I wouldn't let the architect tell me what color to do anything. not their house and they aren't paying for it and won't be living in it.

to me that color counter top would look better on cream cabs rather than maple.

can you post pics of the rooms? looks like you might have but i can't see them. try again?

Thanks Desertsteph, I'm not sure what you mean by pics of the rooms. I posted a plan drawing and a graphic of the view of the transom cabs. Can you see neither of them?

That's correct--your pics don't show up.

Sorry about the pics. Here they are:

{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

Could you please provide us with some info on how many in your family, more then one cook?, kids?, helpers?, do you bake?... etc.

Off the cuff.... I would not want a trash in between my sink and DW. I see dripping on the counter and floor as the DW is loaded. Also, is there a reason you choose to use all frig/freezer drawers and no main frig or am I missing it? DO you have a separate pantry? What are you planning for all that space below Howard's table and to the right of the island?

There's no reason whatsoever that you shouldn't use cream cabs if that's what you want. There are many many white/cream kitchens on here that are open to the family room and are absolutely gorgeous.

I'll stop there... I don't want to overwhelm you.

Hmm...Interesting to have no full size fridge. I, too, noticed the problem of trash between sink and dw. That would be aggravating to me. I like to be able to reach both from the sink...and also like to reach the trash from the prep and cooking area. The perfect place, IMO, is where the microwave is, but, of course, that's because mine is located like that and it works great.

Do you not like the idea of separate transom cabinets? (They look nice in the renderings, but would be tough to reach and hold little) I wanted to divide my cabinet doors, but not have separate cabinets or doors, so have an additional rail about 12" down from the top.

Thanks Remodelfla, any comments appreciated. There's only me, DH just took off after 18.5 years... But, my hobby is cooking and baking my passion, so, after the renovation is finished, I intend to entertain as much as possible so I wont have to eat it all myself.

I thought about the dripping to the DW but really want a trash that's not under the sink. If I put it to the left of the sink there's not enough prep counter to the right and that's how I work with mise en place to the left between the sink and cooktop. I could move the DW to the left of the sink but someone here pointed out a year ago that the drawers will be in the way of the cooking if they are open.

I would love a real fridge, I'm especially enamored of the Thermador silhouettes. But, there is no wall for a real refrigerator. I wanted an entire wall of windows and there wasn't room on the other wall.

I wish I had a separate pantry.

I was going to do a conversation area by Howard's table to the right of the island. Just a couple of comfortable chairs and table to serve appetizers and chat with anyone who is visiting while I cook. I think it was Ruby who gave me the idea.

I agree a white/cream kitchen open to a family room is lovely, but this is the entire public area on this floor. It's all open with a vaulted ceiling and living room, not family room. I'll add another pic to give you the full picture. The funny thing in the living room is a fireplace.

Rhome I love the idea of transom cabs, just think 12" ones might look funny. I have lots of pretty casserole dishes and pots to put in them. I currently keep them on top of the cabinets which means I have to wash the guck off before I can use them. Can you show a picture of the additional rail, sounds interesting?

{{!gwi}}

Without knowing anything about you (current/future family size, how much & how you entertain, etc.), it's difficult to tell you if the layout will work for you. All I can do is critique it based on what I think would work for me...so that's what I'm going to do.

Do you have a large pantry elsewhere? For the size of your kitchen, you don't have much storage...a lot is taken up w/two trash pullouts and refrigerator/freezer drawers as well as the loss of the the corner storage. I only see useful storage in components #2, 4, 5, 7, 8, & 10 (transom cabs 6, 9, & 11 are fine for seldom-used items, but not very useful day-to-day) and maybe #1 & 17 (not sure what they are) Most of those components either aren't very wide or aren't very deep.

Is that a range or a range top? I can't really tell from the pictures & the layout does not have a cabinet # for it.

36" super/lazy susans hold a lot. In my old kitchen one susan held all my pots & pans, colanders, pizza pans, cake pans, and miscellaneous serving pieces.

A trash pullout would be more useful if it were accessible from not just the cleanup zone like in your layout, but also to the prep & cooking zones. You do have a recycling pullout there, but you really need trash as well.

Where do you plan your every day dish , glasses, & flatware storage? Most people like to store these items very near the DW; some like them to be near the place they eat the most (but that usually means either staging the clean dishes for later putting away or multiple trips around the kitchen.)

I don't see the knife block in the elevation/3D view...do you plan to have it (on the counter over the fridge/freezer drawers)?

Have you considered having your windows be counter level? It adds space behind your sink & faucet for some breathing space and, in some cases, room for a faucet! Windows mounted above the counter usually take room away from the space behind a sink b/c of the trim, sill, etc.

Is there seating at the island?

That's all for now, I'll wait to hear from you.

Sorry about the DH situation salal... been there. 'Cept mine left after 15 years and left me with a 3 and 7 year old. That was about 20 years ago and life couldn't be better.

Here's a link to erika's ridiculously beautiful kitchen. If you scroll down to the bottom of the thread there is a link to her kitchen. I just wanted you to see how a white kitchen looks while overlooking a living room with a fireplace.

I'll wait to see how you respond to rhome and buehl so I don't duplicate ideas (and their ideas are always way better then mine anyway!) But... just one thing... is that a door to the left of the table? If so... where does it lead? If it's a window... could you place it elsewhere, scoot the table over, elongate the L (or change the layout) and add a regular frig?

OH... LOVE the idea of a sitting area in the kitchen

A sitting area was something on my wish list that had to be sacrificed, so I love that idea.

You said: If I put it to the left of the sink there's not enough prep counter to the right
Why do you need 'prep space' to the right of the sink? I really would rethink that layout (sink-trash-dw) because it will require a lot of walking around instead of accomplishing what should be the simple task of dish-doing from one spot. One idea I have is that it appears that you have room for up to 21" longer island. So you could make it longer, and add the trash at the stove end, shifting the rest toward the sitting area.

If you plan to entertain, will those small fridge/freezer units allow you to store platters, enough fruit and produce, etc. that you may want to prep and have on hand ahead of time? Enough room to store leftovers? I'm not familiar enough with them to know...So just asking.

I forgot to say this last time. If cream is what you dream of, who cares what the architect says? It's a matter of personal taste and his/hers just doesn't match yours. If you love maple just as much, that's one thing, and it's worth considering. But if it's supposed to be a light wood substitute suggested to be 'close' to the cream tone you really want, you won't be happy. When you get up in the morning and go out to start the day and see your kitchen, what do you want to greet you? When the day is done, your kitchen is clean after dinner, and you're relaxing in your sitting area or living room, what do you want to see? What will excite you and make you feel SO glad you redid the kitchen that way? It has to meet your dreams. The architect will be in his/her own home, enjoying his/her own kitchen, made to meet his/her own vision. You should be doing the same.

{{!gwi}}
If I could, I'd rather face this way.

Is the fridge drawer the only refrigerator/ freezer space?
I'd opt for a full size refrigerator over the double wall ovens. You can do a 24- 30 inch built in or counter depth in that space and move an oven to the space where your refrigerator drawer is now, and one under the cooktop..

Thanks Buehl, I really appreciate your help.

The only pantry I have planned is in the full height 10" deep cabinet #1. I agree storage will be a problem but the renovation is mostly because I wanted more counter space to work at. Cabinet #17 is only 12" deep and only has a short drawer on top. The rest of the area is open to the floor and is for the dog dishes. I would like seating on the island but think I'll need the space for useful storage rather than legs & stools.

That is a cooktop, not a range. Everyday dishes will go in the wall cabinets #5, 8, & 10.

The knife block is inserted into a raised ledge that goes the entire length of the sink counter. The ledge is 8" above the counter and 8" deep and covered with tile. It will go completely into the window sill. I have selected the "Karbon" wall mount faucet by Kohler and it will go into the wall of this ledge. I wanted the raised ledge mostly to put my wine glass on while cooking but it will be useful for other things besides wine and knives.

Thanks for the DH solidarity Remodelfla, I expect life to be better than ever as well. I have a new dog and she's lots more fun than DH ever was. I couldn't see a link to Erica's kitchen?

That's a window not a door and I can't move it. I'm only doing a 5' bump-out on the sink side.

Thanks again Rhome, I need prep space to the right of the sink because that's how I cook. I would rather look out the window when it's light out than do prep at the island. I prep to the right of the sink and put my mise en place between the sink and stove.

I will do pasta and bread kneading at the island though because of the butcher block top. I don't think I want the island any bigger than it is as I'm afraid it will already be ungainly looking. I wouldn't like the wet trash in it anyway as I would drip on the floor to get to it. I have a chest freezer downstairs for leftovers and will only be entertaining 2 - 4 people at a time so I'm hopeful it will be enough with the two drawer units. The Fisher Paykel Cool Drawer is really neat as it allows you to set the entire unit to fridge or freezer depending on what you need at the time. I think this will be very useful at harvest time.

Maybe I will do the cream cabinets, thanks everyone for all your support. DH was dead set against them and the architect advised against but you're right, I should have what I want. And my opinion is the only one that matters as I don't intend to ever move so resale isn't a problem.

You didn't see it cause like a fool I forgot to link it! Again, scroll down to the bottom of the thread.

Here is a link that might be useful: erika's kitchen

Thanks for the neat switch Bmorepanic, but, if I'm not right in front of the windows I won't be able to see anything. My garden is on a fairly steep slope. I spend hours in the kitchen every day and love looking out the window while I prep etc.

Annie.zz thanks for your suggestion but this whole thing started 17 months ago because I wanted a wall oven. It's not a double, just a single and I want it up high, not under a counter.

Remodelfla thanks for the link, what a beauty!
thanks again

I rather hate to say 'I'm sorry' about the X... when my X left, my life began again! lol! so I hope your's does also! I took the 2 kids left at home and the 2 dogs and moved west. Dogs are much better friends...

anyway, I hope you do the cabs the way YOU want them done. That is a great benefit of not having a dh to please! lol! I love it.
and I totally understand the looking out the windows part, I do also. I'm gonna thro out a few ideas, just thro them right on out if you don't like them. You know the space better in real than can be seen on paper.

how about putting the table/chairs to the right of the island and Howard's table (don't know what that is) where the table is showing now? you / friends can sit there to visit and be in view of the fireplace also (unless it's the view out the door you want). and there seems to be more room to the right of the island for the table. Also, maybe a fridge in the area to the right of the back wall sliding door? Good place for upright things and platters in addition to having some of those drawers. I also don't know what those fridge drawers can hold but i like the looks and easy access of them - just not the cost. I can't see what you have planned there - my eyes are bad (the eye doctor swears I'll be able to see again when I get new glasses!).

There should be room there for counter space for landing area and pantry cabinets. some could be narrow (15"deep) if needed - better access in narrow ones anyway.

i love the idea of a place for the pet dishes - I'm planning on one of those for my baby somewhere in the new place. It's taking some thinking so it's in a place where i won't trip over her.

I have the Fisher & Paykel CoolDrawer in the island which is my main prep area. I use it for all the food I need for cooking: vegetables, fresh herbs, cheeses, prosciutto, lemons, butter, cream, eggs, etc. It's always chock-full. I've never used any of the other modes because that would mean having to empty out all the food.

There are lots of things that my fridge drawer isn't well suited for storing like platters of food, leftovers, bottled beverages and gallons and half-gallons of milk and juice. Our main fridge is located near the eating area and holds all those things plus condiments, fruit, sandwich meats, etc. Even though you live alone, the fact that you love to cook and entertain makes me very concerned you won't have enough space in your fridge drawers.

I agree with moving the trash pullout elsewhere and putting the DW next to the sink. Would you consider a double bin pullout for trash and recycle? We're a family of 3 and fanatical recyclers and it works well for us.

Because of all your appliances, you don't have very much cabinet storage. Have you mapped out every drawer and cabinet and listed what will be stored in each one? I think you could afford to make the island longer and it won't look unwieldy at all.

I can definitely understand your desire for a wall of windows and preserving your lovely view. I had to make quite a few compromises in my design in order to get my 10-foot long window.

BTW, what's a Howard's table?

P.S. @Elyse: Big hugz!

Just a crazy idea cause I was bored. It's not a fancy presentation and probably wrong for your space but here it is anyway. Time wasn't wasted cause I had fun doing it!

OT: Don't you just hate it when the man in your life is in a negative mood...UGH!

Back at ya' Erika!!

Oh.. I made the sink run 30" deep and then the overhang. The blue rectangle for the table/chairs represents the floor space/clearance the entire set would take and I guesstimated on the size.

Everything is an approximation since Powerpoint isn't set up for this.

Thanks so much everyone for all the great advice. I've swapped the trash pullout and the fridge/freezer drawers and I think it will be even better that way. That's what I love about this forum, not only do wise ones point out the problems but the fix is often what you should have done in the first place. I also added a couple of seats to the island, and it doesn't seem to be too big.

Thanks Desertsteph, The table is currently on the right of the area and it's always in the way. It's a major traffic area and, since the table has to be out from the wall I either go around it on one side or the other and neither is a comfortable width. So, I thought I should try it between the kitchen area and the living room. I'm going to wait before getting the island so I can try out different furniture settings before committing to the island size and shape.

I think the fridge on the far right would be too far to hike. The plan shows a bookshelf/hutch. I have way too many cookbooks and would love a place to put them all.

Erikanh thanks so much. Could we please see a picture of your open F&P Cool Drawer? I've only seen it on their website and can't imagine the inside. Don't know why they don't show it open. Why doesn't it store leftovers or platters? At 36" it should hold at least one platter. I don't do platters though so I guess it doesn't matter.

My recycle pullout is 2 bins and I had planned one for recycling and one for dry trash. The Trash pullout I want is from RevAShelf and it is stainless and also has two bins. One 10 litre one that I'm hoping will do for compost and a 20 litre bin that will hold wet trash.

I have gone over the plan drawer by drawer to see where all my things will go and it has much more storage than I currently have. I have all my pots on a pot rack and that saves lots of space. The architect is planning a pot rack sculpture with lights to hang over the island. Should be interesting. I had asked him about suspending some transom cabinets over the island to help define/separate the kitchen and he looked at the space and the vaulted ceiling and declared with a gleam in his eye, "Let's have some fun with this!"

Howard was my favourite uncle and he loved to cook. The table belonged to his mother and I thought it would be good to have something of his in my new kitchen. It's a walnut pedestal table and the top is ruined because he used it for a computer desk. I thought I'd replace it with Vancouver Island Marble and it would be great for rolling pastry. The rest of the time I will have a table cloth on it and use it for single dining when alone.

Remodelfla, Thanks so much for the time you spent redesigning the area, what a difference. I only want one sink and that one should be in front of the window but I will print it out and study it for some of the other ideas.

Thanks everyone, you are amazing!

{{!gwi}}

salal, that's looking great ... I think you'll like your trash much better on that side. It looks like you extended your island a bit too? Looks nice!

Here are some pics of my CoolDrawer. There are 3 compartments, so the only way you'd be able to put a platter in there is if you removed them.

The two compartments on the left are stacked, the top one is very shallow.

The only thing I don't like about it is the false panel underneath ... seems like a lot of wasted space. And when I bought mine, they only offered the integrated version. I think I would have preferred the stainless steel.

HTH,

Erika

Thanks so much Erika, that really helps. I had a hard time imagining a 36" High x 24" deep refrigerator. All I could think of is my chest freezer and how much of a pain it is to get to things. Funny how appliance people want you to order something without seeing and touching it first.

oh, I think it's looking so nice - it's getting there! I think moving the island a half a ft closer to the sink side cabs and extending it a ft to the right makes a BIG difference! the open area to the right doesn't look so BIG and it just looks better! also gives that little extra room on the table side.

i can't decide if i want a small island or my table in my kitchen either. I don't have room for both so I plan to live in it a few months until I decide. I think I do want my table in there BUT I want to live in to be sure before making any changes to the kitchen.

I've contemplated one of those chest freezers...but have visions of me trying to get something waaaay at the bottom and being only 5' finding myself landing inside on my head. With my big feet sticking out at the top. my sister might not find me there for days! lol! think i'll have to save up for a very small upright freezer. if I had lots of money i'd just put me about 4 freezer drawers in my laundry room!

I really like that cool drawer. having a few of those to pull out would be great! I don't have the cab space or money for those tho. and a bit extravagant for my limited uses. but if I had the space and money I'd still do it! lol!
I don't think things would get 'lost' like they do on the back of shelves in a regular fridge.

thx erikanh for showing the inside of your cool drawer!

I hate to say this, but I'd replace the windows with full height ones too! My house is elevated about 7 feet higher than my garden - my vista is of trees.