Layout Advice Needed: New Kitchen in Old House
madison3701um
7 years ago
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madison3701um
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Layout advice for kitchen in old Ohio house, please
Comments (3)I actually like your layout in general. My thoughts are based on how I'd use it. 1. Toaster oven alcove. That solid wall does seem to close in the corner somewhat undesirably with its mass, and you'd need to keep that counter clear to open the door. For me, that corner would be a great place for coffee/tea, toaster, quick sandwich, that sort of thing. I'd probably want my microwave there since I seldom cook with it but am constantly heating, defrosting, etc. (Confession, I've never ever used a toaster oven.) Door opening interfering with other uses is the biggest issue I see here, though. Love the counter depth. It'd be a very useful little corner. 2. Above-counter pull-out. As a short person who can't reach most upper shelves, that would only be a plus for me. The only reason to stick to mostly lightweight would be safety. 3. Height of counter--strictly personal choice, varying by the overall synergy factor of each. I'd mock it up with boxes and boards, and maybe a pile of dirty pots and dishes, then decide. 4. Lack of wall cabinets. No drawback at all for me. I chose windows instead of uppers. Tall people may have a different plus/minus balance. Either way, the kitchen will feel a lot larger and airier without them. You'll probably want to do without drawers, maybe 24" or so, in a lower cabinet somewhere in favor of vertical storage for baking sheets, etc. 5. Regarding enough prep space, I'd do most of my meal prep on the 41" to the left of the stove, which is similar to the 36-40" I typically find myself working at on my 59" island. The 41" to the right would be ready and waiting for a second "project" or cook. Then there's the quick-prep area to the left of the sink. It'd all work fine for me. I do most of my cooking from scratch, but it's a rare day when I put up a few bushels of figs or bake and decorate a wedding cake....See MoreLayout questions for new kitchen in old house
Comments (2)Maybe you don't want to her this perspective and maybe it does not matter...but I'll preface it by saying I'm an old house snob. If I walked into a kitchen as described above I'd walk right out without seeing any more of the house :o( Now if this is a home you're going to keep for the rest of your life, maybe that isn't a big deal, but if there is any thought of ever selling a historic home, staying just a little on point historically is always a huge plus especially in a kitchen. The sink in the island is challenging visually for a historic home (pet peeve of mine) but that could be minimized somewhat if appropriate materials are used (ie painted cabinets and not the permiter in one color and the island in another which screams NOW). I'm not sure what concerns you have with seams, but something like marble or soapstone, even antiqued granite in a basic black would be much more appropriate, or the copper (which is gorgeous). Corian in a historic home pains me. heck it pains me in any home, but in a historic home the plastic look just screams "plastic" to me when the other finishes in an old home are considered. I wouldn't reduce the fridge size (one can never have too much LOL) especially if it's fridge and freezer. I regret having done that in our other house so my comment is colored with that regret. This is just my old house snob opinion formed after having looked at a lot of homes over the last two year and rejecting several with "new" kitchen they expected me to pay for that were going to be ripped out. Kitchens were deal killers in several houses and in the end we bought the house without one :)...See MoreOld house, funky kitchen, grateful for your layout advice!
Comments (39)Interesting and, again, helpful. Thanks to you both! Brilliant to incorporate the Pet Center into the kitchen. As it is, I've got at least half of one big drawer devoted to those things, and I don't much like mixing some of that stuff with food-related items (leaky Frontline packages, I'm looking at you!) They belong in a separate drawer as you have them, or in a mud room near the dog wash, which of course can double as a utility sink. It's not too hard to rig up a proper dog wash, inside or out--depending on the size of the dog and level of recalcitrance when it comes to baths ;) The more I think about it, the more a mud room makes sense for a small house. The only real addition that has been made post-1920s is a large-ish bathroom, with heated floors, a big closet, and a walk-in shower (separate from tub,) that has a nice high window. You can see the high window on the right in my other photos. Anyway, I do think that adding a good-size bathroom onto a tiny house is a huge improvement, especially when you think about sharing the space. A well-designed mud-room/ laundry will have a similar effect, unburdening the kitchen and other spaces from storage of linens, light bulbs, gift wrap, you name it! It's possible I can achieve what I want without adding extra "living" space (a bedroom or studio,) but I wonder if that becomes risky. It'd still be a 2 BR 1Ba house, albeit with ample storage and a comfortable connection to utility space outside. I think I'd like to proceed by designing the mud room and kitchen as if there would be a two story space where the garage is. I'd always imagined that space being linked to the old space through the kitchen, and that "mud" would be housed in the lower portion of the addition (where the garage is presently.) It's so helpful to have feedback like this to keep me from doing something impulsive that might make things better only in the short run. What a great resource you all are! Thanks again....See MoreNeed advice with new living room layout and old furniture
Comments (13)@housegal200 - I agree! I love everything about how this house was staged and would have been totally happy buying all their furniture. I wanted to hire a designer/decorator for at least the living room but I couldn't get my husband on-board with that idea and now I'm terrified about how bad this room might potentially look. Unfortunately getting a smaller TV in here is not an option - he is dead set on keeping this TV and making this the family room. There is another room in between the dining room and kitchen that is being used as a formal sitting room but it's not as nice as this room....See Moremadison3701um
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