kitchen layout needs help
5 years ago
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- 5 years ago
- 5 years ago
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This kitchen layout may need help!! Need suggestions!!!
Comments (5)Take out oven wall so you just have an L and not a U. Put ovens at right side of sink wall, with pull out pantry (9 or 12") between ovens and wall. Delete ridiculous bended island. Instead create new island facing fridge/range wall. Put prep sink in it. Turn cabinet at the bottom end of it to face cleanup sink for dish storage. I would make the current sink window 3 windows so as to echo the DR windows across the way, and make them as large as possible while still being centered on the wall. As is, the scale of the one little window is kind of pathetic and jarring (sorry, no offense) when compared to the DR windows, and I think you will notice that in real life. I would also the windows down to the counter. In this layout you could swap ovens and fridge, but I would only do so unless you access the fridge way, way less than the ovens while prepping/cooking a meal. The layout I described is basically my layout, and I much prefer the fridge closer to the cooktop, island, and perimeter (for snackers) of the kitchen....See MoreKitchen Layout - need help
Comments (18)I'm glad you've gotten the prep sink closer to the cooktop, where it is needed. However I am concerned that now your main prep surface is actually around the corner from the cooktop and at least 7-8 feet away. That would be too far for me. Picture yourself standing in center of the island, just opposite the center of the clean-up sink. You've washed and cut up some veggies to add to a pot on the stove, you have to turn left and walk around the corner of the island to get to the middle of the cooktop. If you turned the island 90 degrees (so stools had their backs to current fridge wall) this would be improved. This would be an even better design if you also moved the fridge to the place of the 40" cabinet shown in grey to the left of the doorway at the bottom right of the picture. Functionally then you would move from the fridge (and also pantry) area in a straight line to the island/prep counter (with prep sink). Then you could just pivot around to the cooktop and wall-oven with the ingredients after prepping. You'd still be facing your seated companions. The clean-up zone corridor wiould still be outside the protected cooking aisle, etc. I think the problem with large spaces is often the temptation to spread the work zones out along the walls like they are in much smaller spaces. The result is just a ballooned design, making the kitchen too spread out. Think about how this works in other rooms. Take a living or sitting room: really big rooms don't just have their furniture ranged against the walls as smaller ones often do. Instead they have two or more clusters of seating arrangements, within each the elements are comfortable distance for the activity taking place - usually conversation and socializing. In a kitchen the activity centers also need to have fairly similar spatial relationships, even if the room is large. Large rooms just allow more clusters. But you still need to have the standard proximate associations within those clusters of the individual components. In this case: close access to where the food is stored > surface where it is manipulated (prepped), preferably with easy access to water for washing it or prep-soiled hands > cooking appliances (ideally also with easy access to a water tap, I like the prep sink to do double duty as the cooking zone's water point for economy and simpliicty). This is one reason why when I see a design (not yours!) that has the wall ovens across the room from the cooking surface I just roll my eyes. Who wants to carry hot pots from one area to another? Not me! If you turned the island as I suggest this efficiency would be achieved quite easily. And even though the food prep/cooking cluster or zone is concentrated around one axis, you aren't going to feel it's cramped because of the overall size of the room. I think it will just feel right-sized, not over-sized. HTH L....See MoreKitchen layout need help: where to put fridge?
Comments (6)I like your idea of the microwave where the fridge was originally proposed. Good point to have my hungry "snackers" away from the main work space. Yes, I will have 5, possibly 6 bar stools at the island; two with their backs to the dining area/vaulted family room, and 3 or 4 along the wall with the proposed microwave. I want a waterfall edge counter closer to the oven/range and the other side to be cantilevered for open leg room. Again, any thoughts or suggestions appreciated!...See MoreKitchen layout- really need help
Comments (25)Here is an idea... See how nicely separated the primary work zones are (Prep, Cooking, Cleanup)? This will allow both you and your DH to work together without getting in each other's way. The island provides plenty of seating. However, your parents will most likely use the table, not the island as raised seating, even only counter-height, is often difficult and uncomfortable for elderly people. Even your DH may eventually have trouble with the island. Something to consider, perhaps lower the counter on the left side of the perimeter sink so someone in a wheelchair can use it. Wall oven & MW...I put in a single wall oven with a MW above it. I found that with double wall ovens it's tough to get them both at a good height. You end up with the lower oven a bit low and the upper oven too high (unless you are a very, very tall family). However, a MW above a wall oven may be too high for your parents. If that's the case, consider a MW drawer. They're mounted below the counter but they're a drawer, not a standard MW. The controls are angled up so they are readable w/o squatting down. In addition, b/c it's a drawer, it's easy to put food in/take it out. If you need to stir, just open, stir, close...no removing the food or reaching blindly in to stir. It could go in the 24" cabinet b/w the cooktop and the refrigerator. Refrigerator & Utility...Note the 12" wide Utility cabinet b/w the wall and the refrigerator. This is what you need to allow the refrigerator doors to open fully. In addition, it provides a place for your broom, mop, etc. Perimeter...Note that the perimeter cabinets & counters are all 3" deeper standard. This will give you more workspace as well as provide more space for the coffee pot, Instant Pot, and toaster oven. Base cabinets: 27"D Upper cabinets: 15"D Counters: 28.5"D If you cannot get deeper base cabinets, they can be pulled 3" from the wall when they're installed. 15"D upper cabinets have become common in most cabinet lines. Pantry...I widened the pantry to 4' deep. This gives you room to access the shelves when in the pantry. I would have liked to see a 36" door, however, there isn't enough space for one -- unless you eliminate the door altogether and just have an open doorway. Layout: (Select/click on the images for larger versions.) . Zone Map...See More- 5 years ago
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