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lalithar

Analysis paralysis on cabinet layout

14 years ago

Dear Gardenwebbers,

Please yank me out of this never ending carousel. I honestly need some sound advice. I am going in circles and losing sleep on my cabinet layout. Everything else - electrical, plumbing, framing is suspended until I sign off on this. My cabinet guy is good but completely unimaginative and as it is custom cabinets everything is "possible". I am overall OK with the position of the appliances but cannot figure how to get the cabinets to work.

DH thought the uppers and lowers should somehow line up and this is the latest rev. Not sure why I listened to him as yes I had read the threads on why this is completely unnecessary and I just remembered it when I was trying to look at it again just now.

Details:

Galley kitchen - 30" base cabinets, 15" uppers, 5 feet aisle. The main family eating area is a banquette close to the end of the counter where the microwave is.

What is fixed -

Cleanup sink under window (30" Rohl)

Cooking zone 48" centered under 571/2" hood

The wall lengths

What can move -

The prep sink can move a bit on either side.

Overall layout

The longer wall with the cooking and prep zones

The shorter wall with the cleanup sink and the fridge

Lalitha

Comments (2)

  • PRO
    14 years ago

    you certainly have got every bell and whistle in this kitchen
    Its going to be tough to install a prep sink above that dishwasher, i don't now how i would hook up that drain line for the prep sink,layout looks good!
    Trash and recycle cabinet looks awfully small 10 1/4" inside of that cab will be
    about 8".On the main sink put roll outs on the floor of cabinet instead of on the doors, they will be more functional then on the doors.Make sure plumber is aware of all your cabinet functions before he roughs in the plumbing, pots and pan drawer is kind of big at 40 plus inches. a lot of weight on those drawer slides 36" wide should be the biggest.Layout looks good

  • 14 years ago

    I'm not a cabinet maven, but it looks pretty good to me. I really like that you are developing the valuable spaces under the sinks for specific use.

    What ARE your problems, though? What isn't working for you?

    Now, if it were mine...:)
    If I didn't have a planned use for the counter to the left of the fridge, I'd fill it in with storage; I know from long bad experience what happens in my kitchens with unused, neglected counter.

    I don't like to work with cabinets in my face, which is only necessary in my 7x7 vacation trailer kitchen, so I'd be planning to move the storage over my main prep area a short distance away. For instance, if I didn't have a specific plan for all counter to the right of the prep sink (getting repetitive here :), I might run a pantry unit down that corner.

    Although I suspect you have a very good reason for putting the fridge and oven where they are, I'm a forgetful cook always in the fridge, and an emptynester, so I'd have it in my most efficient position--right by the stove in the prep area. Not being a hobby baker, I don't check the oven very often, so it'd be great behind me. Perhaps all way to the left.

    The cleanup wall is a bit unbalanced at this stage, and will likely have to remain so on paper with that window and door (to outside or DRM?) there. Cabinet and wall colors and other decor, though, can be used to balance it out as you finish up. Plus, this sort of thing just isn't as much of an issue in your corridor-kitchen situation--where this wall will always be seen sideways or from fairly close up--than it is when the whole kitchen is seen in one glance.

    The same goes for lower-upper symmetry, of course--even less than the nil problem it is in most cases. We did something a little unusual in ours--I think; maybe I just never noticed it elsewhere. Our son told me I should switch the 30 and 36" cabinets so the 30 was under my 36 drop-in stovetop, which is under a 44" wood hood, freeing up an additional 3" to put in a larger drawer unit farther down. I did and it looks great, just part of the horizontal run of white cabinets down there. I hope you can reassure DH that the cabinets become such a visual unit when in that it gives you the freedom to just focus on best function.

    In any case, this'll bump your post back up, so you'll get a number of ideas to consider.