Design help for tiny kitchen - another set of eyes
I am planning a remodel for my very tiny, very old kitchen (original to the 1986 house). The list of problems in the current kitchen are extensive: Faulty electrical, leaking plumbing, damaged floor, dark wood cabinets that are long past their day, the least countertop space of any kitchen we've ever lived with, very little storage, extreme lack of light, and a generally claustrophobic feeling. So we want to solve all of those things. We are staying exactly in the footprint of the current kitchen because that's what we've got to work with.
INFO
- This is going to be an IKEA kitchen for many reasons: Simple modern lines, optimized interior storage space, value for the price, easy to plan.
- The house is a very small starter home, it has no charm, it's at the low end of the market for our area. I'm trying to get the most functional and attractive kitchen that is reasonable for this home.
- My plan makes the kitchen very slightly bigger by taking down some interior walls which currently enclose a closet, fireplace, and utilities. Because the kitchen isn't obstructed by those walls it gets a few inches of space. But most of the space gain goes to our (also extremely tiny) living room. So this is as big as the kitchen can get. A neighbor down the street took down these same interior walls and it looks so much better and more spacious, although it's only about 40 square feet more, actually.
- All the lower cabinets are going to be drawers.
- The plan currently has very few upper cabinets in order to give the whole room more breathing space.
- No island, rather there is a peninsula. Accommodating an island is just not possible if I also want to have room for a dining table.
- The new sink is smaller than some people might choose but I am comfortable with it. I'd rather have more counter space than a giant sink. The sink is almost exactly in the same spot, an inch or so moved over.
- My husband and I are avid cooks (he cooks, I bake, we also have a teen daughter who bakes). So functionality is absolutely critical. My "baking zone" is in the peninsula next to the wall. I plan to have most of my equipment in the drawers there, and ingredients and appliances in the wall cabinet.
- The space has a vaulted ceiling so while it's 8 feet walls at the perimeter, it goes up to around 11 feet in the center of the room. Thus, the new design has some taller cabinets.
QUESTIONS
- Do you see any potential problems with function? Yes, the work triangle is tight, but it's actually better than the original, yikes.
- Do you see any potential problems with spacing or obstacles? I've left 2 inches of room next to walls but I want to make sure there aren't any issues.
- I've placed the microwave in a lower cabinet between the stove and fridge. Problems? It's there because I don't want to see it when I look in the kitchen, and I also don't want to waste counter space on it, and I think it will be convenient to my baking zone.
NEW PLAN OVERHEAD
ORIGINAL OVERHEAD
NEW FROM LIVING ROOM
ORIGINAL FROM LIVING ROOM
NEW FROM DINING AREA
ORIGINAL FROM DINING AREA
Comments (19)
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could use another set of eyes on my design
Comments (14)OK...so you're also opening up the "lower" wall. The cooktop is much too close to the wall, I'm not even sure you have room for handles on the left, let alone emergency landing space. You should have at least 12", preferably 18" to 24" on both sides. You have a 36" span of wall and you're putting a 36" cooktop there. You don't even really have sufficient space on the right side of the cooktop as well...by recessing the bay window run of counters you're eliminating workspace directly adjacent to the cooktop. I'm not a fan of recessing so deeply...it constricts your workspace (both surface and floor) and eliminates useful workspace & storage. I would probably add a prep sink in the bay window area b/c right now you will prep on the peninsula...but there's really not enough room for it...plus the DW is in the way of the Prep Zone (to the right of the sink b/w the refrigerator & sink and across from the cooktop). Prep Zones usually end up near the closest water source to the Range/Cooktop & Refrigerator and right now your sole source is on the peninsula. The counters to the right of the cooktop won't get used much b/c there is no water source convenient for prepping....so you have quite a bit of wasted counter space on one side and nowhere near enough counterspace on the sink side (if you prep there). I would also consider moving the refrigerator to the other side of the sink/opening...right now it will bring outsiders deep into the working area of the kitchen and they will get underfoot! If you move it to the other side of the sink/opening, it will still be in the kitchen but when outsiders come looking for a snack they will not be underfoot. The other reason for moving it is to make it more convenient to the eating area(s). You don't show a MW...but I would locate it either next to the moved refrigerator (other side of the opening from the sink) or on the bay window run on the far right...it should be on the periphery for the same reason as your refrigerator...easily accessed from the kitchen but also located so outsiders looking for a snack (like MW popcorn or reheated leftovers) will not be underfoot....See Moreneed your design eye help for corner area!!
Comments (15)It looks like #2 is the fave! Thanks everyone, your input has helped me feel good about that option and it's also an easy fix. buelh, you have an eagle eye! Not to worry, my real-life oven setup is much lower. There is only one drawer underneath, not two, and the upper oven is a MW which is substantially smaller than the main lower oven. I made sure our short family (I'm 5'2") would be comfortable with the height. Unfortunately I could not find something 100% accurate in the sketchup 3D library to use in the drawing, and I'm not yet competent enough in the software to do cabinets from scratch efficiently, so I used something just close enough to visualize the whole. I appreciate your pointing it out though! It would definitely have been a problem if it was accurate. The cabinet dimensions, placement and aisles, etc. in the drawing are otherwise accurate but the style of cabinets is also a bit off. florantha, it sounds like you went through a very similar thought process. The jumble you describe would definitely bother me. The whitish glass you are using sounds great, is it an online source you can share? I'm sure it will look classy. My corner cabinets will house everyday glasses of all sorts, white everyday mugs and cereal bowls (all light in color), and coffee-making paraphernalia. This is why I hope to find an opaque glass and/or maybe use good quality glass film on the inside to achieve total opaqueness. I've seen some great results with privacy window film (it's come a long way!). palimpsest and blfenton, you picked up on other elements of the room (the balance with the diagonal wall and the windows across the space) that I had not, and it gives me confidence that option 2 will work and not look accidental or cobbled together. Now I'm glad I put in that last picture of the other side, I almost didn't! Thanks Jillsee, Inspiredisabele and boxerpups for the encouragement. I didn't hire a KD because I was not planning to change the footprint or the layout of the kitchen very much but there have definitely been times when I could have used a professional eye. This forum is a great resource though. The collective wisdom and experience here can't be beat and cannot be duplicated by any one KD. dianalo, I really like the idea of a shelf with the BS behind it up to the ceiling as well! I was planning to do a high BS behind a chimney hood but that not to be (darn ducting issue again). I was inspired to consider this other way of getting my to-the-ceiling backsplash after I saw something similar in a kitchen that archnista posted here a few weeks ago (and which I told her I would shamelessly try to steal). I don't want to do it if it will look out of place, though. I'm still leaning towards option 2 but what if I take your suggestion and make the shelves glass also? Option 4-glass shelves and glass doors-OK, I think it's between this and #2 for me now!...See MoreAnother TINY kitchen--help with layout
Comments (56)Lyfia, I hear you, but if the front "LR" was a dining room, in our family, it wouldn't get used. My entire life, I've always had an eat-in kitchen--grandparents have eat in kitchens, etc. When I lived in the midwest, everyone had a dining room in addition to the eat-in space, the the dining room was just really a craft area that got cleared 2x a year for large family gatherings. Both sets of grandparents live about 3 hours away, where the family farm also is. So, for larger family gatherings, we are much more likely to be at the farm (either at the grandparents' house, or the cousins) than here. 8 adults is probably the most I'll need to accommodate; a few more if you count kids, but kids are also happy to eat in a different spot than the adults. I think it most likely that if I had a really large gathering (once in 3 years that it might occur), I'd set up a separate table either in the LR or the FR to accommodate the extras. I like to use my peninsula now, as a "bar"/buffet area for those large type gatherings. Which brings me to Peke's long comments (thank you!)-- I would like to be able to have multiple areas in the kitchen where a couple people could work simultaneously without needing to occupy the same space. I think I prep like you--I'd be fine with a 32" counter space. But, I would also like the flexibility, that while I'm working in the 32" counterspace, someone could pour themselves a glass of milk without having to be in my space. Or, someone could be mixing brownies, say, and I could be prepping the next ingredient, without having to reach over them (that is getting more and more difficult as my older daughter is about armpit height now)... A lot of the time now, that mixing is done on the kitchen table (which means I'm carting water from sink to mixing bowl at the table, etc). Or, I just kick everyone out of the kitchen and do it myself. So, I envision the peninsula/island/extra counter to be another spot for someone to be able to work, without clogging up the whole kitchen function. I still want to keep a dining table (as opposed to a counter) because we do make an effort to eat, nightly, as a family, facing each other, etc. There is no TV in the same room or on during dinner. So, our dinner times really are the family conversation time. We've been lucky enough to make that choice and have it work well for our family. Our girls also really, really love that time. Bedtime is smoother when we've had that too. If I understand an eating counter correctly, they are more likely to sit everyone in a line (like what you'd see in most island bar seating arrangements). We prefer to sit in an L or C shape. My primary grocery is Costco (it also happens to be the closest one to my house). So, when I shop, things come home in bulk sizes. The walk-in pantry allows me to put too large items on the floor (and I can close the door). It really does function very well for me while still being fairly compact (since the door is an outswing, and on an angle. The inside is really shelves on 2 sides with a little extra floor space (and crawlspace access door)). The Family Room is games and toys. I really like Lisa's plan E, but also plan D. I think I can use the shape of the pantry in sena's recent post (21:23)--I also like the plan. And, YES! I DO LOVE GW for the amazing creativity, experiences shared, as well as eye to function that everyone has. In a few short days, we've covered many more iterations/variations of kitchen for my space than I've thought about for over a year! And, that is truly wonderful. My next Q to all you who are still reading: DO ANY OF YOU HAVE A DW/SINK relationship such as the one drawn in Sena's 21:23? (With the sink 90* to the DW)? I've never had this (which is why I've been stuck on a corner something). How does it work, as an efficiency thing?...See MoreMy kitchen facelift about to start- would love another set of eye
Comments (4)Thank you for getting me thinking about the oven door- I hadn't really even thought of it. I think I will be OK there is 48" from the island to the sink perimeter. Is there an optimal distance between oven and cabinet? I tested it out just now and although no one will be able to walk behind me when I am taking the turkey out of the oven it is plenty of clearance for me to bend over and take something out. I do see an issue with the dishwasher essentially being across from the oven door, but we just won't be able to be loading dishes while taking out a pizza- not a huge deal. thanks for getting me thinking!...See More
mama goose_gw zn6OH
4 years agoIf you move the fridge over against the window, as others have suggested, you could add the tall cabinet on the other side, so that the reveals are the same. I extended the peninsula to accommodate the DW to the right of the sink--you'd need to make sure there's space for the table and traffic.
sarahleon thanked mama goose_gw zn6OH
sarahleon
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agonhbaskets, you asked for full floorplans, so here you go. I added placeholder furniture so that you can see how the whole space works (doesn't work, currently).
Note that in the original plan there's a large obstruction on the right side: That's the area where we're removing the walls that currently enclose the closet, fireplace, and utilities in the garage. It's about 11 feet by 4.5 feet.
Our household is 4 people (2 adults, 2 teens) and 2 pets (small dog and cat). We do EVERYTHING in this one room: Cook, eat, watch TV, work (my husband and I, the dual desk is ours), play board games, play video games, crafts, reading, music practice (piano, accordion, singing), exercise. This room has to do it all, as efficiently as possible. Oh yeah, and entertain any friends and family that we want to have over!
This room is also the main through-traffic space for the house; the front door, garage door, and hallway to bedrooms all open into here. The house is on a lot that is only a few feet wider on each side than its footprint, with a backyard that is about 15 feet deep. Point being that there is nowhere else to get space from, this is as big as it's gonna get.
ORIGINAL FLOORPLAN
NEW FLOORPLAN
herbflavor
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agosarahleon
4 years ago
Nancy in Mich
4 years agomjlb
4 years agosarahleon
4 years ago
Kathi Steele
4 years ago
Sherry8aNorthAL