Where to add built in kitchen island seating. MCM style remodel
This is a mockup of our kitchen. Everything is down to the studs in the entire house due to hurricane and flood damage. We do like the overall placement of cabinets, cooktop, sink, and refrigerator but want to add in some sort of built-in island-style seating. We would like to be able to sit on both sides of the island. We will probably have a lounge area where the formal dining table is in this picture.
Old kitchen before it was totally gutted
Outside pic of the house.
Comments (13)
mcarroll16
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Upcoming tiny kitchen remodel...space for table vs. island?
Comments (10)I declare my bias up front as a disliker of islands. Island lovers will tell you it's worth it to cram them in no matter what, if that's what you want. And we're both right. Unless we're both wrong. But seriously. It's your house. Your bias is the only one that counts. My thing about islands, particularly in small rooms is that they're a hazard to navigation. They're always THERE and you're always walking around them. So my suggestion is, if you must have an island (though I prefer a table, always) then go for a nice, solid MOVEABLE island. Either on lockable wheels, or just one big and heavy enough that it stays in place. Nobody wants a wimpy, tippy island. They come pre-made, or you could have one made custom, or there are pieces of furniture that would serve the purpose. That way, if you hate it, or even if you just have a party, or want to do something in the kitchen that requires a lot of open space, you can just move it off to the side for a buffet or bar station or whatever. You are also freer to make an island like this a little bigger, since you can move it out of the way if it bothers you where it is. It also leaves the "dining or island?" option open to the next owner, and doesn't make it for them. Which I think is even better for resale. Just something to consider....See MoreLooking for help with kitchen layout in MCM house
Comments (11)OK, I came up with two layouts for a first try plus 2 alternate oven/cooktop options. Layout #1 leaves the full-height wall b/w the FR and Kitchen intact. Layout #2 removes that wall. The knee wall is removed in both layouts - unless there's a crucial need for it, it's wasted space. Layout #1 has two seats at the peninsula; #2 has three seats. With at least two seats, there will be one for each child for snacks after school, for homework while you're prepping/cooking, or for helping out. Layout #1 has double wall ovens + MW Drawer. The two alternate cooktop wall layouts for #1 have a single wall oven with a MW in the oven stack. (The MW can be a countertop model placed in an alcove built into the oven stack.) Layout #2 has a single wall oven (from alternate 1a). Both layouts... Both counter runs along the wall are 3" deeper than standard (28.5" vs 25.5") with 27" deep base cabinets and 15" deep upper cabinets. Those extra 3" provide extra workspace, deeper cabinets for more storage, and help narrow the aisle b/w the two walls a little bit. I don't recommend deepening them anymore, though, b/c you then have to shorten the peninsula to compensate so you have usable aisles b/w the peninsula and refrigerator as well as b/w the peninsula and wall above. Note: I appear to have mislabeled the counter depths - the counters are 28.5", not the 29.5" that the labels say in the layouts. The Cleanup Zone is separated from the Prep & Cooking Zones. This makes it easy for multiple cooks prepping as well as allows someone to be cleaning up and loading/unloading the DW without getting in the way of the cooks. (As a family with both parents working full-time, we found that cleanup and prepping/cooking often happened at the same time.) If the DW is running, you won't have to prep over a running DW (steam venting on you while working is not fun - nor is the heat that often accompanies a running DW) There is both a cleanup sink and prep sink (you'll see why when you look at the layouts - the cleanup sink is across a 90" aisle from the Prep & Cooking Zones). The aisle b/w the Kitchen and FR at the peninsula is 43" wide. The peninsula has a nice expanse of space for school & science fair projects, baking projects, staging food for parties, wrapping gifts, other crafts and/or sewing projects. With the prep sink in the corner, two things are accomplished: keeping the main/most accessible part of the peninsula free of "obstacles" and utilizing the corner area with a sink base (both corners and sink bases are notoriously poor for storage - so combine them into one and minimize their impact!) There is at least 45" of space b/w the cooktop and prep sink (45" with DOs, 51" possible with Single Oven) The refrigerator is located so that it's easily accessible from both inside the kitchen (for cooks) and outside the kitchen (for snackers) without cooks......See MoreRemodeling kitchen in 1920s Tudor-style home
Comments (55)Ha, Becky...you are not wrong. At this point I think that I’d rather have multiple root canals while touring colleges than ever, EVER do another kitchen renovation. I should have known from reading the posts here that it wouldn’t be smooth sailing, but I’ve been surprised by how much I’ve disliked the process. Mostly due to our own poor planning but also some unforeseen complications, we’ve had to have the plumber and electrician out countless times over the past week. The appliances were installed today, but because of the position of the gas line, the slide in range sticks out an inch beyond what is called for/looks reasonable. The only solution would be to have our cabinet installer come back out to re-set the two small base cabinets on either side of the range, but he is booked out til infinity and I can’t even imagine how bummed our cabinet designer is going to be when we reach out with this request (she’s gone so far above and beyond for us on this project that I feel dreadful even asking). We obviously can’t have the counters templated until we deal with this situation, so we’ll have plywood counters for eternity. My husband decided that they needed to be more water resistant so he bought fake marble contact paper to add to the plywood and at least that is making me LOL. I’m just kind of down in the dumps and questioning my choices again (this time appliances). I have to head out of town on Thursday for work and honestly I think that it will be good for me to have a bit of space from this. I intend to take some stellar naps when I’m not at the conference....See MoreRemodel to L Shaped Kitchen W/ Island - design dilemma !! 3 entry ways
Comments (15)Here is an idea for you. Minimal framing and it would open up the kitchen space: 1. tear out the pantry and the internal walls of the powder room and the powder room sink. 2. Frame in a pocket door and solid wall for the powder room, reorienting the door. 3. change up the sink in the powder room for a very minimal thin sink hung on the wall across from the toilet and change the toilet to a round bowl that takes up less space. 4. Frame in a new wide archway to the dining room that is next to the stairwell 5. eliminate the existing door to the dining room 6. counters along the exterior wall with sink under window and cooktop on exterior wall for venting 7. countertop along dining room wall anchored by a double oven 8. refrigerator and pantry along opposite wall from sink - can make pantry depth of standard depth fridge to save on appliance cost - pantry can be doors with shelves all around or cupboards with pull outs. 9. island with 42" space to sink area and aligned with dining room opening 10. not to worry about work triangle with fridge because island becomes prep space see sketch:...See Morehollybug2h
2 years ago
Indecisiveness
2 years agolast modified: 2 years ago- hollybug2h thanked Top and dream Tanya ! ( Tanya Baa ) Greb
hollybug2h
2 years agomcarroll16
2 years agoOk, here's an idea for seating/storage combo. Something like this, but updated for the style of your kitchen. I would make the lower storage cabinets as deep as the fridge. And I would make them extend wider than the table on each side, or at least on the fridge side, so that the bar stools block the storage cabinet when they are pulled out, not the fridge. At the table height you could have an opening where the table top extends to the wall, for a little extra elbow space for people seated there. Or, (what I would do, because I'm obsessed with storage cubbies and multi-use spaces), you could have appliance garage style roll up drawers. Wire power outlets in that space, and store laptops, phones & chargers, pens & pencils. Your table now doubles as homework or office space, but it's easy to clean up at meal time.
hollybug2h thanked mcarroll16Indecisiveness
2 years agomcarroll16
2 years agoThere's also this kind of seating/storage combo:
It seems less convenient and accessible to me than a wall cabinet. But if you really need storage, you could even combine the two styles. For either approach you could make the table dining or bar height, depending on preference. Table height is more comfortable for many people, and would give you more upper storage that isn't blocked by seating. Bar height would, um, be bar height. Whatever approach you go with, I agree with felizlady that the seating should be positioned out from the wall, so that a chair doesnt back against the fridge side. That looks cramped.
I do love your idea of another small lounge seating area against the window. Hope that fits--hard to tell without dimensions.hollybug2h thanked mcarroll16hollybug2h
2 years ago
After getting suggestions we are leaning towards something like this. We will have about 5 feet of cabinets with counter space on the side of fridge then the bar/island will come off there.
felizlady