Space planning advice!!
We are tryi to convert our open conce home into a more functional space with defined rooms.In this layout (see pic) we created a sefined kitchen and dining room but there is a still a large open space when you walk in to the house
that feels too open and under utilized.Any ideas on how to better define this space/make it more usable?thank you
Comments (28)
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More floor plan advice for my ever changing plans!
Comments (4)Are you wedded to the idea of a 2 story great room? That's alot of unused space on the 2nd floor right there. 2 story rooms like that can be hard to heat/cool, and can also make the 2nd floor noisy. (Think about watching a movie after the kids, if you have them, are in bed. And if you plan to add a surround sound system, think about where the speakers will go and how close to the 2nd floor bedrooms they'll be.) OTOH, the laundry room and closet by BR 2 and the closet and bathroom by BR4 will help block noise from the great room. I really like the size of your secondary bedrooms. My DS's room is only about 12x13 or 12 x 14. He just turned 13 and is already 6' tall, so we got him a full size bed to replace his old twin size. It's kind of tight in the room now with the bed and his other furniture. The point of telling you this is that if you have young kids now, before you know it they could be outgrowing their current furniture! Sorry I don't have other suggestions. There's alot I like about your plan....See MoreKitchen/pantry layout advice please - plans attached
Comments (13)That drawing looks really nice. I suspect filling that window nook with additional cabinetry and counter would more than make up for cutting the shallow shelves short. That would also keep the deep portion from becoming too deep. The uncovered wall facing the kitchen could hold a planning board, or computer screen. It's impossible to really see things through another's eyes, but to my own, and I think I'm pretty darned refrigerator sensitive, you're overworrying it. Things people expect to see don't look funny, even if they are, like those big clunky chunky things that used to stand in the middle of every kitchen. We hated (not!) them so much we blew them up like balloons. Some now tower over their cooks and are greatly admired--by those who've priced them at least. :) People will expect to see a refrigerator in your kitchen. As long as you can keep the rest of the kitchen centered and hopefully finish enough of the fridge area in a uniform manner that doesn't pull the gaze away from the center, I suspect it'll all look absolutely fantastic. It already does....See MoreKitchen layout advice
Comments (19)I had a little time this afternoon to tweak your lay-out a bit more. I focused on the mudroom, pantry, walk-in storage and kitchen only. I did not address the stairs, which as others have pointed out are not well designed at all. If you can move exterior walls, I suggest moving the entry forward and having the stairs spill out towards the hall. I started with the landing/mudroom areas flipped as I proposed in my above post. I added a window and window seat at the end of that long hall. It will visually and literally make the space seem lighter and brighter. I changed the lay-out of the pantry, eliminating the pretty part of it; it's not a public space, save your money to spend elsewhere. It's a large pantry but even so, because you're going to put a freezer in it, you should have HVAC vents added to the space (freezers create heat, need to have air circulate). I bumped the 2 x 6 wall over slightly to accommodate an aisle between pantry and wall; not sure if that will mess up location of support beams, etc. I changed the walk-in closet to a regular coat closet facing a large walk-in storage closet. I moved the ovens next to the "mech" space and put the fridge next to it (that's why I had to move the 2 x 6 wall over a bit, needed room to put these side by side). This puts the working part of your kitchen all together and eliminates any issues with opening fridge doors wide enough to pull out freezer drawers. If you said, I missed whether you're doing a built-in fridge or a freestanding, counter depth fridge. I assumed the latter and based my measurements on how deep mine is (excluding door handles). I moved the breakfast bar/beverage center to the DR. This placement makes soooo much more sense than where you had it in the hallway opposite the pantry. It will be much useful and accessible when you entertain. I don't know how much storage you need or whether you can add a header to the 2 x 6 wall but if you can get by with a little less walk-in storage and can add a header to recess the freezer, that's worth considering. It eliminates the heat issue for the pantry. It also moves the freezer closer to the kitchen, which is another plus. I added a prep sink to your island and moved seating towards the DR end of the island. I wasn't crazy about having seating backing up to ovens and fridge. That could become a congestion point. If your table is only 42", you can either add the extra 6" to the aisle between cook top and island or you can lengthen the island. The last thing I did was to swap the placement of DW and trash pull-out. This gets the DW out of a secondary prep area and puts the trash pull-out closer to the primary prep area....See MoreGarage Conversion to ADU: Layout/ Floor Plan Advice
Comments (11)If you can come up with the money to get some of these convertible units, the space can be even more versatile. I got the Expand coffee table that converts from a short table that fits easily in front of the sofa, to a full dining height table twice the size. I can use my sofa as "booth" seating and pull up four chairs and seat six! Something as simple as the lift and storage bed can give your sister so much more usability of her space. So can a console that pulls out to be a dining table, or a table that folds into the wall. I bet if you did a search on YouTube you could find some place to buy the plans for making some of these things. Expand Furniture in Vancouver, BC, CA I know that the tiny homes shows on TV use the bed lift storage systems, so they must be for sale. Wayfair sells a ton of storage coffee tables that convert to bring a writing or dining surface up to the person seated on a chair or couch. It is not all expensive, either! There is often a space under the surface that can store things, too. Don't forget to use the wall cavities between studs for storage whenever you can. I have seen nice toilet brush and plunger cabinets next to toilets, recessed niches for display (with a light at top), and spice storage for kitchens. WG Wood Products will give your husband lots of ideas for using wall storage....See MoreRelated Professionals
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I agree with @Sigrid. This seems so dining-heavy, and your living room is a walkway. The odd mini sofa in the corner is just going to be an awkward place to sit. The living room should get more priority than dining for 20.
Consider Sigrid's option of moving living room to the dining room. You could have that be a media space (TV) then add a conversation space where that couch is (4 swivels with a table in the middle? or two sofas facing each other? Then put the dining where that sectional is.
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PROlast monthYou need dimensions we can read every wall and window. That said? Depends how much closure you want, and windows and sliders are dictators? You do not want a dark tomb. It is unclear whether you already are IN the house, or in build process.
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Hard to follow you......
But, The attempt to make a formal house of what was open concept will need a big re think!
The island is the first killer.
You will need adjustment to windows....
It's a home that was ,meant to be open or.....at least label and dimension the thing you just posted.
There are no visionaries here. "They" had the dining in the entry for a reason?Lots of meals get consumed at an island...especially in the morning.
It is not a home MEANT for formal /closed off dining: ) and dining with friends and family is everyone wearing clothing. It just isn't meant for what you want..., and the rest depends how much open closed you need or want
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Scroll up. she added that above, minus any information on the existing condition....
Which is??and I believe the rest is architect created and then her "wish list"
To have decently proportioned spaces, it will not easily do what she wants, and will fight a formal lifestyle in entertaining. It needs one all purpose dining spot, or the result will be no living /family room that makes sense,and doesn't sit in the entry......a far more public space.
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My confusion was from reading the desire for "confined rooms." Your proposed does not do that, I think it merely has a small addition and then opens up the Kitchen. The Living would be retained as open concept whether you wall off a Foyer or not, because of the 2-story space and being open to the stairway and it's window wall.
My assumptions for existing (as it might have been intended when designed, maybe not how the previous owner placed furniture) seems to make sense in room layout and adjacencies. It seems to be small rooms, if you desire to expand the Kitchen and Dining, instead maybe an addition behind the existing Kitchen and Dining, leaving the Living Room intact to outdoor living might be a better direction to look at.
Much better info, presentation, and pictures would be needed for better ideas.
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"we created a defined kitchen and dining room but there is a still a large open space when you walk in to the house..........." how to make it more useful
Then she posts this: ( not great, to my mind....)
nothing is really closed, or defined
To which I posted,making a rather ordinary "public" function. albeit possible more all purpose and formal as open home ARE , and have a larger cozy space for sitting . Even that would require some exterior alterations to look good.
Who knows? She hasn't been back : )
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Maybe this (expands both living and dining areas to the back, keeps rooms fairly separate)?
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@shirlpp, agreed that the kitchen seating was the part I liked least about my suggestion above. I included seating only because the very formal dining room seemed like the wrong place for a quick breakfast! Making spaces that relate logically to the apparent vaulted ceiling and preserve the second floor's supporting structure is a challenge here.
Could do this, of course, but then the dining room has much less of the formality that the OP apparently wants. (Might need posts/beam too if that's a bearing wall.)
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JAN MOYER