Looking for layout help and ideas please!
I've read through the "how to ask" topics, so hopefully I'm in the right place to ask! We just finished a remodel on our kitchen and it turned out perfectly. Long story short, we've decided to move. (Part of our compromise was an agreement that we would immediately remodel the kitchen ;) We haven't even moved in to the new place yet, but I want to get started on the plan. I will include the current layout with dimensions. (I measured everything, but won't be back in the house until the end of the month.) I know many would suggest living with the kitchen as-is for a while, but that's not something we are going to do, as we will be replacing the floors first, and our plan is to demo the kitchen before we do the floors :)
We are a family of five. Myself, my husband, and our 13 year old, 5 year old, and 4 year old. I do the cooking 99% of the time, but I expect the kids will help more as they get older. I love to bake. I love having a big flat island. I don't care for anything in the island (sink, cooktop, etc.) I like being able to do my prep work there, serving food, etc. And in our current home, the island is directly across from the wall ovens, which works great for setting baking sheets on etc. In our current home we have a big open floor plan with kitchen, dining, and family room all in one space, and I love that. In our new home we will have a separate formal dining room as well as a bay window nook area. My intention is to put a round table there, build a window seat to follow the curve of the wall (unless someone suggests otherwise). So the 3 kids should be able to sit on the bench, with two chairs on the other side. I envision this will be where people spend most of their time doing homework, working on laptop, etc. (Right now all of that is done at the dining table, but I don't see anyone spending time in the formal living room unless we have guests over. Which is kind of sad because I looooove my dining table. It was a Christmas gift from my husband and is a big gorgeous farmhouse style 4'x8' and we spend lots of time at it.)
As for traffic flow, since we don't live there I can't say for certain. However, knowing how our family operates, I expect the flow will rarely come from the formal dining room. It would likely all be from the left, which is also the direction we will enter the home, whether from front door or from garage, only flowing into/out of the dining room when we are having guests over for a meal or something, and only then to sit down and eat, rather than people going back and forth during meal prep. (Hopefully that makes sense.)
As for scope, our last kitchen remodel was extensive, and we are hoping to keep this one to a smaller scale. So, no moving walls or windows, and as few changes to electrical/plumbing as possible. Though I DO want a cooktop, NOT a range. So that means we need to find a spot for a wall oven. We currently have a double oven, but I've decided to go with a wall oven/microwave combo instead this time around. Or a wall oven with a separate microwave placed somewhere else. I love my double oven, but I don't use it enough to justify the expense (both purchasing it and the necessary electrical changes.) I don't want a range because I prefer the look for an uninterrupted countertop and it is much easier for cleanup. (I've had both, and I for sure want a cooktop).
In the current layout there is a "desk area" as you can see. It's basically got upper cabinets and then a shorter desk area with matching countertop. This is not something I see us using so I was thinking of either making it a full wall of cabinets or a normal size counter with upper/lower cabinets. It just seems separate from the kitchen, so I'm not sure how useful countertop there would really be...
I considered eliminating the island and doing a peninsula instead, but the fewer corner cabinets I have, the better. And I also think it closes off the kitchen from the nook/family room and I'd rather keep it more of an open layout. I am open to ideas though. I tend to get so focused on my original idea that I can miss great ideas. So I'm keeping an open mind :)
This is the current layout. Hopefully you can read it well enough. I did my best to sketch it to scale. Currently they have an overhang for seating at the island, but even though traffic won't regularly flow past it into the dining room, it seems way too tight for seating. My plan is to eliminate the seating there altogether (unless someone convinces me it's a good idea.)
Here's the "bigger picture" with the layout:
And here's a couple of ideas I was playing around with. Considered the idea of extending the island to make the countertop to the left of the fridge seem more part of the kitchen, but then I think it makes the chairs at the round table cramped. (I'm not set on the round table, by the way.) Was thinking I could put the wall oven to the left of dishwasher, but then that reduces that counterspace, and I do use the counterspace on either side of the sink.
Or maybe put the wall oven between the pantry and the fridge. Or maybe something totally different that I haven't considered.
Ideas much appreciated!
Comments (223)
mshutterbug
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Kitchen addition plans- lots to look at, please help with layout
Comments (28)Part of why I suggested putting the big ref on the back wall is to eliminate the turn at the ref. The ref where the ovens are and the ovens at "alt-ref" can work too. Not at the original ref location because its kinda bad to have the open oven doors and somebody seated at the stools. It's ok for a micro, but not for something where the doors are hot. My personal preference would be to not have oven doors in a traffic aisle. Looking at it again, maybe park an inexpensive drinks ref on the dining room wall if you retain full depth cabinets. A nice looking dorm undercounter or one of those 2x2 ref-frz like the small lg unit. Possibly a bar sink on the dining room wall run for a complete drinks area there. If it has the pantry and a microwave, it easily becomes the express food area for kids. If you want, you can buy a simpler, maybe smaller main ref without water and ice in the door. The prep sink question is a good one. In this arrangement, you might not actually need one on the island (five people will chime in and disagree)! Its a bit more convenient, but not much. If the main ref moves to the back wall, you need one on the island even less. If the main ref moves to where the ovens are shown, you should have one - so that you don't have to cross the cooking area to get to the water. Where exactly it goes is partly dependent on what type of ref you're getting. A sxs or a french door needs landing space opposite the ref - behind you when you're standing in front of it. A single door ref needs landing space to the side without the hinges. So a single door ref, put the sink in the lower right corner of the island as drawn. A two door ref, the upper right corner. The other question about island width was a place I didn't use enough words (again). Without an appliance, the entire run of cabinets on the dining room wall could be less deep by 6 to 12" and the island could take up those inches in width....See MorePlease help with odd layout. I'm totally out of ideas (and my mind)
Comments (8)You've done nice work so far. The kitchen is beautiful and so is the floor. I just have a couple of comments. I think your current seating arrangement is as good as it's going to get. I wouldn't buy a loveseat if you can fit two sofas instead. Put a sofa table behind the one facing the TV to will help to define the entrance. Square the TV cabinet up to the wall. Then either put the TV on a swivel or on an articulating arm to adjust for viewing. I like whitewashed fireplaces, so I would start there. You can always paint it if you don't like it, but you can't go the other way. As for style and color, save your favorite rooms in your living room ideabook. I see you already have two, both neutral, both transitional. Try to identify what it is about each room that you like. You will eventually either get a clear vision for the space...or be totally confused and run back here screaming and we'll help you sort it out. ;-)...See MoreAnother challenging layout
Comments (21)I would suggest you print out a couple copies of the blank floor plan I posted and take them with some pens and pencils to your husband. The fact that that blank floor plan has a graph paper grid on it makes it easily to eyeball both space and shapes as you tinker around, and the fact that that version of the floor plan has just the walls with no labels or furniture or cabinets anything else drawn in helps to broaden both your minds to various options allowed by your space. Also print out two copies of the aisle width cheat sheet I already posted (https://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/e192fba20a6426cd_9-2973/home-design.jpg) and keep that on hand for each of you to reference. Bring those print-outs to your husband and sketch some options together while chatting and mulling over these general facts with him: - The space you currently have for your kitchen/dining is too narrow for having an island. - That part of your home will always be that narrow because of the stairs. - An island with seating is something you clearly want, based on the suggestion you came up with. - Therefore, if you want a kitchen with an island (with or without seating), the kitchen will have to change locations in the house. - If you want a kitchen island with seating, you should know the rule of thumb is to be looking in your house for an area to place your kitchen that is or can be an absolute minimum of roughly 13' deep. Why roughly 13' deep? This is because perimeter counters are about 25.5" deep (the standard depth of cabinets is 24" plus a 1.5" minimum standard counter overhang). Aisles can vary, but 42" wide is the absolute minimum you can get away with in the working zone of a multi-person kitchen (which is usually what you try to create in a detached house). Then the island needs to be a minimum of 37.5" deep (the standard 24" depth of cabinets plus a 1.5" counter overhang on the working side and a 12" overhang on the seating side, which is pretty much the least knee space you can allow). Behind seated people, you can sometimes get away with a more narrow aisle if no traffic will be ever be walking behind the seated people, but that a fairly rare scenario. Usually there is through traffic going behind the seated people at the island, and the absolutely minimum aisle that will fit seating people plus traffic behind them is 48" wide. 24" + 1.5" + 42" + 1.5" + 24" + 12" + 48" = 12'9" = ~13' - When I say absolute minimum in any of these cases, it's always the least space needed to be functional. Not the least to be comfortable. This is up to you, but I would personally never do the minimum to be functional in my home if I could help it because the result is rather cramped. (I find cramped spaces stressful and frustrating to live/work in. I personally would aim for a truly comfortable, spacious-feeling kitchen even if it meant losing the island.) - If you want an island with seating AND to have it be truly comfortable, the rule of thumb is to look for an area in your home that is a minimum of roughly 15' deep. This allows you to upgrade to minimum of a 48" aisle in the work zone (which allows two people to pass each other without squeezing), and a minimum of a 60" aisle behind seated people (which also allows for passing with no squeezing). You also are better off with a 15" counter overhang for the seated people (less knee-banging). Lastly, I personally have regretted doing only a 1.5" standard counter overhang in my kitchen. A 2" overhang would have been better at keeping water, juice, etc. from rolling down the front of my base cabinets. 24" + 2" + 48" + 2" + 24" + 15" + 60" = 14'7" = ~15' - At the same time the kitchen needs to be 13'-15' deep to support an island with seating, as a rule of thumb, the space should also be just as wide or wider. This is because a five foot long island is about the shortest you could ever have and do more than one seat. Five feet long will fit two people seated side-by-side, and a 5' work surface is large enough to be a functional prep space. Then you need walkways on either side of your 5' island. If you do the minimum to be functional, that's 42" + 60" + 42" = 12' (arguably, you could go even smaller than 42" in some scenarios, but I'm not going down the rabbit hole of accounting for every single scenario). If you do the minimum to be comfortable, that's 48" + 60" + 48" = 13'. So 12'-13' is the least wide a kitchen can be with the shortest possible island that allows for seating and no perimeter cabinets on either side. But then people usually want a longer island or a more than one-wall kitchen. If you do an L-shaped perimeter, then add 25.5"-26" to the minimum kitchen width. If you want to include a small prep sink in the island and still have a decent length of continuous counter to work on at the island, you need a 6'-7' island instead of 5' (so add 1'-2' to the minimum kitchen width). If you want to have the clean-up sink (the normal big kitchen sink with the dishwasher next to it) in the island and still have a decent length of continuous counter to work on at the island, you need a massive 8.5'-10' island (so add 3.5'-5' to the minimum kitchen width). There's a lot of variables here with the width, but the gist is, as a rule of thumb when you are trying to find a way to fit a kitchen with an island with seating in your home, you're looking for an area in the home that is roughly 13-15' x 13-15' at minimum. Or, even more simply, look where a "big square" can fit. That is how I immediately knew your kitchen/dining area wouldn't fit an island. It not a big square. It is a long, skinny rectangle (~10' x 19'), and the shortest side is way less than 13'. - In your house, Julie, you have only one area in the home that can fit a big 13-15' x 13-15' square, and that's your current family room. - At 12'4" deep, your current formal living room could also fit a kitchen with an island with NO seating (because no seating means the walkway behind the island could be less than 48"-60"), but putting the kitchen there isn't ideal because people usually hate having the kitchen be the first thing guests see when they enter the house. Mostly because the dining room or living room is usually more presentable and makes a better impression. You may not care about this, but putting the kitchen in such a visible spot is generally not a great practice when it comes to resale. Long story short, your options are: 1) Keep the kitchen in the kitchen/dining area and have no island. A peninsula would be possible. It could even have seating. You will have to replace one or both of the bay windows in the dining room with straight windows for this space to become a really functional, pleasant kitchen. 2) Put the kitchen in the formal living room and have an island with no seating that is visible as soon as people walk in your house. You will likely have to remove the fireplace, but maybe not. 3) Put the kitchen in the family room and have an island with seating. This is probably the most bang for your buck in terms of resale, since it would be a large, nice kitchen, and buyers tend to love those. Also, your house is rather special in how inexpensive moving the kitchen would probably be compared to how much that usually costs. This is because, quite unusually in your case, the move would require minimal reframing. This area of the home is already wide open, and, you'd just be adding walls (which is a few hundred in labor/materials) as opposed to removing walls (which can run well into into the thousands). And you already have plumbing in that area because of the bathroom/laundry. So those two normally very big ticket items (structural work and running plumbing to the area) shouldn't be too bad. 4) Do an extension to enlarge the kitchen/dining area into the backyard and have an island with seating. This will be your most expensive option, but the upside is it won't change the rest of the house as dramatically as moving the kitchen would. 5) Go to the massive expensive and structural hoopla of moving your stairs. This is the worst option ever and shouldn't be considered because it's both a huge structural change and would require you to rejig all three floors of your house. Moving the stairs is almost never a good option. In conclusion, talk these facts and five options over with your husband, tinker around on the floor plan together as you talk, and then come back to us with whichever of the five options you two would consider and would like to explore. It would also help if you two simultaneously decided on a budget....See MorePlease help with kitchen layout, husband’s “ideas” are stressing me!:)
Comments (17)As rantontoo stated, a 33" aisle is really tight. Where is the plumbing stack for the condo? Is it in the column in the lower left corner? I'm wondering if you might be able change the peninsula's shape to make it deeper and rectangular, creating essentially a galley lay-out. Like this: The above will require sacrificing a cabinet to run plumbing lines to the new location (and condo board approval). If you want to keep a table in the nook area, I wouldn't extend cabinets into that area. You'd be left with lots of floor space in front of them but not enough room for a table and chairs. Have you considered creating a banquette in the nook area instead? That would give you some additional storage and allow you to keep a cozy spot for friends and family in the kitchen....See Moremshutterbug
6 years agoOk, guys, this one might be *the one* lol. On the other hand, I've been staring at this stuff since I got my kids to bed hours ago...so I may be missing something glaringly obvious :D
I reduced the size of the island back to 30" across and increased the shallow counter side to 22". This gives me 42" aisle on DW side and 41" aisle on fridge side. My thinking is I could put an "appliance garage" style cabinet on top of the counter with just a bit of the countertop showing, and the microwave could live there. (I found this one that's only 13" deep https://tinyurl.com/ybyw5tq7). Above that I could put grown-up water glasses as well. (Still mulling over the idea of eliminating all uppers on the L side of kitchen.) Not sure what would go on the other side with the cabinet on counter, but I like the symmetry of both sides being the same. Maybe I'd put my kitchenaid there instead of doing a mixer lift in the island? Not sure which location makes the most sense. Perhaps coffee/tea stuff would make more sense there than mixer, with coffee mugs above.
Still thinking about placement of oven. I've read probably all of the pro/con threads on wall oven under cooktop vs. range. Personally, I'd far prefer the look of cooktop installed above a wall oven. My only concerns are: 1. will it get too hot/vent at me if using oven at same time as cooktop? and 2. will the oven be significantly lower than it would be in a range? I'm just thinking maybe it really would be smartest to keep the oven (whether in the form of a range or a wall oven) on the inner L where the cooktop is.
Anyway, if you're still here, let me know what you think! (Looking at this I could do the same cabinet sitting on countertop idea without increasing the shallow cabinet beyond the original 18" plan.... it would still allow about 5 inches in front of microwave as well as space to the side.)
Enough of my ramblings now! Thanks again for all the help! I'm open to feedback, but otherwise I'll come back and update once I've decided and/or have a kitchen to share!
sena01
6 years agoCan you find "mid" height cab for the oven?
Something like this.
Metallic Blue Kitchen · More InfoIt can be next to the DW and your plates glasses can be in island drawers. I think the island would be too shallow for a sink. You may end up splashing water on the floor (or maybe I'm a messy cook lol!).
mshutterbug
6 years ago
sheloveslayouts
6 years agoFridge and ovens in the pantry, shallow cabs on stair wall. You don't need an island sink since no counter corners cut your work triangle.
mshutterbug
6 years agosheloveslayouts
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agoWell, we're in! Turns out the table might fit in dining room after all. I told hubby I'm willing to try it for a bit, but I think it might work :) we could easily push the head of table closer to window too. Floors and painting are top priority! And I think wainscoting maybe...
mshutterbug
6 years agoRed Silver
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agoRed Silver
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agosheloveslayouts
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agoAnd THIS is why I hate traditional ranges! I haven't even used the range and there's a crumb stuck between range and counter!
And check out this clearance haha!
And though I may go this route yet, this oven is looooow!!
mshutterbug
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago(EDIT: I didn't see your post benjesbride until I completed my novel ;) It's actually not a bad idea. But let me know what you think of my layouts below! I could keep the pantry if I eliminated the island. I just looooove prepping at an island. Something about not having a wall 2 feet in front of my face and cabinets above my head. I like to be able to see all around the room at what's going on.)
Ok y'all. I'm zero'ing in on a layout. Need to decide and get going! I know you're on the edge of your seats, so I'm sharing :D LOL As always, I would LOVE feedback!
Drew up a blank one with just the walls, so I could just move stuff around. I do this for furniture layout, not sure why I haven't done it sooner for this project. I guess I like drawing a gazillion versions of this kitchen :D
So here's what I'm thinking... if I reduce the island back to 30" wide again, move the island down so that it starts where the fridge ends, I can eliminate the sink in the island because there is no longer any obstacle in my triangle. It's an open space between fridge and sink. (Note: I personally don't like such a large space between cooktop and island, but I think for the clear path to fridge, maybe it would be smarter?)
In either option I lose the walk-in pantry, so I need to look for some great cabinet pantry ideas! Just no getting around it, unless I give up the island. I really like having the space in the middle of the room, with nothing over my head and no wall in front of my face. I do the majority of my prep at the island because it's just more pleasant for me.
Option 1 - regular depth countertop on fridge wall. This would allow me to put in the wall oven (woo hoo!). It would reduce the aisles to 40". Right now the DW side is 36.5" and the fridge side is 26" (LOL, without the ridiculous fridge, just counter to counter it's 38.5"). It doesn't feel bad, even when a couple of us are in there at the same time. So I think at 40" I'd be good with it. I'd have countertop next to the oven for a landing space. I'd probably do the same thing I posted earlier, with a run of countertop and then another floor-to-ceiling on the end to balance out the oven cabinet.
Option 2 - Same thing, except it's a shallow counter area next to fridge, so no wall oven will fit. But it does give a bigger aisle on both sides.
I stacked up some empty boxes to see how it would feel to have the island extended beyond the edge of the countertop on the sink side. I think I like it. But I think it could be a useful island if I stop at the edge of the counter too. Once the rest of the boxes are out, I'm hoping to borrow a small round table to see how it actually feels in the space with the island. I'm leaning toward NO seating at the island. Not entirely sure yet, going to play around with the space a bit.
So, the questions I'm currently asking myself, and you are all free to weigh in!
-Which layout? (or are they both terrible? lol)
-Figure out the details
-No upper cabinets on sink/cooktop walls? If so, can I fit everything I need to fit in drawers, pantry, or in the tall cabinet on fridge wall? Biggest thing is the supplements that I keep in the upper cabinet. Everything else can find homes in drawers.
-Corner super susan or give up corner entirely and do drawer banks. I saw a thread somewhere that said even giving up that corner portion, drawers give more actual storage space, so I'm going to find that thread again and do some calculations. I'd LOVE to have all drawers and skip the corner altogether.
-Which side of island to put the doors/drawers? I'll put our plates/bowls in the drawers to the left of dishwasher, but I'm thinking maybe it makes most sense to have the drawers in the island on the side closer to fridge.
-Where to put mixer and toasters. I'd like to keep toasters hidden behind a door, but with a wall oven, that takes up the space I was thinking I'd put them. Mixer I may forgo the lift and just keep it on the fridge counter. I actually think it's kind of pretty, so if I have enough counterspace I'm not opposed to just keeping it out.
Anyways, so that's where I'm at!
sheloveslayouts
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agoRed Silver
6 years agosena01
6 years agoCan you recess the fridge more into the pantry and also have the wall oven/micro next to it?
I'm thinking a 5-6" wide broom pull out next to DR wall, then fridge, and then the wall oven. Fridge recessed 2 feet, oven and pullout about 1 feet, so out of 160" width you have in the kitchen you'll be left with 148" in front of the fridge/oven. In that case I think DR entry can be 42" wide and an open fridge would not totally block the entry. Next to the wall ovens you can have 15 or 18 deep uppers and lowers, and tall pantry cabs.
mshutterbug
6 years agoThanks Red Silver and sena01!
Yes, I do feel a little tiny bit guilty remodeling the kitchen, since it's really not in bad shape. However, the cabinets are pretty old. I think they probably installed granite and bought some new appliances, and put some hardware on the old cabinets. When we were looking at houses, we would look and then go home to our kitchen, and it was so hard to think of leaving our beautiful space. This particular home put us in a financial position where we could buy it and do some remodeling to make it more "our own" so we went with it :) It doesn't hurt that my husband is very handy and we will be able to cut costs by doing some of it ourselves. It is nothing like the transformation of our last home, which definitely really HAD to be remodeled. This home is move-in ready. But, we love seeing the transformation and I really want a kitchen more similar to what we created before. So, onward we go!
sena01 - unfortunately, I don't think I can recess the fridge any further if I put it on the side closest the door. I'm not sure though. There's an odd bumpout in the pantry that I didn't know was there until we moved in. Just didn't notice it before. We haven't looked into what exactly it is, but it may be some ductwork or something else that can't easily be moved. It shouldn't be a problem for the pantry cabinet I have planned, but definitely too shallow for fridge. Here's a pic.
I've been giving it a lot of thought (obviously) and I actually think it will work fine if I go with the 30" island and regular depth on sink counter and fridge counter with the 54" aisle between cooktop and island to allow full access to fridge from sink. Then I can put a wall oven next to the fridge and continue with the rest of my plan :) Still considering all the details, but I'm getting closer!
mshutterbug
6 years agosena01
6 years agosheloveslayouts
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agosheloveslayouts
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agoThanks benjesbride!
Just did a new layout in ikea to try to get an accurate cost. I was thinking I could make the pantry a little bigger to compensate for giving up the walk-in. I could do 24" on either side of fridge. The island is only 24x72 because ikea doesn't have the exact size, so we'd have to either go with 24 (and I guess the top would bring it to 26 or build it custom. What do you think? (The fridge won't actually stick out this much because it will be recessed into the pantry area.
sheloveslayouts
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agosheloveslayouts
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agoLOL! Ok, I get it now! I sketched it out. I also made a new sketch and also changed it up a bit from last night. I don't think I like the wide pantries on either side of fridge with the wide oven. So I tried putting a 36" "main pantry" to the left of fridge, then a 12" to the right (actually it's 15" on the ikea layout cause they don't have 12"). That leaves space for 3 30" base cabs. Then I put 48" between cooktop and island, so that the fridge has a clear path from the sink.
Layout:
Here's the current pantry:
mshutterbug
6 years agosheloveslayouts
6 years agoDid you get a chance to check out scrappy25's kitchen before photobucket killed all the pictures? I'm wondering about this solution in your kitchen. Forgive me if it was already considered and nixed.
mshutterbug
6 years agosheloveslayouts
6 years agoI took a shot at it. A drawback is the 30" sink to allow room for the dishwasher on the end. Scrappy25 put her dishwasher under the window. Open the design
mshutterbug
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoTook a picture of what I meant... so if I leave sink under window and dw next to it, I could do a 26"ish deep peninsula. I'd have to start drawers a few inches back to be able to open them. Put some boxes to simulate peninsula. Also a pic of how I have it right now. I had same setup in last house with drawers next to dw, except I had pegs for between dishes and it was a wider drawer so I didn't have to stack like this.
I am just not sure how best to make a peninsula work. I will have more lower cabs than I currently have, since the fridge and desk will become useable storage. So, maybe I'm underestimating how much space I actually need. Everything fits (except my Instant Pot which is on pantry floor because there's not a single shelf/drawer tall enough in the cabinets :(
Also a pic of how peninsula would look with the small table we bought this past weekend. Hubs will likely build a bench so we only bought 2 chairs that match. It's smaller than I expected. I actually think it's a bit too small, should have gone with 48" I think, but I don't have the heart to tell my husband. So I'm going to just make it work. And it has an extension underneath to make it an oval. My main purpose is a spot for the kids and it will serve that.
sheloveslayouts
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoSome good points benjesbride! I need to mull it all over. A peninsula is such a departure from what I'm used to and typically prefer. However, part of what made the island work so well in my last kitchen was the fact that everything was on one side of the island. That's obviously not the case here.
I am looking again at an idea that mama goose had. I am going to play around with this, with no seating though. I am fairly sure I don't want seating at the island/peninsula. I wish the overhang wasn't there on the island in the kitchen now (and I still can't believe they actually intended seating there). It's the perfect height for my little ones to bonk their heads. They crawl around on the floor under the countertop and then stand up and bonk. And with the little table there and the dining room nearby, I think it's unnecessary. If they want to help at the counter, they can just as easily stand on a chair or step stool.
I had started mapping out where everything would go in my tentative final layout (with the island). One thing that I've decided is down at the end, where the desk is... the desk I was adamant I didn't want ;) Well, I don't want a desk there, but I DO think I'd like to make that area a "family command center" with a printer in the base cabinet and a place for keys and mail and school papers that need attention. In our last house we had our printer in our family room, which was right off the kitchen so it was convenient. In this house we may have an office in a bedroom upstairs, but I need an easily accessible printer. I COULD put a printer in the living room....you know, the room attached to the dining room. The room I have no idea what to do with yet. But I like the idea of keeping it right there in the kitchen where we spend so much of our time, convenient to grab things as we are going out the door etc. But does it seem weird to have an appliance garage right there? Please say no it's not weird lol. I need a place to keep our two toasters, and I prefer them not sitting out on the counter. Can't put an appliance garage by oven because that's the landing space. And with no upper cabinets on the cooktop or exterior walls, there's no place for it there either.
mshutterbug
6 years agosheloveslayouts
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agomshutterbug
6 years agoCan't wait to get this remodel started! The 36" clearance they decided on is fine except when it comes to unloading DW lol!!
mshutterbug
4 years ago
sena01