Creative ideas to carve out space for laundry in existing kitchen?
I am trying to figure out a plan to add laundry and pet space to our existing kitchen. Here's the current layout, with the area in question circled in red:
We currently use this space as a breakfast area/storage space, but recently built a deck off of the kitchen and will move the breakfast space outdoors. (We are in a mild climate area where it is possible to eat outside most of the year, and there is a dining room where we eat most meals on the other side of the kitchen.) Not shown in the plan is a 25" x 42" freestanding work table, centered in the space between sink/stove/refrigerator.
Goals for this space:
- Washer/dryer, either stacked or counter-depth side-by-side. (Laundry is currently in a detached garage and would like to move it into the house.) Want to keep water hookups accessible whereever we place the washer.
- Pet supplies: we are getting ready to get a new dog. We had a dog for many years and kept food/crate/supplies in the kitchen, but have since repurposed that space for actual pantry items so now need to create new space. Some of these items could maybe be stored in a cabinet placed outside, but we can't keep any food or bowls outdoors (and of course crate needs to be indoors!)
- If we can keep an eating area indoors here, that's perfect, but not necessary. Right now I sometimes pull a stool up to the work table and sit there, and that works fine--we could potentially build a longer work table to create a more formal place for eating too.
- The windows are low--33" off the ground--but we are fine with either modifying or blocking (perhaps to later modify) them. The cooler cabinet is 24" deep and runs to the ceiling.
The two main scenarios I'm looking at right now are centering the washer/dryer side by side under the side window with 15" cabinets on either side, or stacking them against the cooler cabinet with a 54" cabinet run to the wall. In either case, we'd leave the area under the other window empty, for dog bowl and/or crate.
We could theoretically look at the space right next to the refrigerator as well--this is currently built out as a mudroom area with coat hooks--but aren't loving the idea of the laundry being right in a main path of travel through the house, and it is challenging to move the coat hooks anywhere else because of the many windows. We also leave the door of our current front-loading washer open often to air it out, and would find it challenging to do on this side of the room. It is 39"w x 25"d on the fridge side, 21"d on the broom closet side (not 18" as shown here).
Are there better solutions or other creative ideas for this space to get laundry into it?
Comments (13)
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Need layout advice - lots of space for creativity, how best to use it?
Comments (23)I definitely appreciate everybody's input and advice, so, thought I'd come back and give you all a little update. There are some issues with changing the layout, specifically moving the range to the interior wall. The venting is going to be problematic, because of location of the garage doors and also some HVAC equipment in the path. Would involve a rather long, inefficient run with multiple turns to avoid these things. HVAC guy basically said, Please don't move it there. Not only that, but the small wall that Karenseb suggested to remove - is part of a larger load-bearing wall. I have a healthy mid-range kitchen budget but these changes could be a real budget buster. Especially as we don't know what other surprises are lurking once demo begins. With that in mind, and my husband's wish to have the range and hood as a focal point centered between the windows, aesthetically nicer than staring at a fridge from the island seating, as well as simpler ventilation, any other suggestions? Should we keep dishwasher to the right as it is now? I plan to move the sink further down the run, ending at the right end of window instead of centered, to increase counter space on right side of range. For the few times a year I would cook a large spread of food for entertaining, I do have a butcher block island on wheels that can be rolled over to serve as surplus counter. Plus the big island directly behind. Other changes - we are leaning towards forgetting the separate oven and going with the aga range (plus my trusty Breville smart oven). I think then we would just make the beverage center section all countertop, space for Breville, and center the bar sink on that run. I asked my kitchen designer to draw up an L shaped window seat, into the alcove, maybe shelves or small upper above. As we can have lots of pantry space, with affordable shelving instead of cabinets, in the current hallway/future walk through pantry....See MoreWhat should we do with this kitchen space? Laundry? Baking? Storage?
Comments (5)As an update, after spending some time with this over the holidays, we aren't really feeling the various iterations that would allow laundry--it seems like we'd really have to take out the lower lefthand window entirely to make that work and even then the flow wouldn't be ideal. The most viable spot seems to be where the coats and broom closet are if we move the door, so we'll keep that as a future option. That lands us with storage and a baking counter along the lower lefthand wall. (This is what is already there, except right now it's on freestanding shelves and carts.) This leaves a couple of dilemmas: length and depth of baking counter. We have 24.5" of clearance for a counter in the corner before hitting the bottom window (and only 20" if we want to clear the window moulding too, which would probably look better and be simpler). This feels too shallow to be useful for rolling dough, etc., so I'm considering keeping counters 20" deep on the ends with the section under the window coming out to 28" or so. Second question is the length. The window opening is exactly 36", and with the moulding, it's 46" long. So if we stick with stock cabinetry (which I would like to do from a cost perspective) this could be a 21"/36"/21" split along this wall, or a 15"/48"/15" (both with a couple of inches of filler on each end). The first feels like more useful storage, but will it look strange to follow the window opening vs. the moulding? As far as utility, this will all be drawers below with two 18" open bookcases on either side of the window, and much of what will be stored here is moving out of an existing 32" drawer bank, so the 36" seems more than adequate. Two 24" drawer banks would also work. Thank you!...See MoreKitchen Newbie looking for creative ideas!
Comments (12)Welcome Jennifer! Could you please post a sketch of the entire floor? It helps to see how the Kitchen & Dining Room relate to the entire home as well as shows us how traffic flows in, around, and through the Kitchen & Dining Room. I also have a few more questions.... Do you plan to leave the table in the Kitchen space (b/w the Family Room and Kitchen)? If keeping the table, do you really need more seating in the Kitchen? They'd be on top of each other. You might be better off just adding a table in the Playroom/Dining Room -- use that one for meals and keep the Kitchen table for homework, etc. You might make the table in the Kitchen into an island so you get more storage. Do you have a pantry elsewhere? Can the exterior door (6'8") in the Kitchen be moved? In addition to Garage access, does the 31" doorway lead to a Mudroom, Laundry Room, etc.? Where does the 29" door lead? Directly into a Bathroom? Or, a hall that also has a door to the Bathroom Where is your front entry? What is the material of your exterior? Brick? Siding? Other? Is the Family Room at the same level as the Kitchen? (I.e., not sunken) What is the room "above" the current Dining Room? (It's accessed via the 122" archway) How high off the floor are the windows in the bay? How deep is the bay? In your drawing, it appears to be 24", but I wanted to verify. What appliances and their sizes are you planning? I assume a 24" DW. Refrigerator? (36" is standard for most) Counter-depth or standard-depth refrigerator? Range/stove or cooktop? (30" is standard for both) Hood? (6" wider than the range/stove/cooktop is standard) Other? Right now, the main constraints I see are: The door in the Kitchen -- it can be tricky trying to put something permanent (e.g., island) that blocks access to the door in that space. Could the door be moved to the Dining Room, maybe where the bay window is now? Could it be moved to the Family Room (probably the better of the two locations)? Basement stairs, primarily b/c they limit the depth of your Kitchen. For an island with seating you need more depth than you have right now. Bay Window...it's too deep to put anything in front of it and the walls on either side are too shallow to put in counters...that really eliminates moving the Kitchen into that space without significant $$$. Regarding merging the Dining Room with the Kitchen...Do you have another room that can function as a Dining Room close by (other than the Kitchen)? Just putting an island in the DR and leaving the Kitchen in the other room is really not advised as the island would have no real access to the Kitchen and the necessary fixtures and appliances. All you'd really be doing is replacing a (future) table with an island. A table is much more flexible and much more comfortable to eat it. Recommendations... Convert the Playroom to a Dining Room and start eating your meals there (see below for how we did it) Move the exterior door to the Family Room (or Dining Room) Change out the exterior door for a window that matches the other window (48") and 36" off the finished floor (i.e., a counter-height window) (Optionally, it could be a 60"W window) If within budget, make the other window 36" off the finished floor as well Expand the Kitchen into the entire space Add an island in the deeper part Put in a shallow pantry (either built-in or shallow cabinets; built-in is much cheaper) along the wall with the stairs. I think the above would give you everything you need as well as want. See below for the result of the above recommendations. Note the Cleanup Zone and Dish Storage are next to the Dining Room, making it easier to clear or set the table without getting in the way of someone working in the Kitchen. There are two Prep Zones with direct access to water -- a KEY component to a functional/successful Prep Zone. The primary one is in the island and a secondary is b/w the cleanup sink and range. There are other areas that can be used for prepping, if needed (e.g., during a party). Nice separation of primary work zones in general so multiple people can be working in the Kitchen at the same time without getting in each other's way. There is plenty of storage in both cabinets as well as the Pantry. The Pantry is a "reach-in" pantry and is 105" wide (8'9"). It has plenty of room for food as well as small appliances. The island seats 5. The long side has an 18"D overhang to not only give you plenty of leg room but to also provide plenty of space for homework and other projects while meal prep is going on. . How we did it... We did exactly what you did...we used the DR as a Playroom until our children grew out of it. We had a tiny eat-in Kitchen space that we grew out of at the same time. We converted the Playroom to a Dining Room and then redid our Kitchen as a non-eat-in Kitchen (we had a tiny bay area in the middle of the Kitchen). We took down most of the wall b/w the two rooms and put in a peninsula b/w them for some separation. The Dining Room became a more formal Kitchen table/less formal Dining Room table -- in between. It was probably the best thing we did. It allowed us to have a place to eat without having dirty dishes from meal prep, etc., in our faces while eating and provided our children with a bit more formality. Interestingly, their table manners improved when we started eating in the DR. Our Kitchen is similar in depth to yours (11') and while I tried very hard to shoehorn in an island, I eventually realized (with the help of folks here) that my Kitchen could not support an island...thus the peninsula was born. I ended up with a shallow "U" shaped Kitchen with counters on both sides of the Kitchen. You have more space to work with than we did as well as a deeper part of your Kitchen – so an island is a possibility, especially if you can move the door. . Another option, but not as functional. . . Blank Slate:...See MoreCreative ideas needed for small entrance /laundry room
Comments (11)A benefit of un-stacking the washer and dryer is that it gives you a convenient spot to sort and fold clothes, on top of the appliances. As you have it now, I don't see that you have a good place for that. It's nice not to have to do it bending down to the floor. Some good ideas here. This one looks so much like your arrangement with the window and width of the room, although if it were me I wouldn't put use those metallic boxes, but rather leave the full depth for laundry sorting etc. A room like this can be a bit more fun and less serious than a living room or kitchen e.g. if not wallpaper then a fun colour for the walls or cabinets. I love the one with the pale blue cabinets in the link above. I see you don't have a laundry tub in that room. Depending on your family's needs, it might be a good addition for muddy/messy things coming into your house. Or even a lower-placed slop sink or dog washing station. This one is just a simple shower pan. A hanging bar can go over either a high or low sink, for dripping wet things. Just throwing out ideas here. Depending on how much storage you add, the cost of storage cabinets can add up. It can even get pricey to buy fancy storage boxes for open shelving. Resale places like ReStore are one option, and paint them to your liking. Since this is not going into your kitchen you don't need to be that fussy about the quality of the paint finish. Or use open storage and put a short cafe-style curtain across each shelf to hide the contents....See Moreartemis78
2 months agolast modified: 2 months ago
Fori
2 months agoartemis78
2 months agolast modified: 2 months agoFori
2 months agoLaundry height peninsula coming off just below the pantry? Preferably with a shallow something in the corner to clear the window?
I am lacking dimensions, obviously.
artemis78 thanked Fori
sheloveslayouts
2 months agoIf you skooch the back door over, you could put a stackable w/d on the hinge side of the door. The drawing represents just the appliances with no enclosure.
Making the appliance doors open toward the fridge instead of the breakfast nook means you could keep the front loader door open.
If the backdoor is not used as your family's primary entrance, swapping out the door+window for a sliding glass door would increase natural light and you wouldn't need to accommodate door-swing when/if you add a banquette.
Fori
2 months ago
rebunky
2 months agolast modified: 2 months agoI like Ilovelayouts idea to put it in the lower right corner.
I would rather move the door down because I would hate to touch those two beautiful perfect symmetrical windows which are screaming for a corner banquette bench under them!
I want to do a banquette for my corner too, and plan to add a place for the dog beds underneath that they enter from the two sides. Here are my favorite inspiration pics.
These have the latching door.
Sorry, I get a little carried away with anything dog related!rebunky
2 months agolast modified: 2 months agoartemis78
2 months agoOh, I had never thought about a crate as part of the banquette--can't fit it under the seat but might be able to build it into the end! We need roughly 24" w x 24" h x 36" l so I'll play around with it. (We also need to actually adopt said dog to be sure that will be the right size, but are looking to do that in the next few weeks.) I am also laughing at the placement of the dog bowls in this old photo, because our old dog was huge and there is no way he would ever have been able to get back there to eat from those bowls since gracefulness was not one of his strengths--this must have been a staging photo when we first finished the kitchen.
The back door is the primary entrance most of the time. I'd love for it to be wider than the current 32" for that reason, though. We have room to move or extend the doorway up to 48" from where the opening begins now given constraints outside. So that could look like a 48" french door (looked at those and didn't love them) or more likely a 36" door, either moved over or with a 12" sidelite adjacent to it. If we moved it over as far as it can go, it would leave about 36" clear from the wall to the door. (There is 24" clear now, but with the door swing the cabinet has to be set back a bit from that--even with the 21" d cabinet we have to use a hinge restrictor. There is also the possibility of reversing the door swing, but at least with the current design, that's not ideal.) Any door changes do turn this into a much more involved project since we'd be widening or moving the framing in a load-bearing wall (vs. just making the windows smaller, which we could do pretty easily/relatively inexpensively).
@Fori I have played with the peninsula a bit but hadn't thought about having part of it narrower--that might actually make it more feasible. Will look at that again too.
I also have this last option pinned to combine a stacked washer/dryer with a banquette. It looks lovely in the photo, but I feel like in our real life it would end with the table covered with laundry most of the time, so not sure it's a great fit for us. But it would allow for a 56" bench with a 30" x 30" table, or maybe a slightly bigger table up against the window. If we did this, I wouldn't enclose the machines, but would just do panels on the sides (or maybe even just freestanding).
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armjim
2 months agolast modified: 2 months agoartemis78
2 months agolast modified: 2 months ago
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