Internal Kitchen "bump-out" - which layout would you choose?
I don't know about y'all, but I've had a lot of time on my hands lately to dream about house projects!!! And I would love your input on possible layouts for a kitchen reno.
My husband and my 1989 duplex currently has a pretty small kitchen. He and I know how to tango in it when cooking or hosting, but I hate when guests wander in to get water and get in our way. Or worse, hang out at the end of the "island" - that entry space into the kitchen is only 31" wide, so we have to squeeze by them. Overall I would love if everything were roomier! I hate the wall seen at the far right and want to take that out. Not seen, even farther right, on the other side of that wall, there is just 25" of wall before our back door, which we use a lot to get to the porch, yard, and garage. So we're pretty constrained that direction (I'll call that the kitchen depth). So the counter (where the 2 chairs are) could go outward maybe 7" before getting in the way of the door traffic.
However, to the left of the fridge, we are considering an "internal bump-out." In an L-shaped closet we currently have stacked laundry which we want to move upstairs, and a pantry. Facing the end of the "island" is another small pantry. So, the old laundry space could become the new pantry, and the rest of the space could be eaten into for the kitchen reno, which would give us 30" crucial inches of space. So the fridge could move left, and we could repurpose the removed wall's cabinets. (Of course getting new cabinets is an option, but I don't dislike these if we can reuse them)
The debate is the new layout. Here are the goals:
- More space to work with in the kitchen
- Either go to a true island for 2 entry points, OR make the 1 entry point wider
- Optimize for hosting/entertaining. For one, is it better to have the sink in the island, or at the window as far as facing guests during prep/kitchen work?
- Go from 2 to 3 seats at the counter
So using the Sims for as good a mockup as I can do lol, here are some options! (The Sims doesn't have dishwashers, so the white oven represents where that would go)
A. True island with sink and no window cabinets
- Dishwasher would go to sink's left - most convenient for us righties
- Good work triangle
- Sink is convenient for hosts and guests to access
- Given kitchen depth constraint, can the island be deep enough for the sink? Apron sink might help.
- Widest possible total entry space
- More space in front of fridge
- Loss of some storage space, but we're pretty minimal
- No counter space in front of window for plants
B. Still a U shape like currently, but deeper in the kitchen to fit a dishwasher next the sink (counter overhang wouldn't have to go all the way to the wall - just couldn't mock that up)
- Nice to have sink view looking out window
- No sink blocking guests' view and no dirty dishes in front of them
- Wide entry point
- More space in front of fridge
- More room in the kitchen (min 52" depth, with a 28" sink and 24" dishwasher)
- Really pushes closeness to backdoor
C. True island with sink at window
- Nice to have sink view looking out window
- No sink blocking guests' view and no dirty dishes in front of them
- Dishwasher door would block path when open
- 2 entries, but they're a bit narrow
D. True island with sink and window cabinets
- Dishwasher would go to sink's left - most convenient for us righties
- Good work triangle
- Sink is convenient for hosts and guests to access
- Given kitchen depth constraint, can the island be deep enough for the sink? Apron sink might help.
- 2 entries, but they're a bit narrow
- More storage than option A
- Space in front of window for plants
What do you think???
Comments (21)
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Kitchen layout - debating bump out addition
Comments (24)Jillius* You are amazing - you are coming up with some great options to consider: - I'm overstating here, but there's a little knot in my stomach about giving up the built in cabinet of the family room and the pantry. I have a lot of stuff for entertaining in the built in and I'm a bit of a over-buyer for pantry staples. The knot could actually be that I'm hungry because I didn't have time for lunch today. =) There is probably plenty of space in this galley layout but I would have to map it out. - The flow to get to the deck requires a long walk around the longer half wall. One of my original goals was to move the entrance to the family room north so there was more of a direct line to the sliding door to the deck. This moves the path to the sliding door even further. Sorry - I was holding out on this goal and that isn't fair! - The 30 inch counters will give my plenty of prep space, but a galley layout (is that what you would say the option w/the prep area to the south would be called?) seems to serve the purpose of a functional kitchen and pass through space versus a center of our main level. - Giving up the kitchen table, could be the problem my existing kitchen table - it is probably too big for the space (42x60 oval) - by the time you add chairs and keep it away from the wall for the 4th seat, it is "in the way". If I downsize to a more appropriate size then it just feels like an afterthought or a dinky table just to have one that is permanently part of the landscape. If island seating doesn't work out, I'd rather give up seating in the kitchen and just have all meals in the dining room. A coworker sent me this link today, maybe this is a design option: Pull out tables - 4 foot bump out - I'll attach some photos in the next post, but basically, the aesthetics of the backyard - both a hypothetical wall closing off part of the deck and a ceiling above the patio with a pillar of some sort means the look & feel of the backyard will be just different and maybe not look "natural" - instead we have this bolt-on part of the house that looks funky. Jenn *I accidentally referred to you as "Amanda" in the last response - I got confused with Huango. Sorry about that....See MorePls Help w/ kitchen layout, Wonky bump out
Comments (8)If you are planning on having two dishwashers, I'd suggest placing one on each side of the clean-up sink, and making that run in the bump-out 27" deep, with a 15" deep cabinet in the corner. The island, as drawn on your plan, is 6.5' x 7', but I made it 6' x 6.5' plus overhangs, which will give you 48" cabinet-to-cabinet on the clean-up sink aisle--the extra three inches will provide space for the overhangs (1.5", although I prefer 1", especially in a small kitchen). I think you can get by with the narrower aisle between the pantry and island, if the fridge is moved to the range wall, as per bb's suggestion. The dish storage on the island has moved back, with a trash pull-out on the corner of the island, convenient to all zones. You can also store dishes in the 15" deep base cabinet. Prep space on the island is 42+", on the left, with landing space and an 18" cabinet to the right of the prep sink. BTW, you'll need a DW return panel for the DW on the end, to support the countertop....See MoreMudroom and Kitchen layout... what would you choose?
Comments (18)Neither. You might consider altering your option 1 plan to create a guest worthy back entry between the garage and the kitchen rather than a traditional "mudroom" that usually becomes a clutter catch space. Yes, you'd have a much smaller pantry -- and no place in the "mudroom" for a washer and dryer -- none were shown anyway. The breakfast nook (option 1) appears to be on an outside wall. If you could add an "L" shaped screened porch to wrap around that back left corner between the garage and that breakfast nook -- preferably one with half a wall for its sides and then either screen or sun room windows above that half wall -- that could help enable you to avoid fumes from the garage entering the living space. You could have a pair of large windows or even patio doors in your breakfast nook. Where you now have a door from the living area to the mudroom could be your door to your pantry -- all inside walls in a space of about 6'x6' with floor to ceiling shelves all around. Behind that pantry, between the pantry and the outside wall on the side of the house as the garage, you could create your "L" shaped guest worthy back entry hall that wraps around your pantry. As you exit your back entry porch, your guests would have a 6' hallway and then either the option to turn left toward the living area (past two doorways that would be on their right) ... arriving between the kitchen living area space close to across from the bottom of the stairs. The two doors off that "L" shaped entry hallway before it reaches the living area would be either: continue walking straight through a door that would lead down a 3' hallway into the full bath or turn right into a wide hallway with a guest worthy bench with shoe storage against the left (pantry) wall, walking past the bathroom door and past the second door -- a coat closet (or pausing to leave coats in the closet as needed) before arriving at the living area between the kitchen and sitting area (approximately across from the stairs) In this way, you'd have a small pantry near the kitchen -- where it's needed; you'd have a bathroom against an outside wall so it could have a window; you'd have a bathroom door that enters into a hallway rather than directly into any living area; you'd have a closet for coats rather than ending up with a wall of hooks (and you could still add a hat rack next to the bench for temporary use by guests); you'd have a guest worthy back entry space that didn't open into the garage with its fumes and that you wouldn't be ashamed to have visible from the sitting/living area; you'd have a handy coat closet that encourages those staying for more than just a brief visit to pick up after themselves and put away their coats, etc....See MoreIf you could have any kitchen layout, which one would you choose?
Comments (15)I did an L shaped with Island. It works for the way we cook and entertain. In past kitchens... We have had a G shaped , A giant U shaped with inside U island. (really a barrier), Galley kitchen, a galley that turned into a L at the end, a U with a peninsula, an L shaped.. and when we did our final kitchen. We chose an L shape with giant Island and wide wide aiels to accommodate friends and multiple cooks. Think about the way you cook. If my kitchen were only about cooking I would do the Galley as that is easy for a single cook with various work stations and saves on stepping to complete a task....See More
mama goose_gw zn6OH
2 years ago
Lisa Dipiro
2 years agoLisa Dipiro
2 years ago
wilson853
2 years agoBuehl
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoIn general, I agree with most others C + Prep Sink.
However, I'd have to see the true aisle widths to know if it would work.
Since you want easy access to the outside for grilling, any layout that blocks easy access probably won't make you happy in the long run.
Regarding visitors...I suspect the main issue you have is that they currently are roadblocks. So, be sure you have decent aisles and that won't be the case anymore.
As Patricia asked, post a fully-measured layout so we can see what you actually have to work with...C may or may not work, depending on your space (ditto for all of the layouts, btw).
Did you build this or did you buy from a previous owner? Is it possible that wall is the "leftover" from a load-bearing wall that was mostly removed? If so, you may have to do some major structural work to remove it so your second floor doesn't collapse on you. (See Michelle's comments above.)
Do you have a basement or crawl space under your Kitchen? Or, are you on a slab?
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Fully-measured layout means a layout with the widths of each wall/window/door/doorway and the distances between each wall/window/door/doorway labeled. See a sample below. If something cannot be moved or changed, label it precisely on your layout (see sample) and tell us why it cannot be moved/changed -- we may have some ideas for you.
Also, post a sketch of the entire floor so we can see how the Kitchen relates to the rest of the home. Verbal descriptions usually aren't clear enough or provide enough information and are open to misinterpretation, especially to people who don't know your home. The sketch doesn't have to be to-scale, but it should accurately show how the rooms relate to each other and should include all interior & exterior doors. In addition, this sketch will help us see how traffic flows in, around, and through the Kitchen.
The above and more are discussed in the Layout Help FAQ.
- Layout Help FAQ: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5500789/faq-how-do-i-ask-for-layout-help-what-information-should-i-include
- Ice.Water.Stone.Fire, a humorous discussion of Kitchen design: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2699918/looking-for-layout-help-memorize-this-first
.
Also see:
- Work Zones, What Are They?: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5500762/faq-kitchen-work-zones-what-are-they
- Aisles Widths, Seating Overhangs, etc.: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5500771/faq-aisle-widths-walkways-seating-overhangs-work-landing-space-etc
- Storage Planning: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5500787/faq-how-do-i-plan-for-storage
Kara Gladish thanked BuehlKara Gladish
2 years agoKara Gladish
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoBuehl
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoLisa Dipiro
2 years agoLisa Dipiro
2 years agomama goose_gw zn6OH
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoI'm realizing the Sims mockup makes it look way roomier...
- Width of kitchen, wall to wall (not including pantry/laundry space) - 125"
So the sims are on the right, and your reality is on the left ...
sushiweirdo
7 days ago
Patricia Colwell Consulting