Looking for input and advice on kitchen layout

7 years ago

Hi all,

I've been on Garden web a looong time, mostly lurking, and much of that time we've been looking at ways of redoing our kitchen. We've gone through a few unsatisfactory iterations, and finally decided to completely do away with our dining room and expand the kitchen into the space. I'd love to get some advice on the plan so far. It's just two of us, and we don't see anything taking us out of here within the next ten years, say, so we're keeping resale in mind, but it's not the priority by any means - we want to make it right for us. The new kitchen size should be 19' 4" x 13' 4".

I like this plan generally, but have a couple of problems with it that I haven't found a solution to. The fridge location isn't optimal, but I can't find a better spot (and I don't want to put it to the left of the sink because it will become a barrier between me at the sink, and the bump out eating area and family room just past that). I have told designer and husband that the hutch on the bottom wall needs to be shallower, but it still only gives us approx. 39" aisles. Yeah, I know we could get rid of it, but it's pretty, and gives some decorative storage, plus storage for lesser used items.

The window locations are not set in stone, as we need to change the one in the dining room space anyway, since it comes to a foot and a half from the floor; we're willing to relocate them.

Since we're just the two of us, the island seating probably won't be used for everyday, unless by my hubs when he comes home and I'm cooking, or when a friend is over, but I feel like we need more than just the kitchen table as a seating option. Most of the time, we really just eat in the family room - shh! ;-)

As for the plans, I love the drawers, don't care one way or another about the spice/oil pullouts. My husband loves the idea of few or no wall cabinets on the back wall, but I want that waist to shoulder storage access, especially above the dishwasher - but I wonder it that one cabinet on the whole wall will look silly.

I'd love to hear your thoughts - thanks for taking a look!

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Comments (2)

mama goose_gw zn6OH
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
You have very little prep space between the sink and cooktop. Since
the window locations are flexible, I'd move the cooktop down, with a
larger window over the sink and a smaller window on the other side of
the hood. I moved the ovens and fridge toward the top wall, and made the
island shorter--the fridge-to-sink path now intersects the island by
only a few inches. There is now a tall pantry on the end.

Can
the hutch be recessed into the room behind? I tried making it
shallower, but I don't think you have enough space for it, and seating.

Click to enlarge

You must have read the New to Kitchens? thread many times, but I'll link it, in case it's not on page one.
sena01
7 years ago
Another idea.

I moved DW and sink to the right and cooktop to the left. Moved the island to the left and have the seats on the other side. I'm not too happy with the seat in front of the oven, but since you expect to use only one of the seats most of the time it can be fine if the aisle can be at least 5-5,5 feet.
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I think for the most part your kitchen works for me except for one issue and that is the island. I saw that this is your main working area. I think I'd rather have the DW on the left of the sink and put a peninsula on the other side. The penisula could be as short as long as you need to make it and would elimate the pinch corners the island is giving you. IMO the island is causing more problems then it's fixing.
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Thanks for more input bmorepanic and I don't mind pushy. I don't always listen because I'm stubborn. : ) I had laundry in a closet off the kitchen in a condo I was in for 12 years and never had a humidity issue. Is your washer one of those steam jobs? Mine was a simple stackable from 20 years ago. My "new" ones are still 10+ years old and were also installed in that condo prior to my move. I tend to stay away from lots of extras that I won't use when purchasing appliances. As for "travel time", it's funny you mention that. Right now our dining room is in the position you see it in these plans, but the kitchen is through another room and to the right. We walk through the original dining room to get to the new one. In any case, while I take that to heart I really want the sink looking at the yard and not the fence (with a 5' setback). The single user is a good point, but I think if we move the range it will be better. Good point about the cutting board. Neither of our current ones are near the fridge. I also need to think about trash. Prior to adding the lower bookshelf, I was planning to put it at the end of that counter run. It's in a similar location now (also in a walkway) and it doesn't bug us. Hmmm....trash.... I was trying to think how I can use retractable doors on the laundry, or even a barn-type sliding door to "clean up" the traffic zone. I'm still stumped on my options here. And I really appreciate the specifics on cabinet sizes to move the range. I want to see if I can move the "baking sheet" cabinet to the 6" space next to the sink where the KD put drawers. I don't bake and I don't have little things to put in 6" drawers - except junk! Thanks again for the input - you've given us good discussion points. I'm going to take some pictures of our current 1990's Handyman Special Kitchen for some laughs. We have things like a drawer front with 30% cut and stuck on the cabinet fronts while the remaining 60% acts like a drawer. Good times...
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Do you use the living room or do you "live" in the family room? Your existing first floor illustrates an irony described by a friend of mine, who has a layout almost identical to yours, tho perhaps a bit tighter--smaller family room and perhaps smaller dining and living rooms and tighter kitchen U. She rarely uses the living room and most household activities take place in the family room and at the table in front of the large window area, which in her case is a walkout deck door. She hates her kitchen because it's essentially a walkpath with a range even worse than yours because it has no plunk space at all on one side. What is ironic is that when she moved in, this seemed to be such an ideal layout. Compared to my old awful corridor kitchen, I always thought hers was good, but mine had no modern posh illusions connected with it; hers did--a mid-1980s suburban palace of the time. Her hubby doesn't want her to see our new kitchen addition because she has been frustrated for many years and gripes a lot. We attend an annual "game feed" at this house; it has so much free flow from room to room in a large donut pattern, but all conversations are very tight; can't get up any large activities that span all groups and groups are essentially isolated despite the free flow. Not sure how it functions with just a couple occupants. Got tons of money? I have wondered if the dining&living rooms should become kitchen (at back) and dining (at front) and that the living room functions should move to the back of the house where the view and such are. This will be expensive because the water, etc. runs would change so much. OR, could the "family room" become the kitchen and push all activities to the associated spaces between front window and bump out window in your design. On a more realistic note, I still believe that it's important to somehow achieve a better range access from all sides of the work area to escape from that corner. I'm going to bow out; better experts can help you.
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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?
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Comments (2)

mama goose_gw zn6OH

sena01

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