Help with kitchen layout. Which is better?
I've been working on this for ages...and am stuck. We are limited by.
*Space, so we can't extend anything.
* All piping and ventilation goes through the right wall
* Windows and a door to the balcony occupy the entire left wall.
Which one do you think is better? If non is, how would you rearrange this? I'm out of ideas. Thank you in advance.
1. One kitchen has the microwave+oven combo and pantry, but blocks both ends of the L-shap. It has a cooktop.
2. L-shape, with OTR microwave, kitchen range. Fridge and Pantry on against the left wall, opening one end of the L-shape.
3. Horse-shoe shape. It gets rid of the pantry but the Fridge and Oven+ microwave combo block light from the window. This though gives more working countertop space.
Comments (15)
mama goose_gw zn6OH
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Vote which layout is better!
Comments (16)Hmmmm, well for sure go with the large prep sink since you'd make good use of it re. the salad prep and it would make your life easier. Making your life easier is pretty much the whole point of a remodel in the first place. :) Not sure I understand the comment about the fridge ... I can't see kids running in and out of it without being in your space. Where will they get a glass from? Where will they plunk down whatever it is they're taking from the fridge. Seems to me they'd be all over your space, which is why I'd rather see the fridge on the RHS and away from your work area. Good points about the cleanup sink though and yes there's not enough room for coffee and toast there given you want to have dishes draining. So I'm rethinking the island thing: what if you have the sink in the island anyway, but with two dishwashers, one on each side of the sink? We have that and I love it -- I use one DW basically as a drainboard sometimes, for drying dishes I've handwashed instead of leaving them on a rack in the islance, while the other one has the real dirty dishes. In that scenario, since you already have a beverage fridge in the butler's pantry, how about putting the second smaller sink in the butler's pantry as well and the coffee maker can go there too? Then fridge and micro go on the side wall by the pantry, and you're back to the original range wall layout either with or without the 2nd (3rd? :) sink. Just more food for thought ......See MoreKitchen Layout: Two (very) different drawings - which is better?
Comments (31)I would like to see even more of the existing layout and how the different levels relate to each other ... to pool, 'down' to game room, 'up' to bedroom, to garage, etc. Is the pool on the same level as the existing kitchen ? Is it right by the house or across the yard ? Is there any type of patio, covered porch, or deck off of the back of the house now ? Where does the driveway run - do guests park by the front door and come in that way, or does driveway have them parking by the garage entry ? Do the stairs at the front door go up ? Up to what ? Where does the door go under the stairs at the end ? Also, what are the dimensions of your existing furniture and any appliances you will be re-using ? What about items you are planning to purchase ? I am concerned that you may not be allowing enough room for clearance around your breakfast table because I do not know it's dimensions. Take the size of your table and add a minimum of 36" on all 4 sides just to edge/slide past or scoot around seated diners. You need 44" on the sides to allow someone to walk past a seated diner. In other words, if your table is 42"x60" and you add 36" to each side, you need a minimum of 9'6"x11'0" totally clear area just to scoot around seated diners. I am thinking something totally different than the plans you have shown. To get you thinking outside the box . . . . How about if you carve a niche out of the existing LR for a more formal entry with walls and doorways so the first thing a guest sees when they walk in the home is not the mess in the kitchen. Use the current Piano room as the family room overlooking the pool area. Put the baby grand in the current dining room and the dining table where the butler is currently. The table will run long ways from the front of the house to the rear. Open this new baby grand/dining space up as much as possible into one long room or, even better IMO ... depending on the size of your dining table, move the wall a couple feet so that the new dining end is longer and the baby grand end is smaller and they are separated by a wall with a wide doorway or arched opening. If the new dining space was 11x15 or 11x16 instead of 11x13, you could easily have a dining table 4x7 that would seat 8 and have room to pass around the end of the table to the doorway into the new family room. I imagine the new baby grand room to house the piano and some limited seating. A much better view when a guest first walks into the house. : ) Where you currently have the living room, it will now be somewhat smaller because of losing space to the foyer. Use the old living space for a combination keeping room with breakfast, desk/homework, sitting room space. The remainder of the current living room along with the current kitchen/breakfast will be the new kitchen. In my experience, most people congregate around the kitchen at parties and gatherings. This layout would make the kitchen and keeping room one big space which would be a great area for entertaining. Between the new kitchen and the new dining room (old butlers) will be a wet bar and storage space similar to what you have shown on option B. Be sure to also carve out room for a coat closet, vacuum storage, toys storage, and a designated space where mail/bags/junk, etc can land very close to the garage entry (but be easily hidden by cabinet doors or something if someone comes over). Depending on the pool and patio location, it could be nice to turn the double windows at the end of the of the old butler/new dining into French doors opening onto the patio. It could also be very nice if this was opening to a covered Lanai or screened porch....See MorePlease help! Which kitchen design is better?
Comments (16)Even though the cabinets are in production, you may still be able to make some changes if they haven't made those doors yet. All those 12" doors would drive me crazy. The KD probably felt that 21" was a little on the big side, which it is, but doable and so much better than all those 12". Not to mention that 2 cabinets probably would have been less expensive that 4. Is there a reason they couldn't put the range in the middle as you show? Maybe a stud in the way of the range hood? Waiting until it's installed to make changes is a bad option, IMO....See MoreWhich kitchen layout would you like better?
Comments (20)From your other thread. You live in the northeast, family of 4 with 2 elementary age kids, and you plan to stay in the house a long time. 2 acre lot that slopes generally from the southeast corner down to the northwest. You plan to build on the higher part of the lot towards the back of the lot, and the garage will be detached to the right side. I'm encouraging you to build the house that best fits your needs, and is a pleasant place to raise your family and to be comfortable for many years. Unfortunately, the topography of the lot is less than ideal. You also seem focused on being able to watch young kids playing outside, when those kids will probably be at least 2 years older when you move in. How much longer will you feel a need to keep an eye on them? People often underestimate the power of sunlight, especially over the winter. I think mostly because our houses -- the houses we have lived in, were not designed and built with this in mind. I know its more favorable to have southern light for passive heating, but wouldn’t it increase the amount of a/c needed in the summer? Currently that is our larger expense as we prefer a cooler temperature in the house. It more the light than the heat. In the summer the sun shines generally overhead (on the roof), rising in the east and setting in the west. The east, and especially west parts of the house get the most sun. Your house has a large western exposure, so in the summer it may be warmer and take additional cooling. In a 2 story house, the upper floor will always be warmer than the lower. In winter when the sun rises later and sets sooner, the sun is lower in the southern sky allowing light to enter south facing windows, providing light and a bit of warmth. Generally, a house that is oriented along an east/west axis with minimal western exposure will be the most comfortable. Think rectangle with the long sides facing north and south. Rooms with windows on multiple sides are also nice. Utility spaces like a garage work well on the west acting as a buffer. A 3D model showing the house in place on the lot can be really helpful. You can see shadows for various times of day and year, and just see what the house will look like as built....See MoreJo
7 years agomama goose_gw zn6OH
7 years agoI'd choose the second plan, but I'd rearrange everything:
switch the sink and DW to get the sink out of the corner
switch the base cabinets on each side of the range to put more space between the sink and range
switch the fridge and pantry so that there is landing space beside the fridge
I'd consider extending the base cabinets under the window, then adding shallow cabinets to increase storage.
Jo thanked mama goose_gw zn6OHmama goose_gw zn6OH
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoJust wanted to mention--if the plumbing going through the right wall is the only thing keeping the sink in that corner, you might check into the following ideas:
- Since you have deeper than standard uppers (15"? 18"?) you could pull the base cabinets out to 30" to leave space behind them to run pipes. An advantage would be more counterspace for small appliances or canisters, etc.
- Plumbing can also be run under the cabinets, in the toekick space. Following is a pic and link to mathteachr's kitchen update--the sink was moved across the room:mathteachr's kitchen update thread
Normally I wouldn't suggest putting a DW between a sink and range, but you'd have space to the right to prep.Jo thanked mama goose_gw zn6OHJo
7 years agoJo
7 years agoThank you all for your invaluable input. It made things that much easier for me. We now have what I believe to be the 'final' layout. Thank you!
@Mama goose: It really does. I visited a friend with one hand of the counter wider, and it offers A LOT of work space. I took your advice on that microwave (it's on the L side that'll be narrower) and I've changed things. I removed the Pantry and replaced it with Microwave-oven combo. The groceries will be in corner cabinets and the last cabinet to the left of the cooktop. Should be enough space. This is what we finally have. :). Thank you.
mama goose_gw zn6OH
7 years agoJo
7 years agoJo
7 years ago@mama goose, everyone who helped.
We finally had enough stuff done to enable us to move in... we still have a lot of work to do...living room is untouched, doors not fixed, skirting not completed because, doors...etc, , but 90% is done. Here's how to kitchen turned out.
1. This was the final design I made.
- We got a round expandable dining table and decided against an island. Kitchen lamp still to be fixed. We are not decided on the lamp shape yet - round or rectangular? Any recommendations? The walls are a warm cream and the ceiling is white. The floor is wooden, a warm light brown.
3. The kitchen top is galaxy granite (with golden flecks). The stone was cut to accommodate the cook top, so no bumps. A soap dispenser was also fixed into the stone and the sink too. I love this 'clean' look.
4. My search for a backsplash was...so tiresome! I visited about 10 tile shops and made numerous online searches before I found something I liked on a blog (http://therawhouseproject.blogspot.cz). Then, armed with this, I asked the stores whether they had something similar. Only one said they had it in one of their catalogues - they'd never sold this particular tile and had no samples. I waited 3 weeks to get samples.
That's it. Thank you everyone. Once the living room is done...I'll take better final photos.
Jo
7 years ago
herbflavor