Kitchen remodel help needed: what layout works with few walls?
We are remodeling the kitchen area in a home that we just purchased. We'd like to open up the kitchen to both the dining room and the breakfast nook to have a little more space, but if we remove the walls, there is almost nowhere left to put the appliances.
Do any of you have layout ideas that could work in this space?
The drawing is not perfectly to scale, but hopefully the size and placement of the current appliances in the drawing give you an idea of what we are working with. We are not opposed to closing off the doorway to the hall to gain more wall space in the kitchen.
You can see in the photos below the back wall of the current kitchen (the one with the refrigerator and the pantry), the side wall with windows where the sink is, and the breakfast nook area.
Comments (15)
PROGN Builders L.L.C
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Comments (42)Yes but its not just the desired look. If cost is not a factor, anything is possible. But if you have not done a lot of remodeling, you may not be aware of all the associated costs with changing all this. The ceiling, the lighting, framing out the window and wall, matching and replacing the existing exterior. While maintaining the exterior design balance. Moving plumbing, gas and electrical. Your house was built for this kitchen so everything you are considering has major expense to change. You might be better off as far as function and design to bump out the back and redo the whole thing....See MoreFull kitchen remodel, need layout help (update)
Comments (18)Here's what you could do if you changed the windows: Two Prep Zones: Both Prep Zones have direct water access Both Prep Zones have a nice expanse of workspace next to the sink Both Prep Zones are next to the range Both Prep Zones have at least 43" of prep workspace b/w the range and sink Both Prep Zones are separated from the Cleanup Sink and Dish Storage . Other notes: Wall ovens are protected from traffic and are on the end of the cabinet run with landing space next to them Tray storage (cooling racks, cookie sheets, roasting pans, muffin tins, etc.) is above the ovens. Glass/heavy Casserole dishes can be stored in the drawer beneath the ovens (that's where I store mine). Pot/Pan storage is under the cooktop. If needed, a cabinet on either side could also be used. The Refrigerator is next to the Tea/Coffee & Snack Center, which provides ample landing space for the refrigerator. It's also directly across from both Prep Zones and the Cooking Zone. The Refrigerator is also located near the Garage entrance for ease of putting groceries away. The Snack Center counters provide not just landing space for taking things out, but also a place to put grocery bags while unloading into the Refrigerator. Tea/Coffee & Snack Center is located near both the Refrigerator and Pantry where most snacks come from. It has two 18" swinging doors (swing both ways) that provide a 36-inch entry. They don't have to swing both ways, but I thought they'd be more useful. I debated pocket doors, but they take a greater effort to use and might be a problem when trying to enter the Pantry with your hands full (ingredients or grocery bags). A built-in MW drawer is in the Tea/Coffee & Snack Center next to the refrigerator and out of the way of prepping, cooking, and cleaning up. There's a large step-in pantry across from the Prep & Cooking Zones and next to the Garage entrance, which makes it easy to put groceries away. No walking across the length of the house with heavy grocery bags. The shelves are floor to ceiling on 3 sides. The long back shelves are 12" deep (the "sweet spot" for pantry shelf depth) and the shelves along the sides can be either 12" or 15" deep, your choice. They could also be 18" deep, but at that depth things begin to get lost (experience speaking...my old pantry had 18" deep shelves and things always got lost!) The Cleanup Zone and Dish Storage are next to the Dining Room -- easy access to dishes for setting the table and to counters for dirty dishes when clearing the table. Someone loading/unloading the DW will be out of the way of someone else prepping/cooking Finally, there's a shallow closet for your husband's "new" office where the door used to be. . The aisles are wide enough to accommodate a busy path b/w the Game Room/Garage/Powder Room and the rest of the house. The placement of the doorways, now, are actually beneficial. Traffic is directed away from the primary work zones: Prep, Cooking, Cleanup. Work Zones:...See MoreHELP! Need design advice on kitchen/house layout remodel!
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zmith
4 years ago
A Hart
4 years agoA Hart
4 years agoOk, I got some dimensions for the dining, kitchen, breakfast nook and laundry areas. Any thoughts on how to reconfigure. We are open to tearing down walls or closing off doorways to get more wall space
PROHal Braswell Consulting
4 years ago
Susan Davis
4 years agoHmm just looking at it I think delete the dining room door and put the new entry where the pantry is....then place fridge where the stove is, create a 45 degree angle where the dining room door area is and leave sink where it is....remove the wall between back entry and the breakfast nook for more storage. Something similar to this placement, but disregard color and choose tones you love.
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Country meets city · More Infoartistsharonva
4 years ago- PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
4 years ago A Hart
4 years ago
Anthony C
4 years agoThe problem is your kitchen has too many doors. Doors are ok for a dining room because you dont need the wall space for cabinets. I would get rid of the bay window in the breakfast nook and move the kitchen into the nook for a U shaped kitchen. You can still have cabinets running along the right wall into the original kitchen space. Put a table in the original area "kitchen" and have an eat in kitchen (trendy now and historically).
I would leave the wall between dining and kitchen, but I like dining and living to be separated from the kitchen for when guests come over. I would move the dining room/kitchen door to the left side.
The nook is small for a breakfast nook because people need 3 ft to sit, 5 ft if you want someone to walk behind them so the nook is really cramped for a table. However it is actually a reasonable size for a kitchen with a pretty generous U.I have a tendency to make suggestions with the smallest wall changes because this stuff gets very expensive fast.
Anthony C
4 years agoThere is quite a bit of hallway removal you can do to free up space for adjacent rooms. For example:
A Hart
4 years agoWow, thanks! There are so many ideas that didn't even cross my mind! This was my stab at making an L shaped kitchen to the correct scale. I'll have to test out the U shaped kitchen design. I'm thinking that it could make cooking with multiple cooks pretty crowded if we packed kitchen into the breakfast nook area.
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Hal Braswell Consulting
4 years ago 
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