Kitchen design ideas please
Does anyone have any thoughts to improve this potential kitchen design? It's for a small 2 bedroom apartment. Obviously not very many upper cabinets in this design but I'm ok with that. Deciding what to do on the wall side of the fridge, filler I guess.
Comments (12)
PRODesign Loft Bracebridge
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoFrom a design perspective, I'm not a fan of the narrow pathway on either side of your island. It looks to be about 30". Have you set up anything in the space to see how narrow it will be and how you would move around the kitchen? I would push the island up against the one wall to be a peninsula and give yourself a wider entrance. I understand that you would probably want accessible cabinets on both side but creating narrow passage ways isn't advisable, IMPO. Others may disagree. It's your kitchen, if you're comfortable with those tight passage ways, than OK. Just make sure you understand how tight it will be.
Also, if you are putting a deep upper over the fridge without a tall panel to support it, the front corner may sink over time. I've see this many times. I wouldn't put anything too heavy in that cabinet if you don't have it supported at the front.
I don't know if it's an over-site on the drawing, but I don't see fillers planned on the pantry or fridge upper. Highly recommended to use fillers to compensate for walls being out of plumb and to keep doors from binding on the walls.
sena01
7 years agoWith only 137" the island doesn't leave you enough aisle. DW takes up 24+1(support for countertop), sink 36" and another 24 cab plus 1,5 counter overhang on each side make 88". 137-88=49 is the total you have for 2 aisles.
Maybe something like this.
The peninsula is 30" deep (24 cab+ 6" shelves). I have 44" aisle (from counter edge to counter edge) on the working part of the kitchen and 36" at the back of the peninsula. The brown parts of the countertop represent dropdown counters.
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Please post your favorite design/storage ideas!
Comments (13)I have a large cookbook collection. In my old kitchen most were stored in a bulky pantry cabinet. They were stacked deep on shelves and were so hard to access I hated to dig out any but the ones in front. My new kitchen has open shelves on my island where I keep the ones I use most often - easy access & they add color to my white cabinets. Recently my DH created space for more of them under the stairs from the kitchen that lead to our finished basement mudroom. There's even space there to store issues of my favorite food magazines. It was wasted space and now I love being able to browse through them so easily and use them more often....See MoreKitchen Design Assistance and Ideas!
Comments (23)Benje - thank you for your design(s) as well! Completely removing that door and moving to the family room is still an idea and if we go that route I do agree that it really has a great flow. It has no double wall oven though so that is our main concern with the design. Also a little concerned with storage space. I never feel like we are going to have enough!! Buehl - Thank you very much for your work on this! Sorry it took so long to get back to you all, we have an 8 month old so timing isn't always great! To answer all of your questions first: We are currently a young family of 3, my wife, myself, and our little 8 month old. We are planning on having one more child down the road a bit. I added a quick sketch of the first floor layout of the house which I have added to this post. Hopefully this will help everyone. If you need more measurements or identifying anything on my less than stellar drawing please just let me know. We don't have our fridge yet but it is going to be counter depth, not built in, most likely. That could change pending a few items but at this point we are going with counter depth and staying away from the ultra high end appliances. We were originally going to go with the subzero / wolf line but found that money better spent elsewhere. We do have a separate pantry area but it is in between the garage door opening and the powder room. It isn't ideal but we had none when we moved it so I made it the make-shift one for now. I think there is a good amount of opening (65") going into the family room so we wouldn't be opposed to closing up that half wall to the ceiling if it allowed for the island we really want. Worst case we could use that angled supp pantry you put in your KD and keep our old pantry the way we have it currently. The DR door could be moved down as far as I know. I am assuming you mean down as in away from the range. Obviously assuming that their wouldn't be any cabinets along that wall. Didn't open up the walls yet but assuming there isn't any duct work or plumbing over there. I don't NEED the 36" cooktop, it would be a nice to have as I prepare a wide variety of meals and always curse at my lack of space on the current 30" one. I could make do with a 30" though. I think the door staying in the kitchen is the best idea though, just making it a single door instead of the slider. We'll put an all glass door so we get a good amount of light in. We have no neighbors behind us so privacy isn't really an issue. Double wall oven is a must - we host most parties, holiday's, etc at our house and making a big meal without 2 ovens has really hurt us! Buehl - we LOVE your design with the large island. You removed the bar which will hurt but we understand if it's at the cost of the larger island we can always move the bar into the dining room. What are the overall dimensions of the island? I can't really make it out from the drawing. We would most likely bring that half wall to the ceiling and door wall to ceiling pantry there. My initial concern would be the storage space but if we get that full pantry over by the 1/2 wall, the spice rack, and the pots/pans under the cooktop I think it works GREAT....See MoreKitchen family room design ideas
Comments (6)Just a rough idea ... The corner they've got the breakfast table in could be really nice as a banquette, but if you don't like benches, a round table with four chairs could work there, too. For the fireplace area, maybe two chairs instead of the couch; if you got ones that swivel they could face the kitchen for conversing with the chef or each other for fireside chatting, side tables for drinks and a rug to create a cozy space. In the dining room, you could probably go a tad bigger than what they have, and I put a small buffet where they have the chair. Id turn the living room couch so it could be used to watch a TV on the big wall. The chair could be pulled to a watching position, but it's more set up for gathering. A console table across the back of the couch is for the entry space ... great spot to toss the mail or find your keys on the way out....See MoreKitchen Design ideas
Comments (2)It‘s‘a already brand new and designed. Leave it be unless you want to rip out that batwing island for a redo....See More
lharpie
7 years agoMike Kaban
7 years ago
Karenseb
7 years agoHere is an idea if you reorient the island and attach it to the wall. With a 5 foot aisle between the sink and stove, 2 people could work in the kitchen
. I guess I'd do the longer island with 3 seats if you don't need the counter seating.Mike Kaban
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoI should have included this whole unit sketch at the start. This is going to make it easier.
lisa_a
7 years agoI don't understand why you aren't making the best use of the 2 unobstructed walls in your kitchen. That's a missed opportunity, IMO.
Your kitchen is better served by a peninsula than an island. Here are 2 suggestions for you. Both work with Ikea cab sizes.
I didn't use up the entire length of the top wall because I wanted to make sure you had sufficient aisles between peninsula and table for back to back seating (60" recommended). I assumed you had 44" (recommended aisle to walk behind seated diners) already so I only needed to give you enough to get to 60" (this is actually a bit more).
The peninsula is almost long enough to fit 4 seats in a pinch but 3 seats will be more comfortable. If you don't need 3 seats, you can pull the 30" cab facing the seating out for more accessible storage and have 2 seats at the end of the peninsula. There would be a void space between this cab and the 18" cab next to the range.
The pantry cab is likely smaller than you spec'd but this plan gives you more upper cab storage so it's likely a wash. If you want or need more storage, you could add uppers on the range wall, too.I left that wall free of cabs to give an open feel to the kitchen.
You can mount the MW on a shelf below the upper cab (opt for a GE Spacermaker II, they are upper cab depth) or sit it on the counter. You could also replace the far left upper cab with open shelving and put the MW on the bottom shelf like this:
San Francisco Kitchen Redux · More InfoThere might also be an Ikea hack that will allow you to install the MW similar to this:
Edina - Traditional Kitchen Remodel · More InfoGo with a single bowl sink with an offset drain and put a trash pull-out under the sink. My kitchen is larger than yours but I did this and love it!
My sink is right up against the corner with the DW to its right (it's behind a panel).
I voided the base corner in the top right in favor of drawer storage. It should save you $, too, since corner storage mechanisms are more money than regular base storage.
The only change between Plan A and Plan B is the sink and DW location.
Moving the sink and DW allows you to use the peninsula as a buffet area. It also makes it easier to visit with guests while you prep on the peninsula. The largest prep area in Plan A is on the counter against the right wall.
You can tweak cab sizes as needed. For instance, opting for a 24" sink cab instead of a 36" sink cab. (wish Ikea offered a 33" or 30" sink cab.)
just_janni
7 years agolisa_a
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoI was thinking along the same lines, Sena! Great minds. =)
Here's my variation of what Sena is suggesting.
I moved the pantry cabs to the side of the fridge cab, using two 15" wide, 15" deep cabs. Their combined 30" width will make a standard depth fridge look like a counter depth fridge. I also pulled the entire run of base cabs on the sink wall out to create a 30" deep counter, again creating the illusion of a counter depth fridge. It will also give you more room behind the sink.
I didn't add uppers on the sink run but you can.
Moving the pantry to the end of the fridge allowed room for 36" drawer bases on each side of the range, plenty of room to store pots, pans, etc. There's more storage in the peninsula, too. This gives you multiple places to prep, which will be handy when you have additional helpers in the kitchen.
The 15" wide doors on the 30" upper cab will look similar enough in width that most people won't notice they aren't the same width. The widths I spec'd are assuming you'll use a 30" hood. If you want a 36" hood, you'll need to adjust the upper cab widths accordingly.
Aha, I found a photo of a MW on a shelf below a counter.
Traditional Kitchen · More InfoForgot to mention a plus with having the peninsula across from the fridge. That counter will be a great spot to set grocery bags down before putting items away in the fridge and pantry.
Buehl
7 years agoMike Kaban
7 years ago
sena01