Are you replacing cabinets with the fridge, or just sliding it up to the end of what's there? Is that blank section of wall left empty for a reason?

What will you have where the fridge is shown? If nothing, you could put a longer island on the diagonal, maybe with a curved seating area on the back side.

Are you replacing cabinets with the fridge, or just sliding it up to the end of what's there?

I was just planning on sliding the cabinets down to the end of that wall.

You hit the nail on the head about having empty wall space. Both dh and builder have commented on this.

I did want some of the island seating to line up so that there could be a "media viewing" on one of the walls. Preferably the wall by the Pantry. That way the tv could swivel for viewing at the table area back by the windows.

Our 1800 sq ft new construction is being added on to an existing 2400 sq ft home...a lot of challenges. So I was basically left to design this kitchen.

I know what I want, but getting it all to work in this "funky" space 17.8 x 28 has been never-ending changes.

Thank you for the suggestion of a curved seating area!

I will post a pic of the final choice on this!
Thanks again! :D

I would keep the pantry door where you have it in the pic because of ease of access for getting what's needed and putting groceries away. I'd also move the fridge to either corner where the DR entrance is.
Could you leave the wall open/bare where your pic currently shows the fridge & cabinets? I think this would allow a lot more space to put in a larger Island that is curved.

Could you leave the wall open/bare where your pic currently shows the fridge & cabinets? I think this would allow a lot more space to put in a larger Island that is curved.

I kind of like that idea. Do you think the room would look "unbalanced" with all of the cabinetry on 2 walls and the other side of the room without any cabinets?

I like the idea. Definitely see how it helps with the island issue! The balance in the room is my only concern.

Thanks! I knew there would be great ideas here! ;)

ccat

I think it would depend on how large & curved your island would be or maybe L shaped. The larger and more curved the less unbalanced.
You could put in a shallower message (20" deep) area there too...........maybe with a flat screen : )

What are the other rooms? Is that the DR north? What's east? Does the door b/w the PR and Pantry lead to the garage, outside, or elsewhere?

I'm brainstorming here, so bear with me!

The east wall, where you're moving the refrigerator, will you also extend your cabinetry the length of the wall?

If we could work out a way for you to have a wall oven, would you still want one? Do you plan to have a MW? How about the always controversial Warming Drawer? :-)

You have a 54" hood over a 36" range...is this going to be one of those decorative ones, maybe with columns (is that the correct term?) down to the counter & possibly openings inside for oils, etc.? Or, is it a plain 54" hood above the range? If it's the former, it makes a great focal point; it it's the latter, do you really need that large a hood? You lose wall cabinet space--sometimes that's important. You do have a very large pantry so it may not be an issue with you.

BTW...are you sure you want to go around the corner and then have to possibly walk the length of the pantry to get things? It seems like you'll be doing a lot of walking for pantry items. If you're OK with that, fine, but I just wanted to bring it up.

I like Saskatchewan_girl's idea of narrower cabinets b/c it would help to keep the TV from sticking out of the wall and being a possible safety hazard for anyone walking along that wall (ouch, my hurting head!) BTW...how big a TV are you considering? It will have to be a substantial size to be able to view it decently from the sunroom. But, if it's too big you may not be able to mount it on a swivel.

If you do remove the deeper cabinetry, you will definitely be able to have a bigger island.

Still brainstorming...

If you turn the island 90o, you will be able to get more seating, but the sink will not be as convenient. You would also have to decide who gets to see the TV...seats or sink!

If you leave it as is, you are definitely limiting yourself width-wise.

Or, how about a non-standard island? Perhaps an upside down "L"? That way everyone gets to view the TV and you may be able to get more seats in.... Or, how about a longer one w/sink, etc on the side facing the range, cabinets on the pantry wall side, and seats on the Foyer wall side...it could have a curve on that side? I think I like that idea...I'll try to draw it up for you if you don't hate it...

What will be in the sunroom? Are we limited as to how long the island can be b/c of your planned furnishings?

Have you thought of putting in a dish hutch or other storage on the east sunroom wall? Perhaps use matching cabinetry but make it furniture style? Obviously you cannot make it the length of the wall b/c the window appears to come within 6" of that wall...just a thought. OTOH, maybe not, it may look "unbalanced" if you did that (just continuing to brainstorm!)

OK, that's it for now....

Here is what I was trying to explain.......in picture. If I don't see it, I can't imagine it LOL. You may want a prep sink in the corner too?
{{!gwi}}
HTH

{{!gwi}}

I am envious of your space.

Thank you, everyone! You have opened the door for some new thinking for me!
Attaching a full pic of the walls beyond the kitchen.

I am now considering moving the pantry wall back. Maybe 2 smaller pantries? One in the "oven" corner for quick items and then a more narrow one on the east wall?

I was hoping to have my sink face out towards the windows. There will be a courtyard area out there and beyond that...where my children will be playing.

I did purchase a distressed black hutch....84" tall-19" deep-7' wide. Need to find a home for it. It has loads of storage and ohhh so cute.

The trusses have not been built yet, so I can still make some 'minor' changes with my kitchen space. Dh brought up the idea of moving the pantry!

I did want to keep the mud room with the open doorway, b/c there is a window in there and don't want to enclose that in a closet. (In case you were wondering why I did not choose to put the pantry there.) ;)

Thank you soo much for your ideas!

The basement has been poured and floor trusses are coming next week....the SunRoom area is just an eating area that will have table/chairs. In the final plan it was also moved 1' longer to the west.

This is an addition to an Existing House that is not shown in the floor plan. The fireplace also is not shown here, but will be in the center of the west wall in the Family Room. (Cultured stone.)

ccat

Hmm... wondering why you don't have a direct access from outside to your mudroom? Which entrance is most used?
I totally understand why you'd want a window in the mudroom, my boys can't find there things WITH a light and window LOL.
Could you move the covered porch over (to the right) to make your kitchen larger in the sunroom area.........this way you would have a wall of countertop windows to watch the children outside? I'd maybe reduce them to 3 for a bit of upper cab space near the sink. You could then use the kitchen area shown above for dining area, I don't see a DR in your plan.
Or, you could rotate your L kitchen shown to face the windows making it a large U shape. Then you could add your corner pantry or use wall space for a large cupboard style pantry.
Which portion is being added? Sunroom & kitchen? Mudroom & bathroom?

As I was looking at your layout again, something struck me (probably prompted by Saskatchewan_girl's comment)...what if you switched the Mudroom & Powder Room? The Mudroom would be right off the exterior door, which makes more sense. Then, you could actually put in a full bath rather than a half-bath. (I don't know if there's any "rule" or "code"--other than convention--that says you have to open a door into a room, but I opened it out from the bathroom b/c of clearance issues.) The tub is a standard 3'x5' tub with a little extra on the exterior end b/c of the size of the room.

Oh, I did move 12" of the new Mudroom into the old Mudroom. It reduces the doorway size from the kitchen to 36", but that should be wide enough. The Bathroom door does not open directly into the kitchen, which I think is a good thing!

Or, maybe you could make the new bathroom area into a Laundry Room & Powder Room...but I suspect your Laundry Room is in the existing part of the house already.

You both are right on with one of my "issues" that I had just given up on! I love this new design idea.

Here is where I took it, since we were going to put a desk in the mudroom...this is wayyy better. Thank you so much. I only wish I had posted our designs sooner.

Here you go. Dh is still tweaking the 'island'. Too tight on the sides still. :(

Oh! The windows aren't finalized yet! I was trying to work around the windows in the layout...the window in the PR was causing me to make the bathroom so big and so I said, all right, if it has to be so big, then make it a full bath!

Have you thought of putting in a pocket door for your pantry an keeping the wall flat? That might help with more open flow since your putting in an island.
How about a desk/message area beside you fridge in the last pic, it would be shallower that you countertop to not restrict walking area.
I think you have enough room in your pantry to put your brooms right near the entry too, giving you more closet space! Ooohhh I love closet space : ) You could put a bench under the mudroom window for the kids to take off/put on boots etc and gramma & grampa's too.
How many bathrooms do you currently have? Would you want to put in a shower in your powder room? Might come in handy for DH coming from the garage.
I really like beuhl's idea of a laundry room!! That would be real handy too : )
How far is it from your range to the island sink?

If you do decide to keep pantry where it is, mine is set up with pantry door outside of kitchen across from the powder room - like you mentioned in your first post. It's not out of the way or problematic during cooking or putting up groceries.

Usually, perpendicular provides an ok view. You don't have quite enough width for the island you want in the orientation you want it.

You want about a 9 foot island and you NEED at least 3 feet on both sides for an aisle. On the "hutch" side in the latest generation, you should have more like 4 feet to be able to stand in front of the hutch and open its doors. The hutch takes about 15-18" and a base cabinet is 25-27" depending on how deep you make your counters. It's not there - you have 17.5 feet. Cabinets, hutch and aisles take about 10.5 feet. Your maximum island length is therefore about 7 feet.

I can think of two ways other than rotating the island - which was the easy one. Either kill off the large pantry in that location to gain more width OR try a plan with a peninsula instead of an island.

Lastly, you know those windows are about 15-18 feet away?

As others have suggested, I think turning your island sideways is your best bet. You said you want to be able to see out the windows while there, but the way you have it, you would have to be standing at the sink to see out. If you turned it sideways, you could see out from the sink side, but you could also sit down on the other side with a cup of tea and see out just as well. By the way, the layout the way it is prevents you from standing at the stove and looking out the window, too.

Turning your island also solves a host of other problems. The original drawing had the sink and stove so far apart (~8-9'?) that the kitchen seems unworkable to me. Turn the island, move the stove to the right wall, move the fridge to the top wall, and voila! You'd have a very workable layout, and you'd be able to see your kids with an easy glance to the side from either the sink, the stove, or the seating part of the island, which means you wouldn't be stuck standing at your sink all the time. You could also have a much, much larger island this way, with plenty of room on all sides to move around.

Hello,
Resurrecting this thread with my latest kitchen layout. Hats off to all of you!! I saw the light and here is the latest version I have really come to like.

bmorepanic, I have to tell you I laughed so hard at the last line of your post!!! Thank you so much for that "reality check" comment. :D

Note: The hutch on the east wall is not cabinetry; it is furniture. It only comes out 20" and will be more storage and not 'used' regularly.

Right now I am just struggling with making sure my island doesn't look like it is floating out in the middle of the room with no connection. Quite the quandry because I really like "space" in my kitchen. Hmmm.

Thank you all so much!!!
Here it is....fire away!! ;)
cat

Top view:

East wall:

North wall/Hood:

Front view of island. Side view/bookcase:

I also posted another thread regarding my refrigerator protruding so much. My KD has told me that she advises against bringing the cabinetry all of the way out on this particular model refrigerator.

She said I should keep the refrigerator cabinetry flush with the base cabinets. I am on a mission to figure out if she is correct. (More than likely subjective, but she was pretty firm with me on her choice!)

Any thoughts on this aspect?
Thanks again!
cat

Is there something to the right of the frig where it says 36"? If not, I'm not crazy about the island sticking out further on the right than the frig.

Also, I posted on your other thread that I think your aisles are too big. My suggestion would be to make your island slightly wider and move it over to the left.

How many people are you trying to seat at your island? I'm thinking because of the curve, 3 would be comfortable and 4 would be a squeeze.

I can't imagine why your kd is saying that.

There are two other flush ref solutions - sink it into the wall a bit - or even better is to make the base cabinets deeper. Either they can be made deeper or just padded out from the wall using 2x4s. If you choose this, remember to add some depth to your upper cabinets to compensate.

I agree with malhgold about the island overhang. Pic below is offered not as a style thing, but as another way of having a softer but fatter island counter.
Happy you took the window thing in the spirit it was offered..

Here is a link that might be useful: From all granite's galleries

bmorepanic, how would I accomplish that type of island counter and have seating? Would the ends be some type of more narrow cabinetry?

I showed it to dh and he likes the rectangular look also. Seems to "anchor" better in our room and fit with the overall shape.

The refrigerator flush thing. How would you build out with 2x4s? Actually build the entire length of the wall out? Would I have to have more granite to fill in at the back?

Mostly, what happens when you get down to my angled corner?

Now I am considering the "bump" out into the family room to recess the frig into the wall. Not sure how that is going to look in the other room.

malhgold, I have intentionally left that 36" space blank for now. I will eventually put something there, but I really wanted to have some space left for after I was LIVING in it to see what I would need/want there.

If I promise to eventually fill that space in with something, then may I leave the island over that far? Or is it that it should end with the cabinetry for a balanced look?

I am going to see granite folks this week and will ask them about that countertop look, but not with the sharp corners.

Thanks again....what is nice now...when I look at my kitchen design I feel like I am at home. Final tweaking, but I very happy with this decision!

ccat