Seating depth at kitchen island ... which option is better?
The_Lane_Duo
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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Mark Bischak, Architect
4 years agoThe_Lane_Duo
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRelated Discussions
Kitchen Layout: Two (very) different drawings - which is better?
Comments (31)I would like to see even more of the existing layout and how the different levels relate to each other ... to pool, 'down' to game room, 'up' to bedroom, to garage, etc. Is the pool on the same level as the existing kitchen ? Is it right by the house or across the yard ? Is there any type of patio, covered porch, or deck off of the back of the house now ? Where does the driveway run - do guests park by the front door and come in that way, or does driveway have them parking by the garage entry ? Do the stairs at the front door go up ? Up to what ? Where does the door go under the stairs at the end ? Also, what are the dimensions of your existing furniture and any appliances you will be re-using ? What about items you are planning to purchase ? I am concerned that you may not be allowing enough room for clearance around your breakfast table because I do not know it's dimensions. Take the size of your table and add a minimum of 36" on all 4 sides just to edge/slide past or scoot around seated diners. You need 44" on the sides to allow someone to walk past a seated diner. In other words, if your table is 42"x60" and you add 36" to each side, you need a minimum of 9'6"x11'0" totally clear area just to scoot around seated diners. I am thinking something totally different than the plans you have shown. To get you thinking outside the box . . . . How about if you carve a niche out of the existing LR for a more formal entry with walls and doorways so the first thing a guest sees when they walk in the home is not the mess in the kitchen. Use the current Piano room as the family room overlooking the pool area. Put the baby grand in the current dining room and the dining table where the butler is currently. The table will run long ways from the front of the house to the rear. Open this new baby grand/dining space up as much as possible into one long room or, even better IMO ... depending on the size of your dining table, move the wall a couple feet so that the new dining end is longer and the baby grand end is smaller and they are separated by a wall with a wide doorway or arched opening. If the new dining space was 11x15 or 11x16 instead of 11x13, you could easily have a dining table 4x7 that would seat 8 and have room to pass around the end of the table to the doorway into the new family room. I imagine the new baby grand room to house the piano and some limited seating. A much better view when a guest first walks into the house. : ) Where you currently have the living room, it will now be somewhat smaller because of losing space to the foyer. Use the old living space for a combination keeping room with breakfast, desk/homework, sitting room space. The remainder of the current living room along with the current kitchen/breakfast will be the new kitchen. In my experience, most people congregate around the kitchen at parties and gatherings. This layout would make the kitchen and keeping room one big space which would be a great area for entertaining. Between the new kitchen and the new dining room (old butlers) will be a wet bar and storage space similar to what you have shown on option B. Be sure to also carve out room for a coat closet, vacuum storage, toys storage, and a designated space where mail/bags/junk, etc can land very close to the garage entry (but be easily hidden by cabinet doors or something if someone comes over). Depending on the pool and patio location, it could be nice to turn the double windows at the end of the of the old butler/new dining into French doors opening onto the patio. It could also be very nice if this was opening to a covered Lanai or screened porch....See MoreParallel to sink or range: which is the better path through kitchen?
Comments (72)Sorry I've been MIA - I've been down with the flu (I thought flu season was over!!!) and, unfortunately, I'm still not over it yet. I haven't had time to read through all the posts since last week, but I will try tomorrow or Friday, if it's not too late. From the last post, it looks like you've moved into a very different layout. Just keep in mind a few things: 9" deep cabinets are really 10" deep when counting the doors and another 1.5" or so counting handles. Don't forget casings & trim around doorways - unless the architecture of your house has no casings except when there's an actual door (that's how our house is). Try to eliminate zone-crossing if at all possible - it's not fun dodging an open DW, for example, when going from the cooktop/range to the refrigerator. Try not to have the Cleanup Zone back-to-back with the Prep Zone unless you have at least a 48" wide aisle b/w them. You want to avoid backing in to an open DW door or fighting over floor space w/someone cleaning up. Even if the island is a secondary Prep Zone, I would try to have that 48" aisle. Finally, remember that as your kids grow up, they will be helping in the kitchen - so plan for a multi-person kitchen, not a one-person kitchen....See MoreWhich of our kitchen designs do you like better?
Comments (7)I understand your desire for an island--I love my work table/island. I have aisles about the same width, but the traffic aisle is not against a solid wall--there are cabinets there, which provide a little more shoulder space for someone walking through. And, my island is only 5' long. If your island is only 26" in depth (including overhangs), you could add a couple inches to each aisle. I think the island, as drawn, is too long--it would be better to have a shorter island, and add seating in the window area. Three people won't be able to sit comfortably on the end of the island as drawn, anyway. If the window can be moved, the range would fit on the back wall. You'd have the minimum prep area, but room to spread out on the island. If it's not feasible to move the window, then the same layout will work, but put the sink to the right, with the prep area in front of the window. If you give up the pantry on the right, you might consider creative storage ideas, such as a 'morgue drawer' in a banquette, and/or between the studs storage on the garage wall (if it's framed, and if safety codes allow). GW discussions--'morgue drawers' [Houzz--stud bay storage[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/tap-into-stud-space-for-more-wall-storage-stsetivw-vs~26936417)...See MoreI can't stop. Which kitchen is better?
Comments (50)Hi Tosca, here are pics of our walk in pantry beneath the stairs. It's a funky odd space but we made good use of it. Pic 1 - the door is right next to our fridge (fridge & rest of the kitchen is to the right). This opens up to the section that I think is under the top of the stairs or perhaps it's under the 2nd floor landing. The ceiling is pretty high. Pic 2 - the pantry then wraps around under the stairs and behind the fridge. The door to the right leads to the furnace which is also under the stairs. Because the furnace may someday need to be replaced, we opted for a rolling cart for our coffee maker rather than a built in cabinet. Not shown: the wall directly behind the fridge. We have our mops and brooms hanging on that....See MorePeke (Patti)
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