skip to main content

Smaller Homes Kitchens

Kitchen design question

5 years ago

We have an odd shaped kitchen in an old house (main house built in 1966 with an extension in 1983). Structurally I have to work with the ceiling and joist placement that exists because those are structural walls that are actually the outside walls of the original house. I've tried doing a layout in the Ikea planner (attached here), but I may go with a friend who does custom cabinets so I will have the flexibility to do more customized things.

My DH believes that we must have a vertical support on the wall (wall where the sink is) for the beam that supports the ceiling in the back alcove area. Right now it is a set of two closets (one used to be the hot water tank which is now moved somewhere else). He says that we can tear things mostly back but not completely back. The final answer will come when we have a structural engineer come in and give us the writeup for adding the beam you see so we can open up the living room, kitchen dining room.

I'm trying to figure out how to layout the kitchen if I must have a vertical support that juts out into the room a bit. I was considering having an appliance garage back in that corner (crock pots and smoothie making stuff mostly).

I'm also trying to design the kitchen so that we can age in place as long as possible. But I like to use a lot of glass bowls in cooking and I don't want to do a lot of lifting them up and down. Right now we have 4 shelves (14" deep cabs) of glass shelves and the are stacked such that they are banging on one another and cracking at times.

We have no intention of moving the water/sink because we have a slab foundation and my DH absolutely refuses to cut into it.

Some landmark references... on the D wall the small door goes to another panty which we will be keeping. The larger door on D goes to the back of the house (hall to garage, secondary bedrooms, public bathroom). The door/opening on the bottom wall goes to a hall with the master bedroom/bathroom, etc. Front door is at the bottom of the B wall. Wall A is an exterior wall.

Here's what the structural elements look like now before we tear the wall back (and we know that the soffit above is a structural beam - not just there for looks.

Here's what I mocked up in Ikea for that area that I'm looking to modify.

How would you address that and what might I do otherwise for that corner area, where I may need to have a support stud coming out of the wall?

Thanks in advance

Mary

Comment

Related Discussions
Architect/Kitchen Design Question
Q
Comments (21)
Here's what I did and it worked very well for us. After the architect drew up our floorplan, I was not satisfied with the kitchen (it was tiny and closed off from living spaces). I communicated my thoughts to the architect and asked that he rework the laundry, dining, kitchen area of the plan for me. Still not satisfied with that area after three rounds of revisions, I took the entire floorplan to a kitchen designer. She drew up several ideas for the laundry, dining, kitchen space that were a bit more specific than a mere floorplan. I worked with the KD to come up with the perfect plan for us for that part of the space. Then, I took the KD's work back to the architect who incorporated this redesigned space into his drawings and finalized the plans for the builder to use. I am very pleased with how this space turned out. It's very different than the original plan that the architect drew up. The $500 I spent with the KD to do the redesign absolutely is the best $500 I spent in the entire build. Now, the KD I used is not one of those KDs that works for a specific cabinet line and is focused only on what cabinets you pick for a particular layout. This was a KD independent of any cabinet manufacturer and was very talented in making me think about how I wanted to use the space and then designing it for our use. I used an onsite custom cabinetmaker for all of our cabinets and our trim. None of our cabinetry or trim detail was ever reduced to CAD or other detailed drawings before he began building. That made me very nervous. I simply made him a book of pictures I had cut out of magazines (or printed off of this site) and he mimicked those pictures beautifully. Good luck in your design and in your build! It's a long process, but worth it in the end. Our build was fraught with drama, but I've forgotten most of the negative stuff by now, and I've only been in the house four months!
...See More
Kitchen design question for bakers
Q
Comments (21)
Nancedar - if you get your countertop marble or granite honed, it won't be shiny. French, Italian, Greek and other european kitchens have been using honed marble countertops for centuries. As to etching, that's an american aesthetic bias. Again, if you go to a french kitchen with marble countertops, the marble is etched, stained by wine, etc. and they don't mind. I mean, the marble IS in a kitchen after all, and used for food prep, so it will show signs of use. Similarly, a wood counter in a traditional french kitchen will scratched and gouged, not babied. But I understand if we are thinking of home resale, and what we prefer, we may not want any etching or patina. As to flour containers, I am surprised no one has brought up the issue of insects getting into flour containers that aren't air tight. The OP's first link, and the pioneer woman link, both seem to me to be flour containers that are invitations for insects. I like a glass container with a tight screw top, but often the mouth is not wide enough for scoop-and-sweep of flour. I also have an assortment of the big Oxo Pop air-tight containers, the Click-clack cubes, and LocknLock containers. They are all BPA free too. A friend of mine doesn't like the chore of transferring flour or sugar from the original bag to another container. If anyone reading this thread is like that, there's the air-tight Flour container or sugar container.
...See More
Input on Walnut and White Kitchen Design Question
Q
Comments (2)
I love the look of walnut and white. But it seems like there is more white in your inspiration photos - most have white cabinets as well as walnut. But in your layout it looks like you have all walnut cabinets. Maybe consider some white cabinets somewhere, like the uppers or ends to give you more of the look of your inspiration photos and to tie it in with your counters.
...See More
Kitchen Design Question
Q
Comments (17)
@Patricia Colwell@Shannon_WI I suppose 9ft is an option as well. I only say 8 and 10 because 8 is at present and I figured if raising it cost is the same for 9 or 10 so I would imagine should go to 10 but maybe I am wrong. Not sure if this picture is too confusing but the blocks are 5 feet apart for scale and I labeled rooms. Currently the great room to kitchen has .a big drop (unchangeable) from 17 feet due to existing architecture. I also had a question as to whether there should be a breakfast nook in the corner but if there is island seating maybe not necessary? The corner of the wall of windows is where ceiling height transitions up to 17 feet.
...See More

Related Stories

Design Dilemmas: 5 Questions for Design Stars

By Annie Thornton

Share Your Design Know-How on the Houzz Questions Board

5 Questions for Design Stars

By Annie Thornton

Do You Have the Answer to These Home Design Dilemmas?

Help! 5 Questions for Design Stars

By Annie Thornton

Do You Have an Answer for This Week's Design Dilemmas?

5 Questions for Houzz Design Stars

By Annie Thornton

Do You Have Answers for These Design Dilemmas?

0

5 Questions for Design Stars

By Annie Thornton

Help Your Fellow Houzz Users Solve These Design Dilemmas!

5 Questions for Design Stars

By Annie Thornton

Help Your Fellow Houzzers Solve Their Home Design Dilemmas!

5 Questions for Design Stars

By Annie Thornton

Post Your Answers to the Week's Top Design Dilemmas

KITCHEN DESIGN 9 Questions to Ask When Planning a Kitchen Pantry

By Susan Redman

Avoid blunders and get the storage space and layout you need by asking these questions before you begin

REMODELING GUIDES 9 Hard Questions to Ask When Shopping for Stone

By Ventana Construction LLC

Learn all about stone sizes, cracks, color issues and more so problems don't chip away at your design happiness later

7 Questions for Design Superstars

By Annie Thornton

Share Your Know-How Now on The Houzz Questions Board

Sponsored

1 Review

Industry Leading General Contractors in Columbus

More Discussions

Small living room bookcase design dilemma

9