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Layout -- 2nd round, help please!

17 years ago

Thanks to all for the comments on my first plan.

Some of what I learned:

  • Trash is an appliance. Plan accordingly.

  • Goopy hands need a handy sink.

  • Cabinets are good, but one can overdo it.

  • Zones are good, but they don't always work--that is, I need you experts.

Here is a new drawing of the existing walls which is accurate. I had help doing the first set of measurements and they were off, as well as the drawing having gotten screwed up.

I'm also posting my latest attempt at a layout, incorporating your comments. I even stuck in a big ol' (flat) TV, just for kicks since someone asked. The pre-1972 portable can go, even if it is cute :)

Appliances and features:

*Great morning sun from the East (slider side) and plenty of light all day long.

*Washer and dryer remain.

*36" SubZero fridge over freezer with icemaker

*30" Gaggenau freezer (may change)

*24" Marvel fridge drawers in island for cooking veg (top drawer) and beverages and sauces (bottom drawer). This works because I'll set up a beverage station elsewhere for company and for home it's okay if it's in the middle.

*Gaggenau combi steam over convection ovens.

*Sharp microwave drawer in island.

*Trough style prep sink in island.

*Diva 3 hob induction and Wolf 2 burner gas.

*Decorative hood for focal point.

*Pull out rolling surface with legs.

*Main trash under clean-up sink. Secondary trash under island sink. I know I was told trash next to sink is better than under, but I don't have anything else I want to put under sinks, and everyone in my family will be looking for trash under the sink. And the layout works better.

The walls of the laundry room and existing pantry are partitions and probably have to be removed/replaced no matter what, in order to replace the floor. The laundry room can move, but I haven't found a layout that works for that. Theoretically the exterior doors and windows can move, but I'd rather not. Same with the water heater. Out the slider is the patio, beyond that the studio, all doors are double 10-light. Out the right window is the sideyard fence/hedge. The exterior of the right wall has the electrical panel, telephone input, cable service, and airconditioners. There is nowhere to bump out or build out.


This layout shows moving and enlarging the door into the dining room. I don't know if this is possible. If it is not, the cabinet marked "display" will be for stemware. The folding chairs (and possible future table leaves if I get a second table) will be stored in the hard to get at part of the island. This is a good thing.

Things I want but don't necessarily have in this layout:

*Cooktops and ovens on exterior walls.

*Sink under window.

*Fridge close to MW and prep.

*Stuff for cooking close to cooktop (fridge drawers work)

*Kitchen dishes, glasses, flatware near fridge and MW and seating. I can put some under the MW drawer but most will be near the DW...

Comments (14)

  • 17 years ago

    on first thought I like it, but I'm no expert. The one thing I see that I like is that the path of traffic doesn't bother your cooking.

    and the other thing I see is that if you're having a formal dinner party and you have someone helping you to set up that area they also don't have to intersect your cooking area.

    The parts I don't like is it that it's a LONG walk from your fridge to your sink to your stove...

  • 17 years ago

    Yeah, Buffetgirl, it's a real hike :) The main fridge and cooktop are pretty near where they are in the old kitchen, and that was something I was trying to get rid of. I thought the prep sink (the dark rectangle in the island) and fridge drawers in the island would help, though it'll take some good organization to make it work. Like keeping butter and milk (only used for cooking) in the drawers, along with the sauces :) I don't mind the distance for meats, which would have to be in the main fridge, however, because that's a one shot.

    Another problem is the rolling pullout has to be where the aisle is to work, but isn't near the ovens. That's not a biggie, but not ideal.

  • 17 years ago

    How deep is that prep sink? The only ones I've seen are very shallow and I'd worry about splashing boiling hot water from pasta, etc.

    Is the Gagg steam oven under the counter? Is there a reason you have it located on the far side of the 'clean up zone?'

    You don't have counterspace to the left of your cooktop. I wouldn't want that. Would it be too close to the sink if you traded the cooktops with the baking area?

  • 17 years ago

    Rhome,

    You're so right about the boiling water! I currently have a similar depth third bowl where I balance my colander, and it works fine without splashing for small (2 qt.) pots. The trough sink is 5" deep, 6+ inches wide (the current one is 5" deep, 7" wide), and one thing I like about it is the way it'll work the same for my colanders. And it would be great for dumping flour off the breadboard. With this layout, I'd either have to trek large pots of water to the other sink like I do now, or use a pasta insert and dump the water after it's cooled. But I'd probably bail the canning pot rather than heft it, anyway, and could do the same with lasagna for 50 noodles. :)

    I'm not concerned with the left side because I never use it now, but having said that, as soon as I have the new kitchen I'll surely want it! :) There is room for a spoon as is :) But I realize now the Diva and Wolf should be flipped in this arrangement. If this basic layout ends up working I would probably put a flip up extension on the left there.

    The Gagg ovens are a stack, and no counter there. The reason I put them there in the picture is that they seemed to fit, and I want them on an outside wall. I was trying to get rid of the dark corner there too :) Not ideal. I do use the counter to the right of the sink now, but not much. And there is room for a spoon or glass.

    And, no, it wouldn't be too close to the sink to trade the cooktops for baking. That's more or less what the first round showed. The main thing I gain from moving the cooktops to the patio wall (top) is more upper cabinets on the sideyard wall (right), and the ability to do a fancy, focal point hood, which will also increase the airiness of the room. The latter isn't high on my list of druthers, though, and can go. :)

  • 17 years ago

    How's this? Now that I conceived the pull out rolling table I like it rather than the permanently lower surface. :)

    This is back to the U-shape with the corner cabinets. Maybe V-corner drawers on the sink side would be more useful. I'm not all that fond of the susans I have now, though I think it would be best for the baking ingredients. Or maybe not. Maybe V-corner drawers would be better there too?

    Update following Rhome's suggestion:

  • 17 years ago

    I feel better about this one...But what do you think? With as many dishes as we have, I'd want to move the cooktops to the left another foot, but you'll have to figure out what's best for you.

  • 17 years ago

    I also really like the layout above. Can't find any problems with it. It seems to meet your list of wants...what do you think?

    With the fridge located where is is now, do you still think you'll need the fridge drawers?

  • 17 years ago

    How wierd....in your first post I can't see any layout beneath "The Latest Plan". I can only see the one beneath "The Walls."

    My only comment is I was wondering if you might feel "squished in the corner" on the right side when you're doing the dishes. It just seems a little tight there, but you obviously are looking to put the sink under the window.

  • 17 years ago

    Hola,
    I love all you have planned for this kitchen.

    My only ?concern: Is the main sink 24inches wide?

    From my experience, I had a 24" sink, then renovated the kitchen and increased to 32" sink, and now w/ this house, I'm back to 24". Having experienced the 32" sink, I am constantly painfully aware of how incredibly SMALL my current sink is. Just sharing my experience.

  • 17 years ago

    Rhome & Alku, I like it :) It's not too different from the first round one, but the pull out rolling table is a much better idea, and killing the awkward Advantium, which is more than I need for a MW, fixed the dark hole of Calcutta problem :)

    I'll adjust the exact location of the cooktop area when I do the vertical drawings with cupboards, but I don't need a big draining board area. One of the things the counter in the "Butler's Pantry" will do is provide a good place to stack dirty dishes when the mobs come. One thing I hate is people tracking them across the kitchen anyway :)

    Re the fridge drawers, all of my produce is refrigerated. Warm climate :) I have a bar fridge now which I use for masses of veg for soups and stews, or for company, and for sodas etc., for guests. I'd really miss that extra space, so yes, I "need" it, though I plan to use it a little differently. Originally I had it in the "Butler's Pantry", but Marys1000 reminded me on the first round that it would be nice to have handy for resting dough. And I'd love to have the veg by the prep sink, and the sauces by the stove. But if it still looks weird, think of it as those basket things that people put onions, carrots, potatoes and apples in (which in my kitchen would be mold laboratories :) ).

    Malhgold, That is weird about not seeing the "Latest Plan". The sink under the window and the cabinet corners are what I have now, and it works fine, without squishing. I really appreciate the comment! I'd hate to be squished.

    Huango, Thanks for feedback on the sink size. I had put a smaller one to keep it under the window on the "Latest Plan" drawing. The same layout works fine with a 30" sink. The old one is a 48" three bowl. I actually love it, but it's excessive and I'd rather have the prep sink and the big single. I hope :)

    Thanks to you all for the feedback!! If anyone has more comments, good or bad or rip it out and try again, please speak away!!

  • 17 years ago

    Guess you've decided NOT to watch TV in the kitchen? :>)

    The second one appears much more practical. The zones just seem to work better (on paper anyways)

    With all those dishes, you won't need an extra DW or a DW drawer?

  • 17 years ago

    LOL! Raehelen, I listen to the TV in the kitchen sometimes, but tend to zone out and can't really follow, though I do put it on for company if I'm in there eating alone. I figured I'd do a flat one and find a place for it when I'm doing the vertical drawings. It's pretty unimportant and I've been thinking over the oven or over the hood. Or maybe even standing on the island, easy to disconnect and stash in the laundry.

    Right now, I proof yeast on the cable box (without which the 1972 TV doesn't work) :) Much better to proof the yeast than wait to see if the dough rises. I expect I'll use the warming drawer or smaller oven for that in the new kitchen. They say they have proofing settings, though I think they mean what I would call rising, which I've always done on the dryer. :)

    Thanks for pointing out the dishes. I've considered a DW drawer or two for the "butler's pantry", but then I realized that too many of the company dishes were handwash only. The company flatware is gold flashed. The stem glasses are balloons. The stem waters have gold trim as do the dishes. And the chargers are hand painted. It's a gaudy table I set, but pretty :D And there are way more dishes when the family comes than will fit in even two full sized dishwashers, and would still have to be done in shifts. It's quicker and easier to do them by hand, even if they weren't likely to do poorly in the DW. But that's part of why I lust for the weird sink on the other thread :)

  • 17 years ago

    Now you have me worried. All that hand washing and the need for a place to rinse, and you have only a 24" sink...

  • 17 years ago

    I changed the sink back to 30" :) I forgot to do that in the Update. The 30" fits fine, and can be centered under the window. :)

    But I'm beginning to think that the weird sink for the BP isn't so far fetched after all :) Though, actually, the long, shallow prep sink will be good for hand washing flatware too, and it lets two wash at the same time :) Added benefit :) And it might be a good place to wash the stemware too. Certainly the island is a good place to set it out to dry.