Layout and any of other tips for our kitchen update (DIY)

last year

last modified: last year

We are updating our kitchen. Our goal is to use existing cabinets (we are possibly open to new ones but are trying very hard not to as ours are in good shape and are newer from prior owners and budget is an issue). My original post was centered on creating a breakfast bar, we have since nixed that idea and plan to move two cabinets based on suggestions from that post. Our current plan is to move the pantry (see A) to the low counter area next to cabinet I.

We then want to move cabinet I (base only bc we want to put a pot rack above it) to where the pantry is (see A). We also want to open the doorway where cabinet I currently is. This would be into the dining room. We want to do this because it would feel more open (we cannot take the whole wall down). I have included a floor plan and measurements. Please forgive me if there is too much measured or not enough. There may also be some very small differences in the room measurements but I’m not sure that effects our plans. Additionally, we met with a KD today who offered an additional layout option (see photo of their rendering - I don’t have measurements yet they will email me Tuesday). I am not sure I like the idea of the island because it feels like we would have less floor space (if we go with the island option we will have them build and install the island along with our new countertops). We feel pretty confident that the A to I cabinet switch will work based on measurements but I’m curious what others think or suggest. To recap; we are moving two cabinets (A and I), installing new wood floors (there is damage to existing ones and they are laid over another floor which makes them up higher than the rest of the house, also wood), granite counters with a granite backsplash to the window trim, painting, updating fridge to a SS French door bottom freezer, new lights eventually, removing the decorative wood above the sink near the crown molding, and I think that’s it! For those with peninsulas, would you rather an island layout? Does this seem like a solid plan? Thanks!
A 26.5” W by 24” D
B 71” W by 12” D (there is a small spacer to the left of this that I’m not sure how to measure)
C 21 1/4” W by 12” D
D 34 1/2” W by 12” D
E 10 3/4 W by 24” D
F 33 3/4” W
G (spacer) 5 1/4” W
Dishwasher space 24 1/8”
H 48” W by 23 7/8” D
I 29 3/4” W by 24” D

N/A

Featured Answer

sheloveslayouts

last year

The black plastic have been good enough for us and friends.

Your husband sounds like a handy guy. He will be glad he came around to Ikea cabinets instead of rebuilding the old ones. My husband really liked the rail system (i am the assembler, hes the installer).

thanks for keeping us posted. exciting times ahead!

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Comments (72)

Chris H
Original Author
last year
I think he could cut them apart.
sheloveslayouts
last year
Cutting them apart sounds a little extreme :-)

Hmm. Thinking..
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Interesting how people looking at the same picture see something different ... Take away the doorway and this is the classic U layout. Maybe you could call it a Broken U, but a U is uninterrupted and keeps everything within reach of a single cook -- that's the strength of a U. An L is better for shuttling traffic through /allowing multiple cooks, and that's the functional style we have here. The hood should be six inches wider than the stove below so that it really catches all the odors and grease rather than allowing them to be deposited onto your cabinets. I know this is common advice here, but I've never found a need for a wider hood /never had a problem with odors or grease -- maybe my hood is stronger than average? A related issue: When your stove is on an interior wall, you have to figure out how you're going to vent. It's certainly not an insurmountable issue, but it is one that you need to address. Like others have said, you probably want all drawers in your lowers, rather than a mix of drawers and cabinets. Yes. Inventory your current kitchenware, then assign everything a spot -- that'll allow you to accurately determine whether you have an appropriate number of drawers and cabinets. Personally, I'm planning for my base cabinets: 3 cabinets, 3 three-drawer stacks, 1 four-drawer stack, and 1 pull-out behind a cabinet drawer. I could not have predicted these specifics without having "assigned" items to specific places. The island looks very large. Will you be able to reach the middle of it to clean it? Always a concern for me. A prep sink in the island would do a lot for the layout, that's the biggest change you need if you want to keep the basic layout here intact. I'm not a big fan of repetitive items, but I agree that if the OP's going to keep this layout, a prep sink on the island would be helpful. Realistically, though, adding a prep sink is expensive and would eat prime island storage. I'd rework the plan rather than do this. Other thoughts: I agree with the idea of moving the oven(s) to the side near the sink, and I agree that this area appears to be a potential clutter magnet -- perhaps go with a tall cabinet here instead of countertop? You need to flip the pantry door. Imagine you bring in groceries, set them on the island to organize them ... you have to walk around the pantry door. Best would be a pocket door, but I'm not sure you have the space. You're going to serve beverages from the area near the refrigerator ... but the dishwasher is on the far side of the room /with the island in between. Since you wash so many glasses, it'd be better if the dishwasher and beverage area could be closer. The dining room looks fairly far away from the kitchen; plus everything's going to have to be carried around the island. Any possibility the family room could go into this area (if you rework the mudroom, it could have windows on two sides) and place the kitchen directly in front of the dining room? Overall, it'll be a pretty kitchen, but it could massively improve in terms of function, work zones, placing things in convenient places. "Walk through" mentally and imagine yourself doing everyday chores: Putting away groceries, making your favorite casserole, fixing coffee or a soda, cleaning up after dinner, etc.
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Chris H
Original Author
last year
@sheloveslayouts it does haha… Im working on convincing him all new IKEA cabs are worth looking into. Here’s hoping! Im clueless as to how to pick which ones bc they have SO many. He is working on the wall/doorway opening now and doesnt want to think about cabinets until he gets through this and the floor. I prefer to think things to death!
just_janni
last year
It's worthwhile to take the trip to IKEA and see the installed kitchens, the interior fitments and all the panels, door styles, etc.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
@Raimondi that must be what we have. Im not sure. @just_janni youre you’re right. We will be going to IKEA. Funny Funny, this all started bc I wanted new counters and floors… quickly evolving but may end up just keeping as is, too.
sheloveslayouts
last year
I wouldnt worry about which door/ drawer front style to choose yet. Just play around with the planner and think thru the layout using Sektion boxes.

ive tried a few ideas for your kitchen using ikea planner and kept getting stuck with a lot of fillers. with the constraint of yiur baseboard heater and the room dimensions i found i needed a 27” or 33” cabinet to maximize the space— sizes ikea doesnt offer.

how do yiu get to the backyard? theough the family or living rooms?
Chris H
Original Author
last year
@sheloveslayouts the back door is located in our family room (off of the dining room). It leads to a deck as our first floor is the second story in back. Do you think IKEA will work in this space? Ill be bummed if not. We will figure something out.
sheloveslayouts
last year
Ikea will totally work. You might just have some fillers. Fillers arent a big deal. just make sure you plan for all your base cabinets to be all drawers to maximize easily accessible storage.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
@sheloveslayouts im planning to do the consult with them. So we can have the best options to view. If we do a large pantry in the same spot we want to now I think that will help. None of our food is in this area of the kitchen because we have a large pantry on the end of the kitchen.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
I was happily surprised at the IKEA cabinets! Drawers were a bit less sturdy than what we have but overall seemed pretty good. Now to figure out a layout. I don’t love the color options (looking at the Bobdyn off white or gray - just not sure how I feel about colors but the design is what we like).
sheloveslayouts
last year
@Chris H More project creep...

Can the red walls be removed? I recognize they might be holding up your roof.

Can the baseboard heat be changed? Either just the green section and or the blue section?
Chris H
Original Author
last year
@sheloveslayouts yes baseboards can be moved but not the red walls.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Red walls are structural.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Not sure where to put them (blue and green) bit my husband has moved them in other rooms so possibly.
sheloveslayouts
last year
last modified: last year
Thinking through how to incorporate the breakfast nook and make it look intentional. Hoping it won't look like you just put cabinets in your breakfast nook.

Are you planning to be in this home for a while? Is there any possibility you could structurally expand and would want to expand your deck to allow direct access from your kitchen?

I don't think you'd need to change the window to a door in this project, but if it's a consideration you could design your kitchen in a way that keeps that option open...

With only the range on the family room wall, the range coincidentally lines up with the living room hall.
sheloveslayouts
last year
Here's one more idea to treat the breakfast nook. Install a base cabinet on either side of the window and bridge them with a ~60" countertop to create counter seating for two that can double as worktop.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
@sheloveslayouts thank you for these! We have talked about extending the deck in the past so maybe. What do you think of these colors? Im playing around with options whilst my husband still hasnt agreed to this new full demo idea haha.

Too mich brown/beige?

here are a few others I like
Chris H
Original Author
last year
@sheloveslayouts thank you for these! We have talked about extending the deck in the past so maybe. What do you think of these colors? Im playing around with options whilst my husband still hasnt agreed to this new full demo idea haha.

Too mich brown/beige?

here are a few others I like
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Although I prefer more movement in the granite. Any suggestions??
emilyam819
last year
Late to the party. But wondering if these top cabinets can move so that refrigerator can fit under.
sheloveslayouts
last year
I really like the direction youre going with your finishes—gray was never my thing so im glad colors are trending back to warm and dare i say… beige.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
@emilyam819 I think we could. @sheloveslayouts thanks. I think the granite and backsplash might clash. No where near ready to mama a choice but trying to figure out what I like. Between the gray and off white Bobdyn I prefer the off white - so I guess (of things go how I hope 🤪) I have to pick things around that. I can’t seem to get my measurements right on the IKEA site so I haven’t been successful in mocking it up.
sheloveslayouts
last year
Are you having trouble with creating the room in the planner or the room is created and it's putting the cabinets in that problematic?
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Both… I think I’m just tech challenged haha. It won’t let me put certain cabinets in that I suppose should work. And now that we’re serious (we’ll, let be honest- Im serious 😆) I wanted to make sure everything fits so I can propose it to my husband. Just by measuring I should be able to fit the cabinets I’ve tentatively placed in my cart 🙃
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Also not sure how to crate an island (a small one bc I’m not loving an island but he does)… we’ve been married for 15 years and I feel like this kitchen will the biggest full of compromise reno we’ve ever done lol
sheloveslayouts
last year
Because of that structural wall at the end of the hall, I don't think you have enough room for a built-in island and achieve minimum 42" wide aisles. Maybe a freestanding option might work.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
We were thinking of something with dimensions like suggested above, maybe 18-20” wide and 40 ish inches long. Is that an awkward island?
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Too small to look good?
sheloveslayouts
last year
It's probably not too small to look good. What is the purpose? Is this just for additional work space? Decoration? Counter seating?

If you want more counter space to act as something like a buffet for gatherings, you could do a peninsula without seating between kitchen and dining...

If you want counter seating you could do this:
sheloveslayouts
last year
If you're intrigued by adding a peninsula to the left of the range... What are the dimensions of the dining room and the size of your dining furniture? We can check the dimensions for enough space for counter seating on a peninsula, just need to make sure dining table isn't crowded.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
@sheloveslayouts dont think the penninsula would work. Would like it for some extra workspace but doesnt have to be big. I was thinking if a rolling work station but I think he wants more of an island
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Did not see any IKEA islands though 🤷🏻‍♀️
sheloveslayouts
last year
The new Ikea Kitchen Planner doesn't let you add furniture (the old one did).

Check out: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/cat/kitchen-islands-carts-10471/

FÖRHÖJA might meet your criteria
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Do you think 15” base cabinets would be awkward in the area we want to put the pantry? Realizing the IKEA pantry is 24” and that small bit of wall only come out 22”. Curious on if we can make a pantry ourselves by stacking some 15” base cabinets??
sheloveslayouts
last year
can you post your current working plan? do you want a pantry with the back against the structural wall?
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Yes. The back would be against this wall. Doorway is open to roughly 5 1/2 feet. Enough so the wall space circled can hole 36” of cabinets width wise, give or a take an inch. But that small wall on the right only goes to a little under 24”. So I’m thinking a shallower pantry would be better. IKEA only has them in 24” depth.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
This is the drawing from poster above but shows where I’m talking about.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
@sheloveslayouts the wall is opened and electrical mived (yay!)

Ordering wood floors this weekend. Did you put your IKEA cabs on top of finished floors? Wont that make them higher overall?

I have an IKEA person coming to measure our kitchen (2/15) so I can share that when it’s done!
sheloveslayouts
last year
last modified: last year
Exciting!

Floors first with Ikea.

The majority of the weight of Ikea Sektion cabinets hangs on the metal rails. I think the legs are primarily there to keep the cabinets stable/level/plumb.

Ikea standard base cabinets are 30", the legs are adjustable 3.5" - 5.5", and then your countertop adds height. Standard kitchen countertops surfaces are 36" above finished floor (AFF). For comparison, you might check the counter height in your kitchen that you're used to. Well... that is if you have any counters in your kitchen to measure :-)
sheloveslayouts
last year
PS the black plastic legs can break if you aren't careful during install so if you don't live close to the store I'd grab some extras. You can return what you don't use.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
@sheloveslayouts we still have our cabinets (unfortunately, ha!) but I hope to confirm our switch to new IKEA ones very soon. My husband is still only wanting to focus on one thing at a time. I have read the reviews on those legs as awful - saw different ones and wonder if they are worth the extra cost? The wall and electrial went pretty smooth, I may be getting my hopes up that the floors go as smooth but I know they wont. There is damage to the wood floors so likely the sub floor is damaged, too. I am grateful he can do all of this work himself but it will be slow going! I'll update in a couple weeks with the professional measuring to see what your thoughts are :)
Chris H
Original Author
last year
@sheloveslayouts im struggling with how to arrange these two areas. I thought a corner cabinet would work but Im not sure Im understanding the dimensions. The uppers are the hardest for me to figure out. We are going to move the sink under the window (sink will be 27”) so the lower corner cabinet should work. I think! They come to measure Wednesday and Im sire theyll have some thoughts… maybe. What would you do?
Chris H
Original Author
last year
Here is the picture
sheloveslayouts
last year
can you go into "make it happen" and snap the 2d drawings and elevations to remind me what you're working with?

Corner cabinets are kind of a personal decision. I'm not a fan of blind corners or the angled corner cabs (even with the susan thing). Some people are.

In my first Ikea kitchen i gave too much value to cramming in as much cabinetry as possible. In retrospect i would've appreciated more space around my kitchen window to let in natural light. Another thing I got all twisted up about was symmetry and equal door widths, which ultimate didn't matter.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
@sheloveslayouts

I’m not thrilled about either a corner or blind cabinet either but I’m not sure what else to do. Do you mean in the IKEA kitchen tool?
sheloveslayouts
last year
I'd just do a straight run of uppers on the range wall.

Not sure how thoroughly I through this drawing below, but it looks like I put a 36" upper on the left of a 36" range hood and a 18" + 36" to the right of the range hood. The base is a 38" corner, but the sink cabinet is a 36".
sheloveslayouts
last year
This is someone else's kitchen, but if you can post your "2d plans and image"s like this out of the ikea planner "make it happen" tab they'll help me visualize what you're working on.
Chris H
Original Author
last year
@sheloveslayouts we have the measurements! I think they built it into the kitchen planner but I cant access that at the moment. Meanwhile, here is his paper copy. Does this look like he did a good job? He seemed to be knowledgeable. I hope they provide an electronic format, too. Still thinking the range wall should house all cabs and counters with it and move the fridge? Wondering of we would have any trouble with fridge placement? Looking at a counter depth double door freezer on bottom.
Chris H
Original Author
last year

This is the new wall opened into dining room where fridge could go on the left.