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help! need kitchen design ideas

3 years ago

Renovating kitchen. We are taking out a wall to move the refrigerator (see photos). Do not like the design of the current island...too skinny and long and wasted space by the “breakfast” area. By removing wall and moving refrigerator, creating more space in the kitchen area. Want to add double ovens somewhere. Also, stools for seating to the island.

Need suggestions on island. Rectangle?
Do I need to add a sink to island to make area more user friendly?
What to do in the “breakfast” area?
Do you like the layout or is there a better way?

Thanks!

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Comments (3)

mama goose_gw zn6OH
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
The island/table combo is strange, although I've seen it done well. I'd separate them and use a table in the bay (left). I don't think you have space for seating on the back of the long stretch of island, as drawn, but if you make the pantry cabinets shallow--maybe 15" deep--you can add that space to the traffic aisle.

Also, in the first plan you posted, the fridge is up against a wall, which will make it difficult to open the door far enough to pull-out crispers, and the handle might hit the wall.

I usually prefer the prep space to be on the island, but in this case you have very little space between the sink and cooktop, so I'd put clean-up on the island, with the DW to the left of the sink, with dishes across the aisle. Then center a prep sink on the right window pane, to provide more space between the sink and cooktop. Trash pull-out on the corner of the island can be shared by all zones. There won't be much prep space on the island, (see NKBA guidelines, linked below), but you would have the option to prep on either counter.

At any rate, the long skinny island would look better, and function better, if it was squared off (right).

Same plan, with prep sink on island, clean-up on perimeter:

NKBA guidelines (good kitchen planning info)
katie216
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you for the suggestions! Very helpful. Appreciate the information!!
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Moving the oven, as you are talking about, and creating a counter beside it seems like it will solve your concerns, and will make this a really nice plan, I think. PLus, the island end across from the new oven location will be helpful to you. I don't really see a shortage of counter space here, especially with those changes made... You'll gain counter where the oven is drawn now, counter beside the oven, and when you move the laundry wall back a bit, you'll also gain length to the counter run where your sink is. How will you vent the stove? Will you have a fridge that will be able to open if placed that close to a wall? Most need at least a few inches between fridge and wall for the door to open far enough for good access, to open drawers past the door shelves, etc.
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When you try to encase a standard refrigerator in order to create a flush effect in order mimic a built-in unit, you need to provide a breathing space behind the refrigerator. What happens is the adjacent cabinets need to be pulled forward if you want a flush effect. I've done this in my own kitchen. The solution is to pull the base cabinets forward to create the flush effect and place a larger/deeper countertop to cover the void in the back. Additional blocking on the base cabinets wall will need to be added in order to anchor the cabinets. Also, the hutch style cabinet depth should be increased to make things look proportional. This will give you a lot more storage space in the hutch. It will probably be a custom design. The good news is you now know the effect of your refrigerator choice and design decision. Plus, you have additional counterspace. Your cabinet maker should be able to assist you in dealing with the details. You are just going to have to reach farther to open the window. I suggest a window design that uses a crank. They are easier to reach.
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mama goose_gw zn6OH
3 years ago
Bumping, in case anyone else has ideas for katie216.

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