What should we do with this kitchen space? Laundry? Baking? Storage?

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

We are finally ready to start thinking about how to complete our kitchen, which has chunk of "TBD" space that we left open-ended after a 2010 kitchen remodel.

On the wish list: laundry (currently in a detached garage), utility sink, and baking area. We also need more pantry storage, but might be able to use the existing pantry cabinet more effectively if we add more drawers/lower cabinets elsewhere. These things probably can't all co-exist given the limited space, but they are all in play. We are open to moving windows and the door. The lower wall needs to stay relatively open as far as light (either existing door/window or new french doors) but the window on the lower left wall could potentially be eliminated (no view, not a lot of light). We are also open to reworking the coats/shoes area (currently just a built-in bench and shelves) and moving the broom closet/pantry. We really like the functionality of everything in the top half of the kitchen and don't want to mess around with any of that. The side and bottom walls are all load-bearing.

Here is the space as it exists today. Currently, the lower left corner of the room is used for 1) baking (pull-out cart with stand mixer) and 2) junk storage. We designed this space for an eat-in table (since it was originally the breakfast nook in the house) but have not used it for this in some years and there is a dining room immediately outside the kitchen, so are willing to let that go.

What would you do to make this space more functional? If we add laundry, where should it go? (For planning purposes, I am using the specs of a Bosch compact washer/dryer set---24"w x 33.25"h x 28d--since we like our current full-sized set a lot. They could be stacked or side-by-side. If anyone knows of a more compact set, that would be great to know too!)

Thank you for any ideas!

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Comments (5)

artemis78
Original Author
5 years ago
As an update, after spending some time with this over the holidays, we aren't really feeling the various iterations that would allow laundry--it seems like we'd really have to take out the lower lefthand window entirely to make that work and even then the flow wouldn't be ideal. The most viable spot seems to be where the coats and broom closet are if we move the door, so we'll keep that as a future option. That lands us with storage and a baking counter along the lower lefthand wall. (This is what is already there, except right now it's on freestanding shelves and carts.)

This leaves a couple of dilemmas: length and depth of baking counter. We have 24.5" of clearance for a counter in the corner before hitting the bottom window (and only 20" if we want to clear the window moulding too, which would probably look better and be simpler). This feels too shallow to be useful for rolling dough, etc., so I'm considering keeping counters 20" deep on the ends with the section under the window coming out to 28" or so. Second question is the length. The window opening is exactly 36", and with the moulding, it's 46" long. So if we stick with stock cabinetry (which I would like to do from a cost perspective) this could be a 21"/36"/21" split along this wall, or a 15"/48"/15" (both with a couple of inches of filler on each end). The first feels like more useful storage, but will it look strange to follow the window opening vs. the moulding? As far as utility, this will all be drawers below with two 18" open bookcases on either side of the window, and much of what will be stored here is moving out of an existing 32" drawer bank, so the 36" seems more than adequate. Two 24" drawer banks would also work.

Thank you!
artemis78
Original Author
5 years ago
Bumping this...anyone have any thoughts or suggestions??
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We are finally ready to start thinking about how to complete our kitchen, which has chunk of "TBD" space that we left open-ended after a 2010 kitchen remodel. On the wish list: laundry (currently in a detached garage), utility sink, and baking area. We also need more pantry storage, but might be able to use the existing pantry cabinet more effectively if we add more drawers/lower cabinets elsewhere. These things probably can't all co-exist given the limited space, but they are all in play. We are open to moving windows and the door. The lower wall needs to stay relatively open as far as light (either existing door/window or new french doors) but the window on the lower left wall could potentially be eliminated (no view, not a lot of light). We are also open to reworking the coats/shoes area (currently just a built-in bench and shelves) and moving the broom closet/pantry. We really like the functionality of everything in the top half of the kitchen and don't want to mess around with any of that. The side and bottom walls are all load-bearing. Here is the space as it exists today. Currently, the lower left corner of the room is used for 1) baking (pull-out cart with stand mixer) and 2) junk storage. We designed this space for an eat-in table (since it was originally the breakfast nook in the house) but have not used it for this in some years and there is a dining room immediately outside the kitchen, so are willing to let that go. What would you do to make this space more functional? If we add laundry, where should it go? (For planning purposes, I am using the specs of a Bosch compact washer/dryer set---24"w x 33.25"h x 28d--since we like our current full-sized set a lot. They could be stacked or side-by-side. If anyone knows of a more compact set, that would be great to know too!) Thank you for any ideas!
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ci_lantro
5 years ago
My focus would be getting the laundry out of the garage so, IMO, the best thing to do is to bite the bullet and replace the two windows with shorter windows so that you have at least 36" of wall under the windows. Then, the compact Bosch machines would fit nicely...or whatever you want to do as far as extending kitchen cabinets. Also would be a huge bonus to have the laundry in the house so far as resale is concerned. (No dashing in your skivvies out to the garage to get your favorite jeans out of the dryer anymore!)

As you probably already know, you need 36" to fit stock cabinets & countertop under the windows. (Unless you eliminate the toe kick space which I wouldn't want to do. Esp. with other cabinets at the normal height in the same room.)

Since the windows in question are on the side & back of the house, you're not messing up street view symmetry.
artemis78 thanked ci_lantro
artemis78
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Thanks--we will likely drop the height of the counter for a baking area anyway to 30" or 32" so would need lower cabinets for that. So part of the appeal of putting it there was avoiding the window move. But for laundry it would definitely need to stay at 36" to fit the machines. I hadn't thought about messing with both windows, but maybe that will solve the issue with the counter depth for laundry (needs to be 28", which juts out in front of the bottom window even if we eliminate the window on the left entirely). Would it look odd to just shorten the windows, or should we try to move them up the wall? (They are the same size as the two windows over our kitchen sink, but those are set a foot higher--originally the low windows were in a separate breakfast room so were intended to be at table height.)
ci_lantro
5 years ago
Would it look odd to just shorten the windows, or should we try to move them up the wall? (They are the same size as the two windows over our kitchen sink, but those are set a foot higher-

Oh, yes. Move them up so the top of the windows are at the same height as the other windows. Unless there is some reason why you can't (like this part of the kitchen being an add-on with a different roof line, etc.)

More work probably to move them up because the structural headers will likely need to be moved up. OTOH, you might be able to re-use the windows that you have vs buying new. Unless they need replacing anyway because of age or condition.

If you place the W/D on the back wall, you can get your baking counter along the sink wall.

What should we do with this kitchen space? Laundry? Baking? Storage?

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What should we do with this kitchen space? Laundry? Baking? Storage?

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