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bkinsey

Layout opinions please!!!

17 years ago

Hi everyone...I am relatively new here and need some advice/opinions/hand holding on my kitchen remodel! We live in a farm house that was built in 1889 and over the past 5 years we have done an extensive remodel. And by extensive I mean gutting it down to the studs...removing all the lathe and plaster and completely reconfiguring the layout. This has been a mostly DIY project (which is why it has taken 5 years). Well we are finally to the kitchen! For the past 5 years what I have used for a kitchen is a room with tile in it, a utility sink, appliances, but no cabinets or counters...so it has been intersting especially since we have a 2 yr old and a 1 yr. old son. So I want this kitchen to be perfect, or as perfect as it can be with my budget....because I have dreamt of it for so long!

So I am going to post my layout so far and feel free to beat it up...I really appreciate any input. This is my first time posting a picture, so bear with me.

TIA

D{{!gwi}}layout

Comments (14)

  • 17 years ago

    It sounds like you're hard workers, patient, and have accomplished lot. Congrats that you'll now get a kitchen! Sounds like you've more than earned it, and it'll be great to cook and bake and spend time with your little ones.

    Can you give us an idea of the other rooms around the kitchen, so we have an idea of the traffic pattern? Maybe post a floor plan that shows more of the main floor?

    How wide are your aisles?

  • 17 years ago

    What is your distance between the base cabinets on the walls, and your island. At the minimum you should have 36 inches. Looking at your sketch it says that your wall run where the sink base is 101 inches?

  • 17 years ago

    No, actually the sink wall is 187 inches, it got cut off when I scanned it. I believe the aisles are 42 inches...I'll need to double check w/ DH. The door beside the double ovens leads into the formal dining room and the rest of the house. Where the wall jumps out 48 inches is an addition that we are doing so that we can have a big table in the kitchen and so that we can move the basement steps from where they are now. And that addition will go out 16 feet (not concrete for sure yet but that is what we are thinking) from where the wall jumps out the 48 inches.
    What else can I tell you to help?

  • 17 years ago

    The only thing that can't change is the length of the sink wall and the wall w/ the double oven can only be 135 inches because the doorway to the dining room is already there. Other than that nothing is for sure. We have already bought the 36 in cooktop and the 30 inch double ovens, and we are using our current fridge that is not counter depth, but since our cabinets are being custom built we will have a cabinet around the fridge that fits it.
    I have gone back and forth on the fridge and double oven placement, we had it the other way so that the cooktop and ovens were on the same wall...but my concerns with that was having a barrier island, and that since the fridge will stick out beyond counter depth I thought that as you were walking into the kitchen from the dining room it may seem like an obstacle. Is it weird to not have the cooktop and ovens on the same wall?
    We are planning on having a beverage center but I don't know where to put it for sure, right now I have it on the other side of fridge, my reasoning for that being it will be where people don't have to walk into my work area to get to it. But I am concerned with the fridge being out and then going back to regular cabinet depth.
    Also the wall that the cooktop is on the length is not fixed we can add more on the end without a problem.
    I'm sure I'll think of more to tell...thanks for looking!

  • 17 years ago

    Congrats on starting your kitchen! I think your layout looks really well planned. If the frig sticking out is a concern, you can make all the counters on that side 30" and shrink your island by 6" or alternatively bump just your cooktop out to 30" then the undulating depth looks planned. In either case, I would slide your beverage center and frig over a bit to the right. That will give you more room around the cooktop and the CT will feel more centered if there is 36" to the right and 36" to the L on the left. It also puts the frig in a more friendly position for the baker, who might need to chill dough between rollout sessions. Where is your MW in this layout?

  • 17 years ago

    For counterheight seating, 15" is recommended...It's hard to tell how much is planned.

    I was guessing the microwave might be by the oven, since you show something deeper there? And do you have a DW to the left and the trash to the right of the sink?

    The whole plan looks pretty good to me. For 'perfection' I'd love to see you have a prep sink. :-) Any chance of lengthening the island a bit to fit one?

  • 17 years ago

    Rhome
    We have talked about a prep sink, so I think that we may get one. We are planning on having posts to support the overhang so we can actually have a pretty big one. The island will probably be bigger than the one in this picture.
    Lax
    The microwave is probably going to be on a shelf beside the double ovens...at least that is what we are leaning toward now.

  • 17 years ago

    How do you use you microwave and how often? In my kitchen most things come from the fridge or freezer to go in the microwave, so yours doesn't seem in the perfect location with the island in between. Since I also use mine to thaw a lot for dinner, or cook parts of dinner that I need to deal with while also tending the stove, it's nice to have it handy to the stove, so between stove and fridge is my favorite placement. However, unless you want to move other things, or want to consider putting it in the island, I don't think you have enough room on that side of the room, and microwave placement is one of the things it's easiest to compromise on...Meaning I don't think it's as crucial as other worries. Also, you may use yours differently and just want it out of the way. Just things to think about.

  • 17 years ago

    I do use the microwave as you do Rhome, but I just don't see anywhere to put it on that wall, and I don't really want to put it in the island with itty bitty kids...I think it would be great for older kids...but my boys can't leave anything alone (especially if I tell them to). Also Rhome do I remember reading that your island is lower than the 36 in norm? I am thinking of putting ours at 33-34 inches and was wondering if it is an issue to find stools that are a comfortable height.
    Does anyone know of a kitchen that has a fridge that is not counter depth but has a cabinet around it? I would really like to see what that looks like.
    Thanks everyone!

  • 17 years ago

    My island is 33 1/4" (I just measured it to answer someone else's questions!). We use stools meant for counter height (ours happen to be 24" backless ones) and that height works fine for us...kids and adults.

    There used to be a great thread showing photos of all sorts of fridge cabinets, but I couldn't find it in a search. I did find CCoombs1's kitchen, and it looks like she has a full depth fridge...So it's linked below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Ccoombs1's kitchen with fridge cab

  • 17 years ago

    Well, looks like your kitchen will be huge, so you should be able to fit everything in it. The caution would be to make sure things are where you need them to function well. In a very large kitchen, getting the placements off is an even bigger pain once you are done.

    I would probably like the fridge more the beverage center is, the ovens next to the fridge on the cooktop side and the beverage center over where the ovens are shown. All of that would work better with a prep sink in the island. I would not want to have the ovens all the way on the other side of the kitchen and with an island in between. I had something similar but on a smaller scale and not so diagonally across the island. I love not having that issue any more.

  • 17 years ago

    I liked the separation of cooking and baking work areas (I am one who rarely moves things from stovetop to oven so never think of that), and I thought the baker could access the main sink while the cook and/or someone making salad or snacking on the end of the island could utilize the prep sink. But you have good points as usual, Lascatx, about moving from cooktop to oven. If you did decide to swap the beverage ctr and ovens, mgkinz, you could get more counter in between the fridge and cooktop for the mixer and creating somewhat of a baking ctr. It all depends on how you want to move around your kitchen and how you want others to, also.

  • 17 years ago

    What's the layout of the rest of the first floor? Which walls (besides the sink wall) are outside walls? Which rooms are which?

    What are the measurements of windows/doorways, distances b/w windows/doorways and corners, etc.?

  • 17 years ago

    buehl, the doorway beside the double ovens is the only fixed thing in the kitchen (it is 46 inches) and that leads into the dining room and the rest of the house. The cooktop wall is also an outside wall. As for windows we know that we want to put a 5ft. window above the sink, but it is still up in the air as to where the other doorways and windows will be. We are meeting with the contractor in the morning, he will be building the addition...and I am sure he will have opinions on where to put everything...so I may know more tomorrow.
    lascatx...that is a good idea, but I'm afraid that wall may look crammed and the opposite wall look bare, but who knows I may change my mind!