Can you let us know what adjacent spaces are, and how you use them? That would let us know, for example, if perhaps you should eliminate your dining room and encorporate that space into the kitchen. Also, what are your goals for your kitchen?

Nalcar,

What are the dimensions of your room?

Are you replacing separate cooktop and ovens with a slide-in range?

Where do you plan to put the MW?

Do you have room for a movable island?

I would suggest removing the bulkhead to gain that extra foot of storage (we did that and it really opened up the space- it did involve rerouting plumbing stacks- but really worth it). At the very minimum- I'd deepen the new uppers to at least the depth of the bulkhead if you keep it, sometimes that extra inch or so, means another row of glasses, wider plates, etc, can be stored.

Try a compromise height - like 24". I would be tempted to increase the cabinet depth and put doors on the other side too - using only the top and sides (and possibly an end) to support the cabinets. OR if you got some guts and into modern/clean lines, use open shelves supported on poles from the ceiling and don't have any cabinets.

In your nifty pic above, remember to leave enough wall for your range. Think it'd be on the right side of the ref outline on the wall.

Wow, that's remarkably similar to the kitchen in our old house.
I don't think I have pictures, but I'll try to post the autocad drawings of my solution this afternoon.

Is the window on the north wall a sliding glass door?

How about removing the top part of the wall as much as possible and then installing peninsula wall cabinets with glass on both sides?

This way, you can still see through, but you have increased storage, since you don't have to go that high. I have seen this done both with this configuration and open shelves. It looked quite nice and open, but yet functional.

Not the best picture, but this is all I could find of the web right now:
{{!gwi}}

This is one of those kitchens that I think would look good with short double glass peninsula cabinets above your peninsula. Also, you might think about doing the same thing aross your window at the sink. Glass on both sides would let you look through the window.

Hello, all thanks for your input.

Morton: My living/ dining is adjacent and somewhat minimum in size, particularly the designated dining area, so I probably couldn't borrow significant space from that area and I might risk blocking the access to that space if I expanded the kitchen. My main goal is to create a larger looking space without too much openess that would make the cooking/ cleaning area too open to the livingroom. I don't cook much and will admit it's more for show; but would love to have a large counter for placing items when entertaining. I would like a warm modern feel with an "Asian" calm look and wood cabinets, with neutral colors and a non- cluttered look. I'd also like to take adantage of the very high beamed ceiling by bringing the cabinet line upward.

Raehelen: the room is small but tall; 11X12 plus small alcove at the entry and a 14' high slope ceiling. I will replace the ovens with a range to eliminate the tall"blocking" elements as much as possible. Micro can stay in place on counter. I want to remove the soffit area to go higher but I think there are wires in that wall area that I have to work around.

Bmorepanic: I could see deeper cabinets with dual access. Compromising the height of the pass through is an option I can investigate. I'm in California though, so I'm concerned about open shelves (earthquakes)!

Rob p: that side window is almost to the floor and can be replaced with slider door.

M nk: I like the idea of those display cabinets; they look pretty high up as well. Maybe glass or frosted doors could work?

Live wire: I like the idea of glass cabinets above the peninsula as well. Could they start at 24-29" above the counter? And how could I apply them over a window, though?

Nalcar, you don't live in Irvine, CA do you?

I've linked below the plan for the kitchen remodel we did in our last house.

The counter to the right of the range is in front of a window that goes nearly to the floor. We had a row of drawers under the counter top and then a big open space and then a row of drawers on the ground. We kept the stand mixer, the wok and a couple of nice looking bowls down there in front of the window. It looked pretty cool. If I can dig up some pics I'll link those too.

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

I found a pic:

{{!gwi}}

Here are some pics of our recent remodel. I hope they post ok. I am new to this. We have a small kitchen probably the size of yours or smaller. I would highly recommend getting rid of those uppers if possible because we did it in the remodel and it made a huge difference. It made the space seem so much larger. I reconfigured the cabinets we had left and made them more functional. We lost very little space in actuallity since the cabinets now work for us and what we have so that everything has a place and is accessable.We also added about 6ft of cabinets on the adjacent wall that is infront of the diningroom. This holds all the seldom used china etc. There used to be a hutch in that space that held the same, but with the built in, it was again more functional. Good Luck

Here is a link that might be useful: old vs new kitchen

What about something like this?

If you can move the window in the top wall and make it counter level, it would give you ~5' more cabinet space on that wall.

If you then cut off 3' to 4' of counter b/w the Kitchen & DR, it would open it up even more.

Where does that door to the right lead? Outside? If that door could be moved (I know, probably not DIY), you could add a wall of pantry cabinets or a step-in pantry...sooooo much more room!

OR...the 66" could be cubbies if that's the main family entrance...or a combination of cubbies & pantry.

Rob p: LOL!!! I can't believe it but you had my house, or one of the same ones! ( yes, Irvine) Did yours have the high ceiling vault like mine? So you really know what kind of situation I'm dealing with. Your 'After' kitchen is very nice, especially the cabinet that crosses the window area. Very attractive and creative. I'm definitely going to consider your approach; it's better than some others I've seen in the neighborhood and the style is similar to my target as well. One question: how was it to live with the kitchen directly open to the living room like that? Does the whole thing seem different since it's now just one big room? That's the one issue I'm concerned about; I really would like to keep some of the separation intact. Please let me know. Too bad you moved or I could have seen how the whole thing felt! One more thing...what did you do with the horrible master bath with the mirror down at chest level below the counter window? What a mess!...

Ging9: I really like your pics. Your Before pics actually give me an idea of what those high separating cabinets could look like, and the after pics are lovely as well. Like I said to Rob p, I'm debating the amount of "openness" to the living/dining area I can handle ( this is the only living room, not a family room space)

Buehl, Thank you so much for drawing up these plans. I can really see how moving things around, including the window, might help expand the possibilities. I also like that you are trying to preserve some of the separation between the spaces, which I might like. Question; How high do you think the 42" upper cab, next to the range, could be off the counter? Also, what about a similar layout but keeping the window where it was, so as to frame the view outside from the living/dining area ( instead of the fridge?) Got to find out what the ramifications are of moving that window...

Too Funny!

Nope, we had the flat-roofed model.

Norton Street, on the south side of Michelson.

I can honestly say, that opening up the kitchen to the living/dining room and making it one big room was the best thing we ever did. It made the house feel so much bigger.

I'll dig through some photo albums and see if I have any more pics I can scan for you.

I drew that idea up first...but I felt that the counterspace on the end was wasted...not easy to prep there as there's no water source & it wasn't convenient to the range or anything else. Also, refrigerators (& MWs) generally work best when they're on the periphery of the kitchen--to allow snackers to use the refrigerator and/or MW without interfering w/the work being done in the kitchen.

Even if you add a prep sink (~15" wide in an 18" cabinet), it's still inconvenient to the range. If you put a MW drawer in, it would make that area more useful. But, the refrigerator is still in the middle. Snackers will have to cross into the main prepping/cooking area.

As to your question about the height of the upper cabs...it's a tough call. To me, even 30" off the counter seems low. We took down our DR wall and put in a peninsula b/w the kitchen & DR but nixed the cabinets overhead--they interfered w/line of sight and would have had people ducking to see into the next room. We're a tall family so that had some bearing on it. However, our neighbors across the street w/a similar setup are fairly short and they told me their big regret was putting cabinets over the peninsula.

This is going to have to be up to you. If I were you, I'd eliminate those cabinets. If there's any way to put in a pantry cabinet...even if you cannot move the right doorway, it would add extra space so you could justify eliminating the uppers over the peninsula.

Ideally:

Great ideas. So much to consider.

Buehl, there is a laundry area behind the door, with the W/D on the left. I will investigate the cost of relocating plumbing as a way to change the door opening location to create a cabinet. I do love the long counter with range, though. This would really facilitate my "entertaining" ideas. I also need to consider if I could change up that window, yet.

Rob p, your plan seems seems very DIY friendly and you have lived with it so that is a plus as well. Remember, my house has a 14' high ceiling line at the opening to the kitchen that I'd have to deal with; it might seem like a different space than yours did when finished. I'll need to draw an elevation view from the livingroom side to see what that looks like and how all that vertical open space and focus on the island "end" looks from there.

Still have to do some soul searching to see if I'm really a "greatroom" candidate or not; I'm still thinking some separation with upper cabs/ glass etc like some suggestions indicated may be good for me as a person who tends to like somewhat "defined" spaces...

Our uppers over the passthrough to the den are 32" above the countertop and I wouldn't want them any lower. The open feeling is wonderful and I can reach the lower shelf of the cabinets easily. I'm 5'8" and DH is 6', so shorter people might feel differently. I keep cereal in one upper with extra boxes of cereal on the top shelf. I can get to those enough to pull them off. The other top shelf has things we don't use often. All of our uppers go to the ceiling, so I keep a small stool in a corner and use it when I need things from top shelves.

On the other wall of the kitchen we have a large pocket door opening to the living room. I love having everything as open as we could manage. When I'm in the kitchen I can still be part of whatever else is going on. Only drawback: This weekend when all the children and grandchildren are here for the 4th there will be people sleeping on floors and sofas everywhere. Some like to sleep late, others like an early breakfast, but it's only for a couple of days and we'll survive and have fun!

Please remove the picture listed on page http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0709161517961.html This picture is listed on my company website as ITEM 023 at http://artisanspecialties.com/kitchen_cabinets.html the picture is http://artisanspecialties.com/kitchen_cabinet_pictures/Open%20Top%20kitchen%20Cabinet%20Over%20Kitchen%20Peninsula.jpg and was used without permission.
All TXT, CODE, and PICTURES on this site are copyrighted by Artisan Specialties and CodeLifter
If you would like to show some pictures from my website I request the following:

I receive a link from the picture you choose to use on your website, no txt link.
You download the picture. Do not link to the picture from this site.
I have the right to withdraw my permission at any time.
There is no profanity or adult content on your website.
Your website pertains to construction.
You ask permission.

Here is a link that might be useful: Artisan Specialties Cabinets and Trim Moulding