Could you tell us a bit more about yourself - how you plan to use the kitchen, what your family composition is and general age range of members of your family, children (now/future), etc.

In the "Layout Help" topic of the "Read Me" thread, there is writeup describing what information will help us help you.

One question that jumps to mind - is this entire space "all kitchen" or will there be a kitchen table included in the space?

Here is a link that might be useful: New To Kitchens? Posting Pics? Read Me!

thanks for the link I appreciate it!

What are your goals?
**more counter space!!***
more storage!! there's very little storage, maximizing storage is a must.
kitchen table

goals... I've never had a kitchen with counter space.
My home right now has 24inches of counter space so to
have a kitchen with abundant counter space would be a luxury. I would love to cook and bake more and with adequate room for food prep that would happen. :)

I have a table in the kitchen and it has always sat in the corner where the two windows come together in the corner. Opposite the door to the bathroom.

I'm the only one who would use the kitchen regularly but on weekends there can be family and friends in the kitchen "helping". It's a lake cottage so you can imagine how that attracts people in the summer time. I'd like a layout where I can have someone else helping with food prep without tripping over one another. In the summer we are normally eating outside, when I'm alone I'm normally eating in the living room.

I'd also like to maximize storage space. The cottage is 900 sq feet with a 200 foot dormer. It started life as a one room fishing cabin that was added on to a couple times.... the cottage only has two small closets. There isn't even a small coat closet.

on the opposite side of the kitchen/living room wall is the stairway going upstairs. There use to be a cubby from the kitchen into that understairs area that is where the small kitchen fridge lived. I've had that cubby walled over.
so the area under the stairs is now available for storage.

What is your family composition? Adults? Children? Age ranges of children? Current? Future?

Just me however, my 84 year old mother comes up and spends time with me as do my grown neices (18 and 21). no children for me in the future.

How many kitchen workers are there? Cook(s)? Cleanup? Helpers? Now? Future? (

Right now it's normally just me but I hope that some day in the future that will change. I don't have children and that won't be changing. My neices are grown. I have one young nephew but it's unlikely that he'll be spending much time in the kitchen. On weekends, there can be helpers in the kitchen.

Do you or anyone in your home cook?

I like to cook and bake and would love to do it more...having a really cramped crummy kitchen has really put a damper on it. I'm looking forward to this changing.

How do you see your kitchen used?

cooking & clean up as well as some people hanging out while cooking is being done.

Entertaining is informal comfortable beach style.

Do you have a separate DR? no. dining room table stays in the kitchen generally pushed into the corner because most of the time I don't need seating for more than one or two.

Do you use it frequently?

right now I use it mostly on weekends but in the future I can see myself using it full time.

Would you like to open up the kitchen to adjacent areas?

there use to be a few small openings that looked out from the kitchen into the living room and out on to the lake but they were so small they weren't a focal point or very useful. I had those taken out and had a large opening placed in that wall instead. I thought it would be a good idea but I had no idea just how GREAT it would be. It has exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds. it's provides a great view of the lake from the kitchen. it'll really make the room.

I also got rid of the 7'9" dropped ceiling and the ceiling is now 8'8" along the inner wall and 6'6" along the outside wall. This change alone is phenomenal. It was really claustraphobic before.

this redo started out as just a plan to change/raise the ceiling and put up white bead board walls... that's sort of snowballed.

Can windows or doorways change size?
I did enlarge the door from the kitchen and bathroom to 32 inches and moved it away from the wall. Now it's 24 inches from the wall. it should have been 26" but the wall has already been drywalled so i'm willing to leave it
like that.

the window that is above where the sink use to be needs to be changed so that is open for change in size as well.
Can windows be raised/lowered? no the ceiling is too low
to raise the windows.

Can any walls come down? no,

Does the sink have to be centered under a window?
It doesn't have to but I do like looking out the window while doing dishes.

Does it have to be under a window at all? no

The kitchen is on a cement slab.

Do you bake a lot and do you want a Baking Center? I haven't just because of lack of prep space but I hope to be baking more

I would like breakfast center.
I don't drink coffee but a beverage center for company would be nice.

Do you want a snack center? no.

What appliances do you plan on having (helps to figure out work flow, work zones, and types of cabinets...upper/lower vs full height, etc.)

gas range.
dishwasher (I hate doing dishes HATE!)
microwave... not used much but would like to have it.

Refrigerator: right now it's a small refrigerator and it'll change to a normal size fridge. probably
bottom freezer. either standard or counter depth.

Ventilation Hood? maybe or could be microwave/ventilation.

I really don't have any thoughts on:
Sizes of desired appliances

Pantry: Walk-in or cabinets? In the Kitchen or outside the Kitchen (e.g., Mudroom or hall)?
I'd love to have a huge pantry but it's a small house and that's not an option. I am thinking about using that 9 foot stretch of wall when you enter the kitchen to have cabinets for storage.

Is there anything you:
Can't live without?
dishwaster,
old kitchen aide mixer.
food processor
blender

Definitely don't want? can't think of anything.

If there is any other information that could be helpful just let me know.

susan
I'll be posting more pics soon.

I'm having photobucket issues tonight so I apologize for the big photos.

the first layout I'm not thrilled with the placement of the refrigerator.

another layout (I don't have the floor plan to post)
but it looks like this:

the second layout seems a better more efficient use of space than the first.

photos of the area coming next.

Susan

Here are some "before" and "during" pics:

nook for refrigerator:

that nook has now been drywalled over and it looks like this:

the corner windows and entrance door from the porch which is the main entrance to the house:

Move the door to where the window beside it currently resides. That's a very easy and quite doable construction solution to give you better contiguous counterspace. You could even use the existing header without modification if it's wide enough.

Thanks Green designs, Moving the door is an idea I hadn't thought of. you're right, it would make for nice counterspace area.

Moving the door to the area where the window is would be problem because the door into the porch opens into the porch against the outside of that window. it could be moved over next to where it is just to the left of the window.
I'll have to give this some thought.

the other consideration is I do need a place for a kitchen/dining room table.

Susan

the nook where the refrigerator was is now empty and the opening drywalled but is now open for storage.
Not sure if I'll use it for kitchen storage but it's a possibility.
there is no coat closet so might use it for that.

Susie, I'm surprised you haven't gotten more responses on this. I received alot of responses for my floorplan question so maybe everyone was on vacation when you posted? Maybe you should repost with a link to this thread?

Has anyone suggested expanding the window above the sink that you like looking through? Unless the view isn't that great, Iwould probably expand both of the windows on that side and have open shelves in the middle for all of my plates and glasses b/c I use them alot so I'm not worried about dust, and it's super easy to wipe shelves down. Plus the open shelves lend themselves to the open airy feeling of cottage design.

PS. I just moved into my own lakefront cottage and love it. :) I would love if my kitchen window had a view of the lake, but it's on the back of the house so doesn't and I wouldn't bother putting money into altering the window b/c it looks into the alley between my house and my neighbor so I'm quite happy it's frosted over . My goal for my kitchen is to have it feel like it came together through the years which has lead me to keep my farmhouse sink. However, I did decide to get rid of the metal cabinet underneath. Originally, I LOVED the idea of powdercoating it a pretty color and having it be a pop of color in the kitchen (similar to the way blue star ranges are with color), but ultimately decided not to because A: it's not 100% sure that they'll do a good job with refurbishing it since they're doing it for the first time and B: I too need functional storage space and if the drawer is slightly difficult to pull out or the door won't close on the first try I'm less likely to want to use it for anything I need to get to....and I didn't want anything in my kitchen that I wanted to avoid using and C: My goal is to have a kitchen I'll like in 10 years as much as I do now and I'm not sure if that pop of color, although beautiful, is something that will be very out in 10 years

I'm thinking the thread slipped in a busy time.

Susie where is the project at now? Do you still want layout input?

Hi! Have you thought of moving the diswasher to the right of the sink? and then having the fridge to the left of the sink (since you the plan already has countertop there, why not? so ppl won't be able to use the bathroom when you're loading and unloading....they wouldn't be able to use it if you open the cabinet either)??

Then, possibly I would actually carry an 18inch deep countertop to the left of the fridge and wrap it around in a U shape and have a long thin table moved a satisfactory amount away (if the table had chairs on the end and benches you could tuck underneat on the sides, that'd be even better). See link below. I measured your kitchen out and think you'd have room for it. it would increase your storage at the least. If a U around all the walls makes you feel too tight, you could just do in an L (then you'd have room for 24inch cabinets) or just along the back wall like a built in buffet.

Here is a link that might be useful: table in center of kitchen

Not much has happened with my kitchen. I've been working out of town and with saw mills closing before I get off work I haven't been able to find flooring, ceilings, and beadboard. Luckily, my job ends on thursday so I can devote all my time into putting the kitchen and bathroom together.

What I did do, is have the old sink put back into place as well as have the stove and old refrigerator put in to the left of the sink. I'm glad I did this as it really gave me a better sense of space. I'm not good at looking at a diagram on a piece of paper and imagining how it would all fit together.My kitchen looks a lot bigger on paper then in person.

I am currently having the area under the stairs turned into a small pantry... they are working on that now. And I did find some spalted white elm for the ceiling in the bathroom (which is right off the kitchen). They didn't have enough for the kitchen.The bathroom ceiling should be installed soon.

Last week my computer crashed so the pictures I had to post are lost... hopefully, temporarily but I'll have to retake them so I can post and you can all have a better idea of the size of the room and space available. As soon as I retake pictures of the kitchen I'll post them and ask for help again :)

Thanks so much for the suggestions and ideas.
I'm thinking the area to the right of the sink can either be dishwasher or perhaps a floor to ceiling cabinet.

I'll post again soon!

Susan
ps Back up your computers!!

Magsni, congratulations on moving into you lake cottage! I find mine very relaxing. Or it will be when the contents of the bathroom and kichen aren't in boxes in my living space!! LOL,