window trim and the upper cabinets, to let the window and trim stand out and not be crowded. But I know others like to run cabs up to the trim....See MoreHelp with New Build Kitchen Layout
Comments (6)Welcome, Michelle1973! Please see the following Kitchens FAQ as it is the most helpful when asking for layout help: FAQ: How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include? Other helpful FAQs: FAQ: Kitchen work zones, what are they? FAQ: Aisle widths, walkways, seating overhangs, work and landing space, and others FAQ: How do I plan for storage? Types of Storage? What to Store Where? You mention that looks are more important to you than function - OK - so is function important at all? Note that most of us here are function first/form second. Why? For two reasons, (1) A nice looking but dysfunctional kitchen can become a nightmare to deal with over time - assuming you cook, that is. [No, not everyone actually cooks. For some people, a kitchen is solely for "show" and will rarely, if ever, be used for more than heating up take-out or similar. That's OK - in that case it probably doesn't matter (until resale...)] (2) It is relatively easy to make a functional kitchen look nice - but it's almost impossible to make nice-looking but dysfunctional kitchen function well (short of doing another remodel). Do you have a layout of the entire first floor? A comment on your current design - it's actually not too bad, functionally! Dish storage may be an issue, but if you're OK with dishes in drawers, then I think you will probably be OK. A few other items: Be aware that a "full size refrigerator" will take up more room in the aisle than you show, even if you recess it into the wall behind it. If you can recess the refrigerator into the wall and room behind it, then figure a depth in the kitchen about 5" to 6" deeper than the deepest item next to the refrigerator....if the deepest item is the counter - then another 5 to 6 inches beyond the counter - so: 25.5" + 5.5" = 31" deep. Doors & handles of non-true built-in refrigerators must extend past surrounding items - walls, counters, cabinets, other appliances, etc. If the refrigerator (or freezer) is next to a wall that's deeper than the carcass/body of the refrigerator, then you will need a 9" to 12" cabinet or filler b/w the wall and the refrigerator or freezer to be able to fully open the refrigerator/freezer doors. If they are next to walls that can be changed, then try to make the walls no deeper than the carcass/body of the refrigerator & freezer. For the island, be sure there is sufficient space b/w the edge of the island and the table on the left - at least 60" - more if there will be a lot of traffic passing b/w them. In the "Dining" room, also be sure you have at least 44" b/w the table and what appears to be counters to the left of the table - more if you intend those counters to be work space or a place for staging food while someone is sitting at the table. If so, then plan for 51 to 54" so there's room for someone to be at the counter while someone is sitting at the table. 44" is needed for......See MoreNew build - looking for kitchen layout advice
Comments (22)What would be the view if you added windows- something worth looking at? Or is the reason there are no windows is that you don't want to see that area? Which way does the sun come in? Are those windows or doors on the range wall? If they are doors, are they going to be used a lot-are people going to be walking through the area there to get some other part of the house on a regular basis?...See MoreNew build. Looking for feedback on kitchen/dinette layout.
Comments (6)Take a typical 3.5 ft wide table and you‘re left with 7.5 ft from the 11 ft and if you split that into 2 then you have a little more than 3 ft in each side to get around the table if placing it perpendicular to the island. So there is no room. If turning the table the other direction you can have a max length of 6ft if you have 4 ft on each side of the table to pass or if using 3 ft it can be 8 ft or a 6 ft table with a shallower cabinet. Depends on how many you want to seat. Also what is the height of the windows where you want cabinets?...See Morelharpie
7 years ago
bpath
7 years agomama goose_gw zn6OH
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoThanks, lharpie. Thought I'd throw in another version, with the fridge closer to the living area, so that no one needs to walk past the cooktop, to get to the fridge. This one has a triple window over the prep sink, and landing space for both the fridge and ovens. MW beside fridge is back.
Stan B
7 years agoMichelle misses Sophie
7 years ago
cpartist
7 years agoEspecially if you face south you want the light coming into the kitchen. I took a different direction. Right now I have a sink and fridge on an angle in a rental and I HATE it. BTW: I HATE it! It is a waste of counter space and things wind up in the back corner making it worse.
So I straightened your angles and created what is basically an L shaped kitchen in a U shape. You're lucky to have such a nice large space to work in. I even managed to get your coffee station in. You'd have to dump the grounds across in the prep sink but it's not such a far walk. And if you're building now, plumbing in shouldn't be a problem.
And with the coffee bar I was thinking of something similar to what Amanda has. I'm sure someone here can find the picture.
I gave you a large 9' wide window. That will let in lots of light. Under the window I put your clean up sink and DW.
I moved your fridge to the end of that run so it's closer to the dining room and out of any work space.
Instead of two islands I created one island with the prep sink on it. One person can use the prep sink on the island and a second or even a third can use the space between the clean up sink and the range.
I centered your range so it's facing the family room and now it becomes the focal point. Maybe a gorgeous hood or a special backsplash behind it?
I created a 7' long pantry with 18" deep shelves. Plenty of storage then and it's easier than a corner pantry. Lots of ways to make the space work. I moved the ovens to that wall too.
Upper cabinets run the full length of the back wall on either side of the range. If you make all your other cabinets drawers, you should have more storage than you know what to do with. In fact, my guess is you may not even need those uppers on either side of the range.
The problem with your plan was very little actual prep space or space to spread out.
cpartist
7 years agoAnd here I've done my arrows.
We normally pull things out of the fridge or pantry and bring them to our sink or prep sink. (red arrows). We then wash the food, and move it over to prep it. (blue arrows). Finally we bring it over to the cooktop to cook it (green arrows)
First your original plan. (notice the lack of prep space? You ideally want at least 36" and since you have such a large kitchen, you might as well spread out.)
Updated plan.
Michelle misses Sophie
7 years agocpartist
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoOk so I moved the wall over to open it up a bit. Now your pantry is 5' wide which is still plenty large, especially if you're having cabinets to the ceiling. Plus with the layout I did, you'd have a lot more storage in the cabinets on either side of the cooktop and you'll have a heck of a lot more drawers for storing stuff.
If you want you can even remove 2' from the island and that will still give you a 9' island that is plenty big to work on.
mama goose_gw zn6OH