Which kitchen layout would you like better?
We are building a new home and right now are working on getting plans finalized. I’m a little unsure of the current kitchen layout. The wrap around windows are beautiful, but i wonder if they will be more expensive and if they will provide enough visibility towards the front of the house, since the front and side yards are where our kids will play. I love the idea of a walk in pantry, but I’m not sure its the best use of the space, or if a 1’ deep pantry that is about 6’ wide may be more useful, along with a bit more counter and deeper storage under double front windows. Not doing the wrap around could also allow us to put two windows on the back wall on either side of the range.
Looking at these two layouts, which would you prefer? Any other feedback about the kitchen is very welcome.
Comments (20)
PROPPF.
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ktj459
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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 MoreVote - Which layout do you like better?
Comments (70)I'm not sure if I understand Bmore's suggestion either, but I'm okay with the oven location as long as you have identified where you would work when baking. I would center the doorway in the wall space between the ovens and the hutch though. I have my ovens turned at a doorway similar to that and have only 3-4" of wall on each side -- just enough to not have the oven handles sticking out into the opening and to allow the crown to turn the corners. I was thinking Malhgold might have come up with the same thought I had when I started reading that post, but my thougt was a different take. I was sondering about making the kitchen a galley with an open side towards the great room and instead of an island, create a hallway behing it with shallow storage -- kind of a shallow pantry and butler's pantry while takingthe traffic flow out of the work areas. I haven't drawn up anything, so I don't know if it works -- just a concept to throw out there....See MoreWhich kitchen layout would you choose?
Comments (18)cpartist: I measured and with the piano bench pushed in (that might be switched out for a hutch one of these days anyway based on the current enthusiasm for piano practice around here) there is somewhere between 4.5 and 5 feet of clearance to the edge of the table. The variance is because the size of the future table has not been decided and all we know is that the current one is going to be donated....See MoreAre these to large for the kitchen and which do you like better?
Comments (10)Hard to say without knowing the dimensions of the light..but they seem too high(just the lights themselves, without chain and all) for 8 feet ceiling. Diameter will be good..but with height, your max is approximately 23-24 inches(only if the lights go over the table..yours will)..and you also want to allow for a chain that will look proportionately to the light itself..it being a lantern -you can't allow the chain that's too short. PS I like both lights..is one of them glass and one-just a cage? I like the cage, but the glass might be less harsh for the eyes. Or are both of them glass? A bit hard to see, on the pics.....See Morektj459
last yearktj459
last yearlittlebug- I think we had discussed the island being 3x7, though I’m not positive, and which i still think seems large. In the layout in does look more like it is 4’ wide. the seating is really more for people keeping me company while I cook, though I guess you are right the dining table is right there and could be just as effective. I would get stools that pushed all the way under the island so it wouldn’t be as obtrusive if we do have seating there. I’m not sure what the spacing is between the range and island, though I’d guess it’s 3 feet. Would a 4 ft floor space and a 3 ft island be better? It’s difficult for me to invision what scale island would look correct in the space.
If I keep the pantry, would this window layout be better overall, do you think?
mama goose_gw zn6OH
last yearlast modified: last yearI like the L, with appliances in the locations drawn. It gives you a separate clean-up area with no zone crossing. I'd prefer a prep sink on the island for a tighter work triangle, but if you move the range and fridge left, and include a snack pantry or coffee center, you'll reduce the steps between the single sink and fridge. If you don't want to move the fridge over, make sure the door on the right will open fully to remove crispers for cleaning--the door should sit proud of the end of the stub wall, or you'll need a narrow cabinet or filler on that side. It looks as if you have space to make the counters on that side extra deep, so you could pull the fridge forward to clear the stub wall (or, use a standard depth fridge), and as a bonus, you'd have more counter space. I would also suggest using as many drawer bases as possible.
With separation of clean-up and other work zones helpers can load or unload the DW, or gather dishes to set the table, without entering the prep and cooking zones.
Quick changes:
New to Kitchens? Read me first.
Discussions--Extra-deep counters
Compare to switching range and sink:
Just for fun--with a prep sink:
ktj459 thanked mama goose_gw zn6OHktj459
last yearMCarroll- The sink looks at the side yard, sorry for the confusion. All the usable yard is on that side and in the front of the house, so I want to have visibility out the sink side and out the front of the house. Here is a picture of the lot so you can see what i mean. The house will be sited at the top of the hill.
ktj459
last year- PRO
PPF.
last yearHere is the plan from a previous thread. I've tried to show the compass directions -- you said the house faces west/north west. The house seems poorly oriented with little thought given to opening up the house to the south.
It looks like the kitchen space is the result of the overall plan, that is, it was not designed as a kitchen, but rather as an empty space that would be filled with kitchen stuff.
The kitchen layout shown is not very efficient, especially when you remove the prep sink.
mama goose_gw zn6OH
last yearlast modified: last yearKitchen is far from the garage(?) entry, but it seems op's desire to have kitchen/sink windows facing the yard is the driving force. Except for that, kitchen and DR could be switched. Rough idea:
Library could convert to pantry and maybe original pantry could be enlarged to be ofc/library.ktj459
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Paul NY 5b-6a
last yearktj459
last year- PRO
PPF.
last yearFrom your other thread.
You live in the northeast, family of 4 with 2 elementary age kids, and you plan to stay in the house a long time.
2 acre lot that slopes generally from the southeast corner down to the northwest. You plan to build on the higher part of the lot towards the back of the lot, and the garage will be detached to the right side.
I'm encouraging you to build the house that best fits your needs, and is a pleasant place to raise your family and to be comfortable for many years.
Unfortunately, the topography of the lot is less than ideal. You also seem focused on being able to watch young kids playing outside, when those kids will probably be at least 2 years older when you move in. How much longer will you feel a need to keep an eye on them?
People often underestimate the power of sunlight, especially over the winter. I think mostly because our houses -- the houses we have lived in, were not designed and built with this in mind.
I know its more favorable to have southern light for passive heating, but wouldn’t it increase the amount of a/c needed in the summer? Currently that is our larger expense as we prefer a cooler temperature in the house.
It more the light than the heat. In the summer the sun shines generally overhead (on the roof), rising in the east and setting in the west. The east, and especially west parts of the house get the most sun. Your house has a large western exposure, so in the summer it may be warmer and take additional cooling. In a 2 story house, the upper floor will always be warmer than the lower.
In winter when the sun rises later and sets sooner, the sun is lower in the southern sky allowing light to enter south facing windows, providing light and a bit of warmth.
Generally, a house that is oriented along an east/west axis with minimal western exposure will be the most comfortable. Think rectangle with the long sides facing north and south. Rooms with windows on multiple sides are also nice. Utility spaces like a garage work well on the west acting as a buffer.
A 3D model showing the house in place on the lot can be really helpful. You can see shadows for various times of day and year, and just see what the house will look like as built.
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littlebug zone 5 Missouri