Kitchen Layout Help - 5 doorways and a chimney
We are just starting to discuss a kitchen renovation in earnest. Our house is on the smaller and older end of things. Our current work triangle is fairly large but since my husband and I often cook together with my toddler "helping," it works pretty well. The kitchen is pretty open to the dining room where we eat all our meal so while a bar stool or two might be nice, seating is not needed.
I'd like to move the sink under the window but I'm concerned about giving up the expanse of counter between the range and fridge. I'll probably have to regardless since the range's current position overhanging the doorway can not possibly be up to code. We will probably want a cabinet-depth fridge. I'm ok with moving gas and plumbing. We will be replacing the window so there is a little bit of flexibility there. The chimney is structural so it is staying. We can not afford major structural changes.
I've included a blank graph paper layout and an IKEA planner version that includes the appliances' current positions. At the bottom are pictures that we took before we moved in. We have two kitchen carts under the pass-through space right now. (Is pass through the right term when it's next to the doorway?)
What do you guys think? Where do I start?
Comments (10)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoIf you want seating in the kitchen (for future kids), this plan has a short island with sink and DW and secondary prep between the fridge and range. If you need extra storage you could have pantry space between the studs in the back wall, appropriate to an older home (reminds me of the shallow cabinets for ironing boards).
If the range/fridge wall is 25" deep, and island is 41", aisles should be 45 and 44".
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Please help with layout! Small space, lots of doorways
Comments (36)#5 is my favorite as well! That's why I chose it for the Zone/Traffic illustrations! :-) You have room for pot/pan storage next to the range, dish storage above the DW, plenty of prep workspace as well as cooking landing zone/workspace, and, with the ample upper cabinet storage, room to store most-used food items, etc. Dish Storage...If you notice in the last 3 layouts, I added a "dish hutch" style cabinet b/w the windows. it's a 24" cabinet that goes down to the counter. It's over the DW and partially in the corner area (but not too far since you want to be able to reach it), so it shouldn't take away from your Cleanup Zone's workspace or that wonderful expanse of workspace you have on the peninsula. DR Wall...Yes, you need to take the DR wall down for the refrigerator to fit. I tried a smaller one (33" wide), but then you really need to get a full-depth refrigerator and that takes away another 6" or so of aisle space b/w the peninsula & refrigerator, making the peninsula too narrow. (It cannot be recessed into the wall b/c it's on an exterior wall.) I suppose you could leave the wall up in front of the peninsula, but I was trying to give it a more open feel that I think will help encourage your family to use the DR more and be happy using it. We were never that happy with our closed up DR even w/the 53" doorway b/w it and the LR (there was only a 33" doorway b/w the DR & kitchen)...it always seemed isolated and cramped. Now that the wall is down, the DR seems bigger, even though the peninsula overhang actually takes space away (*sigh* another measuring issue forced this!). Maybe if we had a big DR we might have felt differently, but our DR was only: 13'8" x 11'1". (With 12" of the the peninsula overhang now extending into the DR, the DR is now only 12'8" x 11'1".) Another nice thing about the fully open area + peninsula is that the peninsula is a great place for staging food & dishes for setting the table, taking food to/from the DR, and clearing the table. Even if you moved the doorway, you will be dealing with structural issues, so I'm not sure how much you'd save by not taking the entire wall down...unless it's load-bearing, but I don't think it is given the layout of the walls... I think the load bearing walls are the ones b/w the kitchen/DR and LR/Foyer and b/w the FR and Laundry Room. BUT, I'm not a structural engineer so do NOT take my word for it! (I'm just guessing based on what I've seen here & in my home!) If, however, you did want to keep that wall, you could do something like this... OR...See MoreI need help with my tiny galley kitchen layout! Please advise!
Comments (5)I'm not sure about putting a range under the window. That seems like a recipe for goop and splatter on the window, and also seems likely that, assuming you live in an area with winters, your window is liable to crack/shatter with the temperature extremes of hot from the range vs cold outside. I had that happen in my house when I first moved in, actually, and it didn't even have a range under it, just a sink! So, I'd imagine it being a high risk event with a serious heat source under a window. I think it'd be a lot easier to figure out a good layout with the right side of the diagram filled in. Can you repost a diagram showing what is over there? That way, folks can see traffic flow and imagine any options for that end of the area....See MoreDESIGN ILLITERATE, TAKE 5: Kitchen Layout HELP Needed!!!
Comments (4)Just a couple of suggestions: I am attaching a reveal that has a similar cabinet to the counter but they used bifold doors (4th and 5th photos) It is more versatile for storing taller appliances (Vitamix, stand mixer) and allows you to use the interior countertop. Since you don't have a lot of counter between the sink and range, I would use a ledge sink that holds a cutting board to expand your prep space. I would also go deeper on the pantry cabinets if possible. I had a 12" deep pantry in our old kitchen. It was great for cereal boxes and cake mixes but not for cans. If I needed something in the rear, everything had to be moved out of the way. Extra depth would allow you to install some pullouts or if using shelves, extra space to stagger cans so you can see labels easier. kitchen-reveal...See MoreHow to Layout Long Living room with 5 doors/doorways & 3 windows?!
Comments (10)Thank you! I wish I had though to measure the positioning of the doors. I think you are right though the only place for a tv will have to be between the windows- the only other available wall space is the main walking pathway. The house is under major Reno right now so it's hard to access it. Here is a "before" pic looking towards the front door, hopefully the after is much better!...See More
7 years agoI'm so glad I posted! These are both way better than anything I came up with. I think I needed permission to put the sink off center from the window. The island concept hadn't occurred to me at all. I'm excited to show it to my husband.
Also, I realized that I posted an older version of the graph paper layout that didn't give the pantry details. The pantry is pretty big (65 inches deep with a window on the back wall and 63 inches wide). We've talked about incorporating it into the rest of the room but it always just seems awkward and not worth the loss of storage.
- 7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
- 7 years ago
- 7 years ago
As discussed in the island thread I've added a floor plan for the whole downstairs of the house. It's important to note that even though it looks like the side porch is the answer to all my doorway issues, it's not. The side porch is very slanted and a huge step down from the house. It's not structurally stable enough to put a kitchen on top of. It's frustrating because we never use that door.
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoI've lost track of this thread, but depending on the configuration of your bathroom, could you move the bathroom door to the foyer? If the side porch is unsafe and never used, could you abandon it or incorporate it into the pantry? I"m just wondering if you eliminated the limitations of those two doors if you could have more cabs/ more counter/ bigger island.
eta: in my experience, if a chimney is not structural it can be a DIY project. We did it in a weekend and hired someone to patch the roof. I imagine it might not be crazy expensive to hire it done since it only requires basic unskilled labor.
PRO7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago- 7 years ago
7 years agoYour kitchen wouldn't be particularly cramped with an island, but I think it would feel more open without one.
Here's idea with no island. You can have a standard sized fridge and consider slightly deeper cabs in the prep zone.
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