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Could use some eyes on kitchen layout

3 years ago

Hi! It's time to update our original 1960's kitchen. It's been great, but I'm really excited not to have little wood shavings in my bowls from the wood drawers rubbing on their wood rails. We're keeping most everything in the same place since (1) our house is built on the slab, so it's $$ to move things around too much and (2) everything works mostly ok the way it is. I'd love some fresh eyes on this to see if there's something I'm missing.

The kitchen is 9' wide by 30' long from the door to the garage to the furthest point of the breakfast nook.

Looking to put in a 36" gas cooktop, double ovens (probably 30" but would be fine with smaller), probably a 42" built in refrigerator, side by side front loading washer/dryer

Walk through:

D02 is the door to the garage. On the left is a pantry that will have pull out shelves. Then I'll probably swap the fridge and double oven locations. Then there's counter, sink, dishwasher and more counter. Upper cabinets on both sides of the sink. Then breakfast nook with table that we use for most every meal (family of 5). I thought the built in bench would give us more room, but after playing with our table and some tape on the floor, I'm not sure if it helps.

On the right side of the kitchen is the front loading washer/dryer with a counter on top. W/D should be hidden with tuck away doors. Thinking if I had to pull something out of the oven or fridge, I could put it on top of that counter if needed. Then there's another pantry. We currently have a pantry there that opens on the longer side. I was thinking I could maybe put the microwave in there or other small appliance. Then we have a counter with an overhang for some friends to sit at. (No upper cabinets on this side of the kitchen). Then there's the gas cooktop and a fireplace. Yes, fireplace. It's actually sealed up from the outside, but the fireplace hole is still there, so I was debating painting the brick or tiling over it and using the hole to put a small appliance or shelves for cookbooks. It currently has a brick mantle that's a little lower than counter height that I want to blow out.

I thought about putting in a 48" range, but it's really tight trying to fit that in and a big hood. And it seemed maybe out of scale for the kitchen. Thought about moving the fridge down to the end of the run closer to the breakfast nook, but it would block off the view/light from the nook area.

Any thoughts? I'll try and post some pics of the current set up in the morning.

Thank you!

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Comment (1)

hapahaole
Original Author
3 years ago
A few pictures of what we have now, layout will be similar. Wide galley kitchen with breakfast nook at one end by the backyard and door to garage at the other end. We're blowing out the wall above the counter next to the cooktop/brick. So the kitchen will be partially open to the living room. And you'll be able to see out the dining room window which has an ocean/mtn view.

Laundry is hiding behind the pantry right now. Will replace with front loaders and want to build a cabinet with doors that tuck in so the machines can be hidden.

We've got a peninsula right now that prevents me from being able to reach the dishwasher from both sides, so instead of a peninsula, hoping to add a bit of cabinetry to the end of the run.

Glass door will be turned into a window to match the one on the other side of the middle picture window. Kitchen fireplace - we'll remove the break hearth that sticks out. And then debating tiling over the brick or painting it...depends on what finishes we chose. Would like to use the hole for small appliance or shelves for cookbooks maybe? This doorway goes to the living room and might get a little tight if I build out that fireplace area too much.

We are removing side door. Refrigerator will be paneled and move over next to the oven. Sofits will be removed and cabinets will go up to ceiling.

The kitchen will have an 8' ceiling and the wall where the tv is now will be opened up. The counter will continue out toward the living room for a couple chairs.
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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.
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I have been really giving this soooo much thought. Every idea someone gives us has been thought out and mapped out!! The lighter bigger beam in the picture is where the natural flow of the house walkway should be. Two feet to the right of that beem is an electrical line, gas line and condensation line all from the second floor furnace. There was no heat on the second and third floor; we added a second furnace and all the ductwork. We have been told that we should not close up the small entrance on kitchen side and only leave the entrance on the left of the beam. Even if we left everything from that beam and to the left open and closed up the small entrance it is "not correct" to walk through middle of the dinning room to get to the other room. We have debated that one many many times as it would give a much bigger kitchen. We also debated closing the whole dinning room wall and only keeping the small entrance but then the house is not open enough for my liking. That is why we came up with the french door idea. My husband and I talked about the pass through and flipping the kitchen. We are also talking about moving the electric, gas and condensation line and putting the entrance to the right of the beam. But then closing off the whole dinning room wall. ( do not think I want to close off that wall all the way). The contractor comes tomorrow for something else and I am going to have him see if we can get sink plumbing in the kitchenette side. The idea of the stove on the windowless wall sound soooo beautiful. I wanted you guys to know how much I am appreciating all your ideas, you have no idea!!!! I know this post is long and full of a lot of facts about my house not yours- thank you for all the time you have been putting into this with me!!!! (for free :) )
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Hi Rob, Not much to add ... and hope that you're back at least part way out of your blue funk. Brother, retired farmer who lives 1600 miles way, has one son, only child, in a city 100 miles from here, a couple of small grand-daughters from son's second marriage, and comes to visit them a couple of times a year. He'd called to say he was to be in the neighbourhood, and we got together on Friday, I called son and he and his partner were there for lunch, as was brother and wife ... and a couple of favourite cousins were, as well. Brother spent a few years when he was very young with the family of our Mom's brother and their two children when she was ill, so he considers one as almost a sister: the son, a local farmer, died several years ago. The other cousin lives locally and I see her at church fairly often - she, who had voice training, has sung in the choir for 75 years. The brother and I went to deal with some complications over inheritance of cemetery plots that Dad owned ... and it looks as though resolution is to be easier than we figured. Then we sat and had a chat ... and he's rather worried about future viability of his son's marriage. We don't see one another often, but we've been close, over the years. Our brother died over forty years ago, when his kids were in their teens, and our ready-made sister that came with our stepmom lives near brother in Saskatchewan. It's a red letter day when we get together. ole joyful
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