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Remodeling Design Dilemma Kitchens

New Open-Concept Kitchen & Living Room-- what would you do?

6 years ago

I recently removed the wall between my kitchen and living room in my small 1960s ranch-style house and I'm looking for suggestions and ideas for design and layout so that it feels like one cohesive living space.

I plan to run the flooring from the living room into the kitchen and I'm looking to do a full kitchen remodel. I'm also open to purchasing new living room furniture that will better fit the space, however I'm not sure the best pieces to purchase and how to layout the furniture.

We have baseboard heaters that run along the living room wall with the bay window and half way down the back wall (where the TV is currently cornered). I'd love to figure out a way to add cabinets and shelving in the living room for added storage (fantasizing about built-in style cabinets/shelving along the back wall but worried about the cost and using up so much valuable wall space).

In the kitchen, I want to maximize storage and counter space. We have a small pantry (slim white door). We do not have a dining room and it's important to me that we have a kitchen table so we can have/host family dinners. I prefer simple white cabinets (shaker probably), white quartz, and subway tile background--simple and classic design style.

I'm working with a tightish budget and are planning to do some of the work myself if possible. Would love any ideas and suggestions this community has to offer!

Thanks,

Rachel

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Comments (5)

Jamie Ludwig
6 years ago
Your stove dishwasher and refrigerator are all smooshed in the same corner, very bad kitchen design. You might want to think about moving refrigerator to the far wall by your pantry and moving your dishwasher to the other side of the sink. Too bad your back door access is cutting into that space. Is there just storage there or is it access to other rooms?
User
6 years ago
I suggest you put the wall back. Immediately. The time to plan this was before you took down a load bearing wall. And didn't install any support for it either. Get your homeowners paid up. You may need it pretty badly. If they even pay the claim.
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Get a range of samples to put in your house, against the kitchen floor tile in order to make a decision. Dark wood would be a simple and effective solution since you already have what appears to be dark wood beneath the sink. Wood which is too close in color and value will probably be problematic, and will probably fight with the kitchen tile. The photo by suzyq53 is very attractive, but don't try to make a decision using photos or the computer. Get samples and choose from them in both direct and indirect lighting conditions. Good luck! PS: For other consumers reading this, the best approach is to pick all of your finish materials together at the same time, before construction. If you have one room's finishes installed and then worry what to do in the adjacent room you will be forever chasing yourself throughout the house until the very last room and very last corner. Do it all, or have it done for you to approve, before construction begins. Worry less! Enjoy construction more!
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Congratulations on your new home. Don't purchase anything until you've moved in and lived there for a bit. That will help you evaluate how you use the rooms. I, too, would want to get rid of the blue walls. Go with a neutral color such as: Edgecomb gray is a beautiful earthy gray with beige undertones. Ballet white is the perfect color if you want to go super neutral without going completely white. Balboa mist is a very soft and neutral gray. I would also try the TV on the wall where the console table is in the picture. It looks like the FP is too high for a TV.
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its large enough you can bring in botanical patterns or geometric patterned textiles. Color of your own choosing. The far wall w fireplace and clock in the living room would be nicer if lighter. You could take the same hue just lighter. It looks a little dreary/nearly gray which is going to be yesterday's aesthetic if not already...... then almost any color scheme would be nice or neutrals for that matter. More I look at it...ceiling is not high..I'd lighten that wall...others walls if you feel like it , and work w neutrals. Just a pop of blue for accents...or green....enjoy your new home!!!!
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This is not your furniture I am guessing? You will want a real table, and need to find a place for it. You will get way better advice with a measured floor plan, and without it we're just throwing ideas around which might not work. But one of the problems is that your kitchen has many doors and openings, some of which are larger than they need to be. When you redesign your kitchen, don't forget that you can move doors much more easily than you can remove load-bearing walls. Reducing the size of the openings between rooms also gives you wall space in the kitchen, which is needed there. Here is one quick idea but obviously we need to know what's behind the walls etc. This gives you a door-less space in the kitchen for a table. Another idea is to have a table where there is now the china cabinet. That room now becomes the living-dining room, and the whole kitchen is available for cabinets. My son's house is arranged that way - no kitchen seating at all at table or counter but close proximity to a table in the living/dining room. Again, you may want to move the door between the kitchen and living room to an optimal place given your new kitchen design. You'd probably leave the door to the hallway from kitchen, in that case.
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Rachel Munafo
Original Author
6 years ago
Sophie, I appreciate the concern. However, our liscenced contractor took the wall down and installed a support beam flush in the ceiling.

The doors are to the garage, basement, and backyard/deck.
mjlb
6 years ago
It probably seems odd to put back part of the wall that you removed, but that is what I propose. The new short wall would serve to:

1 - hide the refrigerator (usually the least attractive appliance - which I changed to a 30-in counter-depth one btw). The refrigerator is a little out of the way from triangle work space goal, but I think it is worth it to have a kitchen that is pretty to view from your living and dining areas. Along those lines, the refrigerator would be in a full-height and full-depth cabinet.

2- enlarge your pantry to a nice size, with pretty narrow doors that open for full access.

3 - on the living room side, give you back some needed wall space. If you keep a layout similar to what you have now, your large chair or loveseat will not overhang the wall.

On the range side of the plan, you could leave the cabinet run exposed, or add a narrow wall there are well.

Note that I guessed on a few dimensions, and did not have a scale handy, so I free-handed the drawing. You would want to "field-test" it for sure.
sheloveslayouts
6 years ago

Your home is very cute.

is the area behind your pantry and open shelving a stairwell?

What is the distance between the wall with the open shelving and the wall behind the fridge?

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