Kitchen Design Help Please
Hi
I am hoping to totally redo my kitchen in the not so distant future and am hoping that people here might be willing to help me out on the layout.
Using the kitchen is myself, husband and occasionally our three kids (20, 18, 15). We don't cook a lot nor do we entertain much.
In the new kitchen we'd like a counter depth french door fridge, double oven, cooktop and dishwasher. Microwave will be in the pantry.
We don't want upper cabinets on either side of the window and the door from the kitchen into the mudroom can be eliminated or moved as necessary. The doorway into the office can be adjusted a bit (moved slightly, made smaller).
I truly appreciate any help you can give!
Comments (7)
Buehl
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Kitchen Design Help Please... second try....
Comments (13)I much prefer Jillius' 2nd example of seating but honestly, I'm not a huge fan of sitting and eating at the counter as a regular habit. Why not consider just abutting a table against the island like this: [Industrial Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/industrial-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2113) by Chicago Architects & Building Designers Besch Design, Ltd. This would give you the flexibility to pull the table away from the island and turn it to seat 6 when needed. I would do a 60" long table so that the people seated closest to the island don't feel crowded up against it. Your island arrangement looks crowded to me. Here's another table against an island: [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Vancouver Design-Build Firms VictorEric...See MoreKitchen design help please
Comments (65)Let me just say a word about the budget vs. function vs. time vs. other priorities issues. And this is intended toward no one in particular, just my general musings on such matters. Big projects can be bit off a chunk at a time. There's no reason a project has to be completely done first in order to enjoy being in it and working in it. If incremental changes are done that improve function AND if one cooks regularly, because they like to or have to, the joy of the increased function can outweigh the negatives of cheap, temporary finishes, unfinished areas, and other aesthetic issues. I know because I'm going through it for the second time in my life. Each step was planned to be done in a way that we're never without an appliance or access to water for more than a few hours so we have never been unable to cook for more than a meal at a time, not days or weeks at a time; and each step has added better function to the space, was done at a minimal budget and, most importantly, each step has increased function so much that I'm filled with glee each time I use my kitchen. I've tripled counter space and now have counters where I actually need them. That's huge. Sure, they're plywood right now but they still work just fine and I have a dedicated baking center. DH is now finally making progress on putting in the plumbing and electric for the new location for the DW and the clean-up sink so that will be another huge step and I'll finally have a dedicated prep area with no DW in the middle of it. We started the kitchen remodel in late Sept. 2014. We're not even half-done. I estimate it will be spring or early summer next year before we're done with the structural and layout work and then we'll start working seriously on aesthetics. Doing it this slow way yields a lot of positives as we started with a good plan through the efforts of the folks here at GW, but we are able to tweak it a bit here and there as we live with it and discover small changes that improve the function and future aesthetics, and we are able to shop sales, salvage, Habitat Re-Stores, and other low-cost places to help us keep the cost down enough where we are able to pay as we go, not going into debt or drawing from savings to pay for it. If we had done a rush job to get it done quickly and with minimal changes to save costs, we would not be ending up with such a great kitchen that is absolutely worth waiting for. The functional changes and changes that do impact aesthetics for the better even though things aren't finished and we have no real counters, currently have mis-matched cabinets, are so worth it that I don't even notice that my counters are plywood. I bask in the function and how good I know it's going to be when it's done. I can wait. Delayed gratification can be a good thing. I'm not sharing this to chastise but, rather, to offer a different perspective that might make sense to you. Or maybe not. YMMV. I just want you to have a nice kitchen that you enjoy working in....See Morekitchen design help please
Comments (5)It does look dark! And it’s a very unusual trim on the doors... the blog young house love had a similarly dark kitchen that they brightened up through a few steps - here’s a link to the Phase 2 (phase 1 was removing a couple of the uppers) https://www.younghouselove.com/a-white-christmas/ Another inexpensive option is to remove the doors from the uppers - this can definitely lead to more visual clutter - so a good clean out and organization of the cabinets and countertops can really help with that (and/or moving less used items to a pantry/basement/closet/garage) Beyond that, you could also paint the wooden soffit above the cabinets to lighten up the top of the kitchen. Color wise I would stay very light - not sure if the green is what you’ve started? I think adding color just adds to the choppiness of the space... Hopefully some of the pros will pop in with some more advice!...See MoreKitchen design help please!
Comments (20)Beautiful stone! Hope you’ll come back and share the final reveal! For the layout: I would move your DW to the other side of the sink - as is, when it is open it blocks access to the sink from the fridge and access to the range...See MoreBuehl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agokatmarie1019
7 years agokatmarie1019
7 years agoBuehl
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoSome things to keep in mind...
- Even with the Mudroom doorway moved to the Office, you still need more than 44" b/w the seats and the counter and ovens - especially the ovens! Think about trying to open an oven with someone sitting right in front of the oven - not just in the way, but also exposed to the blast of heat that exits the oven when it's opened.
I would prefer at least 54" b/w those seats and the ovens, but 48" might be doable - since you have no young children. (I probably would not do it, but it's up to you.)
- The only Dining Room is the space b/w the Kitchen and Family Room and it appears to start where the Pantry starts - which means there needs to be enough room for a table and chairs. So, you need an aisle b/w the island (if you have one) and the start of the Dining Room table.
I recommend a minimum of 48" if you plan to have a chair on the Kitchen end of the table, 54" or more if you have seats at both the island and table back-to-back.
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Here's my idea. It only has one seat, but I don't think your Kitchen can support more than that - not if you want wall ovens.
(Zone map at the end of the post)
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"...the possibility that we may reconfigure/enlarge that space and possible change the entrance to be into our current office..."
It moves the Mudroom door to the Office. I think your idea of enlarging the Mudroom space is an excellent idea!
The Office doorway isn't moved, it's just made a bit smaller. It's 35" in my layout. I suggest a sliding door b/w the two rooms so you can leave it open or close it - and the door will not be in the way in either position.
The Kitchen...
Aisle widths are pretty good. They're b/w the minimum for a one-cook Kitchen (42") and a multi-cook Kitchen (48"). The island could be made smaller to give you wider aisles, but I didn't want to make the island so small that it wasn't worth the space it would take up. If it's too small to really work at, then it just becomes a useless obstacle in the middle of the room. If, on the other hand, it's big enough to work at, it provides useful space and is worth being an obstacle in the middle of the room. Note that it's not a barrier island b/w the refrigerator & Primary Prep Zone or refrigerator & Cooking Zone, so it is useful.
The aisle b/w the cooktop and island could be wider if you pushed the island "down" 3 to 6 inches, but then the table will need to be pushed "down" the same amount. Also, be careful not to put the seat in front of the oven - assuming you keep the seat.
There is also plenty of room around the table for traffic to/from the door to the outside deck, Pantry, Foyer, Dining Room, Family Room, Mudroom/Office, etc.
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Island seat...there's only one seat and it's located so it's not in front of the oven and where someone sitting in the seat won't be in the way of people using the Kitchen or going to/from the Office & Mudroom. Two seats won't fit - first b/c the island would need to be another 6" wider and, second, b/c you don't want a seat that's in front of the oven or in the way of traffic going to/from the Kitchen and Mudroom/Office. If you had another seat, I'd want another 5 or 6 inches of aisle width behind the seats.
If you don't want the seat, and you don't really need it b/c the table is so close, then you gain another 24" x 15" of cabinet space - it could be a 15" wide spice pullout that pulls out toward the cooktop.
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It has two Prep Zones, each with a nice stretch of workspace:
- Primary Prep Zone...b/w the sink and cooktop. There are 30 inches b/w the sink and corner (and includes the trash pullout) + 54 inches b/w the corner and cooktop. A very nice Prep Zone!
- Secondary Prep Zone...on the island. There's no immediate water source, but you can turn and use the sink behind it. I probably would have considered it the Tertiary Prep Zone if it weren't for the DW in the third Prep Zone.
- Tertiary Prep Zone...to the left of the sink. It includes the DW and is a bit far from the cooktop, so I consider it a third option, not second.
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The Cooking Zone is protected from traffic and is next to the Primary Prep Zone and refrigerator.
The ovens are a bit far from the cooktop, but they're located so there's no obstruction in front of them (e.g., island or seats!) and with plenty of landing space right next to them in the 30" of counterspace to the left (with 27" cabinets - base & upper). Optionally, you could include the MW in that 30" area - I suggest hanging it from the upper cabinet if you do so it doesn't take up valuable counterspace/oven landing space.
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The Cleanup Zone and Dish Storage are separated from the Prep and Cooking Zones and ideally located near the Dining Room. There are 49" of counter space b/w the sink and the end of the counter run.
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Dish storage is located in both the 24" base cabinet next to the DW and across from the DW in the island. I think there will be just enough room to have both the DW door open and the drawers in the island open at the same time. I strongly suggest they be all drawers. There have been several threads over the years that discuss storing dishes and glasses in base cabinets. One caveat: If you are a tall family, you may not like dishes stored in drawers; however, since you don't want an upper cabinet on the window wall, I don't think you really have any other option. I would not try to store dishes for serving/eating in the upper cabinets flanking the cooktop b/c it would draw people into your primary work space and those people will be in the way of someone else preparing a meal (prepping and cooking).!
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The refrigerator is located on the periphery and is easily accessed from the Dining Room, Office, and Family Room without having to cut through the working part of the Kitchen. It's also easily accessed from the Primary Prep Zine and Cooking Zone. It's also nicely located when bringing groceries in via the Mudroom.
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Zone Map:
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katmarie1019 thanked Buehl- Even with the Mudroom doorway moved to the Office, you still need more than 44" b/w the seats and the counter and ovens - especially the ovens! Think about trying to open an oven with someone sitting right in front of the oven - not just in the way, but also exposed to the blast of heat that exits the oven when it's opened.
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