Input needed for kitchen cabinet layout and sizes
Need your input for my kitchen cabinets. My kitchen is a galley kitchen with an island.
Here are my dilemmas:
1. Are the 30" and 36" bases on the stove wall too big? I will use the top drawers of those bases for utensils and spices. Seems like those drawer may be too big and bulky. I may need to size them down.
2. For the island, it is now at 116". Is that too big? In addition, there are no drawer packs in the island. Will that be a problem? I could move the microwave to the left of the fridge and put a drawer pack in its place in the island.
3. The pantry wall is a dry area. Is open shelving in that area ok?
Thank you so much for your advice.
The layout is only for room dimension purposes.
Comments (8)
PROAnglophilia
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Back for Layout Input -your opinions are needed
Comments (11)If the windows cannot change and it's important to you that the sink be centered and under the middle window, then the DW will not fit on the other side. Wanting it centered is not a bad thing, it's just something that means more to some than others. We all have things that are important and are worth some compromises. FWIW, my DH was very insistent our main/cleanup sink be centered in front of our bay window...and I think I agree with him, although if it meant sacrificing function I may not have. In your case, if you put a prep sink & a second trash in the island, I think it can be an acceptable compromise since you have wide aisles. Yes, there is a "danger" of backing into an open DW when working at the island, but with... wide aisles (important here) the fact that the cooktop is away from the DW (so you aren't moving toward the DW when going to the cooktop) it looks like you have approx 36" b/w the open DW and the edge of a prep sink (if the prep sink is in the left 18" space on the islands), leaving you with enough room to work at the island w/o the DW getting in the way ...I don't think it will be that much of an issue. Since most trash & recycling occur while prepping & cooking, I would be sure to make the trash in the island a double-bin pullout. If you don't recycle much or don't mind walking the recyclables over to the other side of the kitchen, you might be able to get away with a single trash bin in the island, but I don't recommend it. The one by the cleanup sink could be a 12" or 15" single-bin trash-only pullout, but then it would affect the "centering" of the sink under the window! BTW...it helps if draw in the open door...most DW doors are 27" tall, so draw in a 27"tall x 24"wide rectangle to show where it opens into the aisle...that will tell you how much space there is b/w the open door and the island for walking past the open DW as well as how much room b/w the door and the prep sink in the island. (Line the "bottom" of the DW door with the edge of the DW square, not the countertop edge b/c the DW door opens from the DW, not the counter.) Our DW opens partially into a 47" aisle and there's plenty of room to walk by it. It's partially b/w the end of the peninsula & counter on the other side and we've never had a "roadblock" when the DW was open. So, go and draw in the open DW door and, while you're at it, do the same for the open refrigerator, MW drawer, ovens, and trash pullouts. Yes, the MW could face the cooktop. Since it's a cooktop and not a range, there won't be an open oven door to worry about being in conflict w/an open MW drawer. My MW drawer is the previous model (i.e., not one of the new, bigger ones) and opens approx 16" past the countertop. So it would stick out 16" into the aisle. If the aisle is 48" wide (or even 45" accounting for counter overhang on both sides), that leaves you with a 29" (45" - 16") walkway b/w the open MW and the cooktop...plenty of room to walk by. And, since MWs aren't open for very long, I don't think the fact that it's open while someone is working at the cooktop will pose a problem either. I do like the crown around the bottom of the hood....See MoreNeed layout help - DH won't provide input
Comments (12)I love GW! Thank you for the responses. I'm a Craigs List-aholic and we bought all our appliances from there over the past two years. Got a steal on the 48" stove and hood, which would have fit perfectly on the long wall where they were intended to go. DH's only request is that they go on the short wall, so he can enjoy the view while cooking. And he loves the big stove. The view is amazing, so we're going to put the stove there even though it doesn't make sense and will look too large. The drawings don't show it well, but the cabinets will go to the ceiling with crown molding. A huge thank you to Seattle Craftsman for putting the ideas into 3D. Makes it much easier to visualize. The hood is 18" tall and will have a cabinet on top,which we hope will help balance out that wall at least a little. I love HollySprings idea of making the right-hand side more of a hutch look. The MW opens to the left, so putting it on the other side of the fridge makes it difficult to land hot bowls. Definitely some good ideas on how to dress up the hutch area. Weedpuller - good thought about cookie sheets. I intended to put them in the cabinet over the fridge, but need to measure to see if that will really work. BMH - thank you. I tend to think about what I have now rather than considering buying stuff for display. Probably comes from spending the last two years with half my kitchen stuff in boxes....See MoreLooking for input and advice on kitchen layout
Comments (2)You have very little prep space between the sink and cooktop. Since the window locations are flexible, I'd move the cooktop down, with a larger window over the sink and a smaller window on the other side of the hood. I moved the ovens and fridge toward the top wall, and made the island shorter--the fridge-to-sink path now intersects the island by only a few inches. There is now a tall pantry on the end. Can the hutch be recessed into the room behind? I tried making it shallower, but I don't think you have enough space for it, and seating. Click to enlarge You must have read the New to Kitchens? thread many times, but I'll link it, in case it's not on page one....See MoreKitchen layout 2.0 input needed
Comments (2)I think you need a CKD. Are the patio doors the entire wall? What is opposite the patio doors? Is that a 14' island? You don't have a work triangle. Why do you need a 48" stove?...See More
vmnclark
5 years ago
Kathi Steele
5 years ago
mama goose_gw zn6OH
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoWhat am I missing, which to the above commenters seems so obvious? With a slight rearrangement to the island, I think this will be a functional layout. I don't see a problem with the fridge door opening.
If the DW is moved to the right of the sink (as you face it), with a trash pull-out to the left, a nice prep area is created, which will not cross with the clean-up functions. Dishes can be stored in the cabinets across from the DW, where it will be easy for a helper to unload, or gather them to set the table, without crossing the prep and cooking zones. On the opposite end of the island, the MW drawer is convenient to the fridge.
I might suggest omitting the narrow cabinet between the trash pull-out and MW drawer, and adding an overhang to the side, for better eye contact among the seated diners. (Second plan.)
vmnclark, do the hash marks above the windows signify cabinets? If so, I like the open areas better, but I added the cabinets in this view:
Taller windows?
To address your original questions:1) The widths of the drawer bases are fine--you can always add dividers to separate items. eta, Think about what you will keep in each drawer to decide on 3-drawer or 4-drawer stacks. ie, if you are storing pans, you'll need a deeper drawer than if you are storing skillets, and since dishes area heavy, weight can be better distributed in 4 drawers. Glasses and cups can go in the upper, along with coffee-related items--if you plan to keep a coffee maker on that counter.
If you want symmetry, think about making the bases on each end 4-drawer stacks. The stack beside the fridge could hold rolled goods (plastic wrap, foil, etc,) in the top, then utensils, then dish linens, and in the bottom, plastic food containers--if you use those.
The 3-drawer stack to the right of the range could hold spices in the top drawer, with baking staples such as flour, sugar, oats, etc. in the next drawer, and bakeware in the bottom drawer. Oils and other frequently used cooking and baking items (baking powder, salt, brown sugar, etc.) can be stored in the upper cabinet. The 'How do I plan for storage' link that Kathi Steele posted is a great resource, as are all of Buehl's planning threads.
2) Addressed in first part of my post.
3) I like the open shelving in the pantry area, but you'll want nice dishes or other coordinating items on display--assuming that's not where you'll keep the boxes of breakfast cereal. ;) That area will also make a nice buffet serving space.
vmnclark
5 years agomama goose_gw zn6OH
5 years agovmnclark
5 years ago
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