Layout Help for Small U-Shaped Kitchen
Have been going back and forth on this kitchen for a while and haven't gotten a layout back that we love. Now that our oak overloaded kitchen the previous owner remodeled in '99 is quite literally falling apart we are trying to move things along.
This latest layout below is ok (I added the other rooms for reference), but we entertain a lot and I hate the idea of cooking staring at a wall. In our current kitchen the cooktop is on the island and people tend to hangout there and interact, which I really enjoy.
We don't have a lot of "wants" just:
-Room for at least a 36" cooktop or range
-No desire to tear down walls as the rest of the house is very open and we like having the kitchen only open to the sitting room.
- Small pantry cabinet for high use items (we have a large pantry space right off the kitchen)
-Anything tall (refrigerator included) on the dining side kitchen wall so you aren't accosted by it when you walk into the sitting room or kitchen entrances
Have gone back and forth on island vs. peninsula, 48" range on garage side wall with peninsula where it is on the current layout, etc. It seems many people on this forum hate the idea of a cooktop on a peninsula or island, but...is it really that bad?
Anyone have ideas on making this layout work and not having the chef facing a wall? Any ideas are greatly appreciated. I want to go back to a KD with intention and finally get it done.
Comments (25)
sheloveslayouts
5 years agoCan the garage door move to the exterior?
Can the opening to the dining room move away from the garage? If it's >36" can it be narrowed to 36"?
crystalpea
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Small U shaped Kitchen layout, take 2
Comments (15)The fridge location in the OP is exactly like mine, across from the peninsula. I find it extremely convenient as a drop zone. What is your aisle width there? I have 46.5" from fridge door to counter edge, and DH can open the doors to look for something and another family member can still get by. That is with a french door fridge. I think this plan is just fine if you moved the sink under the window, and kept the DW where you have it. It just seems that a corner sink (as the only sink, I have a corner prep sink) is not the most comfortable if not absolutely necessary. I also agree with the 90* angle in the upper cabinet in the corner to match the lower. But, that is just a looks preference - plus I'm short and never get to things in the backs of those deep uppers....See MoreU shape kitchen with small island...how small should I go...?
Comments (10)If you are putting your sink in the peninsula - especially a main/cleanup sink - then I strongly recommend an 18" overhang - but no less than 15". A 12" overhang will not allow someone to sit there when anything is going on at the sink - prepping, cleaning up, etc. If you don't have enough room in the DR, then consider either eliminating the seating (especially b/c it's right next to the DR table) or moving the peninsula into the kitchen 6" or so more than it is now. Even without a sink, you should have at least 15" of clear knee/leg space. To accommodate a 15" overhang, your peninsula should be 41.5" deep (1.5" overhang + 24" deep cabinet + 1" decorative door or finished panel on the back of the cabinets + 15" overhang). For an 18" overhang, it should be 44.5" deep. You want a deep enough overhang to: (1) Minimize splashing - you should have at least 18" from the faucet stem to the edge of the seating overhang (2) Keep dirty dishes out of the faces of those sitting at the counter. This is one of the disadvantages of sinks in islands and peninsulas - especially when the island or peninsula is not deep enough...dirty dishes are "in the face" of anyone sitting at the counter. (3) Allow comfortable seating - where you don't have to straddle the cabinets, sit sideways, or lean far over to reach the counter. If you're trying to "save space", be aware that people take up the same amount of space even if you skimp on overhang - they just have to sit farther away from the counter and lean farther in...unless, of course, they're sitting sideways - which means you need more than 24" of linear space per seat - or if they're straddling the cabinets - which again means more than 24" of linear space per seat. Oh, and speaking from real-life experience - sitting sideways and twisting around to face the counter is very uncomfortable for more than a couple of minutes. Ditto for straddling cabinets. If everyone in your family is very short and has short legs (and will always be very short), then 12" might work for leg space - but it does not fix the splashing issue. I can't imagine doing anything in a 12" space with water right there. I certainly would not want to do homework, crafts, read, eat, etc. unless the sink were empty and I didn't need any real space for what I was doing....See MoreSmall U-shape Kitchen Remodel
Comments (10)Even though you have no window on the short wall, I think you should consider tamy's and BB's suggestions for a galley, eliminating the blind corners. Here's a plan to get you started: You have a drop zone for groceries, then prep zone. I put the pantry and ovens at the end, where they are out of the work zones. If the MW/combo opens right-to-left, the ovens and pantry can be switched. Dishes and flatware can be stored in the drawers on the end, with utensils in the drawers beside the cooktop. (I forgot about the wine cooler--dishes could be in the drawers beside the trash pullout, with the wine cooler on the end.) In a small kitchen you need all the storage possible, but having open shelves where the 24" uppers are drawn would keep the kitchen open give it a more spacious feel. Are you planning inset cabinets? If you have inset drawers you can use a 1" overhang, instead of 1.5", adding that extra inch to the aisle. Good luck!...See More100"x125" U-shaped Ikea kitchen needs layout help
Comments (17)Alrighty, here's design #3. You're not wrong about the budget, Carolina Kitchen ;) The running total is at $4,160 right now, but including a pantry cabinet would push it higher. We're cutting quite a bit of costs by doing a builder grade maple butcher block countertop and cheap $2-3 / sq ft ceramic tile for the walls and floor. It's still tight though. For that reason alone I'll probably have to ditch the pantry. I agree that it looks like valuable storage in your kitchen though, Janie! Wine cabinet is gone, I agree. The trash pull out in that pic is spot on - that's the exact model I was looking at (Rev-a-Shelf, correct?) and I was thinking we could add it later if we don't have the cash now. We compost and recycle most of our waste, and barely fill our trash once a week currently. I do think the drawers would have to just be junk drawers and office supplies. I replaced the two drawers with one large one, maybe that will be more useful? It could hold trash bags, big packs of batteries, etc. That's too funny that the farmhouse sink might be pretentious. I will graciously accept that opinion and probably do it anyway. I just like how they work! I love sinks that are full counter depth and don't leave a strip of counter in the back or front to get soaked with water. It also makes the most sense for us with butcher block countertops to have the sink that is least likely to get the counter wet. In this new design, it's moved 8.25" away from the corner which is as far as we can get with the current plumbing. Not sure what to do with those 8.25" though. The bottom of the range hood is 32" above the cooktop. Is that too high? My husband is 6' 2" and always complains about ours now which is 29" above....See Moresheloveslayouts
5 years agoWhat's the widest this wall behind the range can be and maintain a 36" opening to the dining/living? (the blue line)
sheloveslayouts
5 years agocrystalpea
5 years agocrystalpea
5 years agosheloveslayouts
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoI gave it a shot. If the door to the garage was located 30 inches from the corner another group of options would open up, but it sounds like that can't be done.
ETA: This drawing shows a 36" fridge, 36" cooktop to represent a 36" range, a 36" sink and a 24" dishwasher.
crystalpea thanked sheloveslayoutscrystalpea
5 years agosheloveslayouts
5 years agoHere's another approach to an island with double the work space. Make it four feet wide with more conversational seating for three at the sitting room end. Just food for thought...
sheloveslayouts
5 years agocrystalpea
5 years agoYes, this is my best, proportions are a bit off, but the listed measurements are correct.
It is a ranch with a basement. There are 3 stairs leading down to the pantry/garage area. Hopefully this makes sense. The wall on the dining room left is an exterior brick wall.
sheloveslayouts
5 years agoI think the garage/pantry door is limiting you too much. I took a run at what you might do if the kitchen door went directly into the garage. On the dining room wall, there are shallow cabinets arranged in hutch-like fashion for lots of easy reach storage plus counter top for small appliances. Cooktop represents a 36" range, sink is 30", you'd have to change the window.
In this layout I made sure to not put cook's back to the sitting room.
crystalpea
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agosheloveslayouts
5 years agocrystalpea
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoThe front door area is right above the living room. There is a bathroom on the other side of the fireplace and the opening you see between the fireplace and the end of the wall is where the hallway begins.
Not our kitchen (or I'd gladly leave it alone), but this is almost the exact layout we have right now except instead the double ovens are right next to the fridge and pantry. I'm sure their aisles are wider than ours, but...
PROSativa McGee Designs
5 years agoWithout modifying the structure, benjes option here is the best you are going to get for flow in that space.
Unless you can turn that into a pocket door, leave it open or put a barn door on the pantry side of the wall. If you make one of those changes you might be able to gain storage space back on the window wall.
crystalpea
5 years agosheloveslayouts
5 years agocrystalpea
5 years agosheloveslayouts
5 years agocrystalpea
5 years agoYes you're right, it's everyone's favorite room (guests included).
Spinning my wheels again and wondering if a peninsula will be best. Do either of these layouts seem like they'd work. The program was a little glitchy and kept moving the garage door and doing something strange with corner but...
1.) Drop in range on the peninsula with a recessed vent. I know people don't like the idea of a cooking surface in island or peninsular, but being that I have one now it has never been an issue. Plus we will probably be going the induction route.
2.) Drop-in on the garage wall with range vent hood. Basically everything else is that same.
For both options we'd have to go the semi-custom route especially with the garage door corner.
- PRO
Sativa McGee Designs
5 years ago crystalpea
5 years agoWhat about this layout?
The island would only be 5 feet wide, but could have some depth without cabinets on the other dining wall. Odd?
crystalpea
5 years ago
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