Kitchen layout/island question
Comments (22)
mama goose_gw zn6OH
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoThe kitchen in the link is 13'8" x 15'. Are you adding 2' to the width? Will you have a table and chairs in the nook?
ETA--posting the floor plan:
Jay Walsh
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRelated Discussions
Ideas needed for kitchen layout - island seating question
Comments (8)First of all, congratulations- looks like a beautiful home! Aside from blocking the view of dirty dishes (which is a big plus), a raised height bar also provides a clear delineation of usage. For example, there's a natural indication of where the newspaper should go and where the dirty dishes should go. There are good reasons people stray from this natural pattern of interaction, especially in smaller kitchens or out of concern for small children (which your kiddos may be), but I think I would try and keep it raised in your kitchen if possible. I like your idea of placing some of the same materials found in the living room (such as the fireplace stone) in the kitchen. This will help bring the house together. I wouldn't worry too much about whether the fireplace lines up with the hood, in part because the rooms are designed such that folks will rarely have a view of both together. And even if there was some natural vantage point which caused you to see them both inline, I wouldn't rush to shift the hood down any further because that will increase the number of steps you take from the cooking area to the sink (a trip that is taken quite often). People often don't think enough about their day to day interactions with the elements of the kitchen. For example, what will you be looking at while you do the dishes? In your case, a dish washer can look out many windows, but also interact with folks at the bar or keep an eye on kids in the living room. Seems like exactly what you want. So, I would keep the angled island despite folks' accurate comments on your other post that it's not an ideal layout for storage space. Speaking of day-to-day interactions and your concern about storage, I would think about what each cabinet will be used for. For example, how far will you have to walk to put away a stack of heavy plates that just came out of the dishwasher? Can you put pots & pans where they're easily accessible from the cooking area? If you walk through this exercise, my hunch is you'll find that the cabinets around the sink/DW/oven end of the kitchen will be in high demand, and the space in the pantry and next to it is not as much. However, overall I think you have plenty of space (especially considering you've got a dining room buffet and wet bar cabinetry for some items other folks would have in kitchen cabinetry), so it may simply be a prioritization exercise. One thing I might think about changing is the pocket door between the mudroom and the kitchen. I love pocket doors for their efficient use of space, but they are not as easy to open and close. The passageway from the garage to the kitchen is one of the most heavily used in many households, and making it as simple as possible to pass through will pay off frequently. Because pocket doors are more difficult to open/close, they are also often left open. This is not a big deal in many of the situations where they're commonly used, but may be something to consider in your......See MoreKitchen layout questions for new construction
Comments (9)Thanks for the help here. Appreciate the suggestions and also the comments on aisle width. I'm going to post a kitchen layout I've been working on. I haven't incorporated all of the suggestions yet, but wanted to get something down to work with. Still learning the software, so it's a little rough around the edges. Planning on all drawers for lowers (except on seating side of island) even though it's not indicated in the drawings. Because we're going to be using ikea cabinets, the 18-inch deep pantry cabinets aren't a good option. I could do the 15 inch deep version. Thinking about putting a microwave in the pantry cabinets (open shelf), and I'm concerned that won't work with the 15 inch deep pantry cabinet? In the drawings I'm posting, I've got 24 inch deep cabinets along that wall. I've also increased the kitchen width to 19 feet. In all of these configurations, I have about 7 feet between the edge of the island countertop, and the edge of the dining table. I've added some notes about where I think things might go, but I have no idea what would work best for prep sink, trash location, etc. One thing I love about my current kitchen is that I can grab clean plates and silverware out of the dishwasher, swivel without even hardly taking a step, and put it all away. I thought about turning one of the cabinets that is on the seating side of the island, and swiveling it to have drawers facing the sink cabinet wall. Would that look weird? Also, I am used to a longer (but not as deep) island. Am I going to miss the extra length? Especially if I am also breaking it up with a prep sink? Please let me know if this is hard to read. Thanks so much! (1) close up of first kitchen plan (2) Same as above, but including mudroom leading to garage: (3) An alternative island option, and sink moved further south (oops, just now noticed I forgot to move the windows down with the sink):...See MoreKitchen Island for U shaped Kitchen Layout
Comments (11)Whether or not an island will fit in your kitchen and allow adequate space between the island and perimeter cabinets, depends on the size of your kitchen. A u-shaped kitchen that is 10x10, for example, will have approximately 6 feet of floor space between the legs of the U (subtracting out 24 inches for each leg of the U). Sure you could fit a cart or utility table in the U but maneuverability would be limited. Assume you want nice wide 48-inch aisles. The kitchen would need to be at least 12 feet plus whatever dimension island you want. That means if your kitchen is 14 feet wide, you would only be able to fit a 2-foot wide island. These are design guidelines, of course. If you were ok with 36 inch aisles, then you could go with a larger island of 4 feet in width....See MoreKitchen Layout Questions
Comments (14)@Andrea C Yes agree on that. I think something should be there... whether it’s that wall or something else. When describing the breakfast bar to my husband ( he was the one who initially wanted it) I described making the wall higher for counter height and he is very against it. so breakfast bar is out, which I am kind of relieved about.. My KD came yesterday and she was able to show me where an island of 58” long by 48” wide would fit in the kitchen - and it seems fine to me. There are 42” on stove and sink side. Over four feet on half wall side. And about 45” or maybe it was 46” on the patio door side. I’m hoping that’s sufficient space near a sliding door. Perhaps need to watch the stool size so they tuck under a decent amount. So with over four feet on the pony wall side I still wonder if I should remove the wall do cabinets there? Or remove the wall and do something that would be less of a bulky room divider? Or just leave the pony wall, call it a day, and trim it out nice?...See MoreJay Walsh
7 years ago
DrB477
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
7 years agoJay Walsh
7 years agomama goose_gw zn6OH
7 years agoDrB477
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoJay Walsh
7 years agoBuehl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoJay Walsh
7 years agoJay Walsh
7 years agoBuehl
7 years agoBuehl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoOK - you seem to think you can move some things around...so here are five options. They start with the fewest changes to the most changes. Personally, I like Layout #5 the best - assuming you can make so many changes.
Be aware that Layouts 1 through 3 really do not work very well. These are the ones with the least changes - the appliances are in the same basic locations.
The refrigerator in Layouts #1 & 2 is quite far from the Prep Zone and sink - and the workflow doesn't work well - there's zone-crossing and backtracking b/c of the poor workflow.
Layout #3 (seats on window/DW side of island) forces all traffic to/from the refrigerator to go through the Prep Zone, something that should be avoided!
Here they are (since there are so many, I combined the detailed layout with the zone maps)
Note that all have appliance moves, so what you can do will depend on what can/cannot be moved - I would try very hard to convince the builder to move the appliances!
Note: When we were looking around recently, the sales people in the model homes all said we could not make any changes. However, when we talked to the supervisors/managers later (by phone), every builder told us we could move things and that we could redesign the Kitchen if we so desired. (At a cost, of course!) So, I would try contacting corporate or regional headquarters to find out what you can really do! (We ended up buying land instead b/c we wanted more land and I couldn't find a decent plan anywhere (GW has spoiled me!) - but it was interesting how the salespeople in these developments weren't very knowledgeable about what was really allowed!)
- Layouts #1, &2:
-- Oven & Refrigerator are switched so the island is not a barrier b/w the refrigerator and Prep Zone
-- DW is moved so it's not in the middle of the Prep Zone - Layout #3:
-- Oven & Refrigerator are switched so the island is not a barrier b/w the refrigerator and Prep Zone
-- DW is moved so it's not in the middle of the Prep Zone
-- Cooktop is moved so the island is not a barrier b/w it and the Prep Zone and to bring it closer to the Prep Zone - both for better workflow - Layouts #4 & 5:
-- Refrigerator and Ovens are moved to the right wall
-- DW is moved so it's not in the middle of the Prep Zone
-- Cooktop is moved to the left ("up")
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Layout #1
See how this layout (#1) and the next (#2) have backtracking - since workflow is:
Refrigerator & Pantry --> Sink (in Prep Zone) --> Prep Workspace --> Cooking Zone (w/Cooktop)
In these layouts, you have to cross through the Cooking Zone to get to the sink from the refrigerator - at quite a distance! - and then backtrack to the Cooking Zone.
The island, btw, is a barrier b/w the Pantry and the sink in both of these layouts.
(The only difference b/w these layouts is the lower right corner - without and with an Appliance Garage.)
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Layout #2
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Layout #3
See how this layout (#3) forces all traffic to/from the refrigerator to go through the Prep Zone, something that should be avoided!
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Layout #4
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Layout #5
My favorite, given the constraints of the space. (I would rather have the pantry be located so it opens into the Kitchen around where the arrow for the 51" aisle is located - and then the island could be another 6" or so wider so a third seat could be added to the long side and the prep sink could be 21" to 24" wide. 18" is OK, but another 3 to 6 inches would be even better.)
Note how the workflow is correct and how there aren't any marathon distances b/w key appliances and zones. In addition, traffic is kept out of the Prep and Cooking Zones with the refrigerator on the end and the MW drawer facing out the side - someone looking for a snack can get to the refrigerator and/or use the MW without getting in the way!
- Layouts #1, &2:
Buehl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoJay Walsh
7 years agohelaurin93
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3 years agoJay Walsh
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Jay WalshOriginal Author