I cannot link the photo, I have no idea how to put a picture on here.

Sort of figured it out. Thanks! This website is a little confusing for me!

Here is a link that might be useful:

Thank you Co-co! I could not figure out how to do that!!!

Have you had a chance to read the "Read Me" thread? It's full of information on how to use this site, including how to post pictures, how to post links (in addition to using the "Optional Link" boxes), Layout Help information, etc. I've linked to the "Read Me" thread below.

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

One other thing...you're probably not receiving emails of follow-up postings, even though you checked the box requesting them. This is b/c you don't have the email option turned on in your profile. See the "Read Me" thread for more information. Scroll down to the post with the subject "Getting Emails Sent To You...3-step Process".

First, it would be very helpful if you cold post a measured layout, with or without cabinets, that has the widths of each of your walls/doorways/windows labeled as well as the distance b/w each wall/doorway/window.

Next, a few questions...

• What is your family composition? Adults? Children? Age ranges of children? Current? Future?
• How many kitchen workers are there? Cook(s)? Cleanup? Helpers? Now? Future? (E.g., if you have young children, plan for them as teens for both "sizing" of seating as well as helping in the kitchen in general)
• Do you or anyone in your home cook? (No, this is not a facetious question. Some people do not cook and their kitchen is a show place only. If that's what works for you & your family, that's fine! We just need to know that.)
• How do you see your kitchen used? Just for cooking/cleaning up? Children doing homework while you cook? Party place?
• Do you entertain a lot? If so, formal? Informal?
• Do you want your kitchen to be a "hang out" place? Parties only? Everyday?
• Do you have a separate DR? Do you use it frequently? Infrequently? If infrequently, do you want to begin using it more frequently (e.g., for daily/nightly family meals)?
• Would you like to open up the kitchen to adjacent areas? Close it up?
• Do you plan to merge two rooms/areas (e.g., Nook and Kitchen into a Kitchen only)
• Where are you flexible?

  • Can windows or doorways change size?

  • Can they be moved or eliminated?

  • Can windows be raised/lowered?

  • Can any walls come down?

  • Does the sink have to be centered under a window?

  • Does it have to be under a window at all?

Note: The more constraints you put on a space (e.g., sink centered under a window, not willing to move plumbing, electric, or gas lines), the fewer options there are. So, be sure any limitations/constraints you mention are true constraints. You could say you'd like something to not be moved/changed or placed in a certain location, but if it's not a must or truly impossible, then mention it's a preference but that you would consider something different.

BTW...don't assume something is "too expensive" to do...check around b/f assuming, you may be pleasantly surprised at how little it costs! (E.g., if you have a basement, moving water, etc. is generally relatively inexpensive.)

The "Layout Help" topic in the "Read Me" thread has more information, but this is a good start (it's actually an excerpt from that thread).

If this is your proposed layout, what is your current layout? Right now, everything is so disconnected. I'd like to see a better connected kitchen that gives you a good workflow, workspace, and minimal traffic through, at least, the Cooking Zone.

Please, let us know what can be changed and what the measurements are. To go much further, we really need that information!

Thanks for the info! I will be sure to read that link because I was very confused.

I do have the measurments for the rooms, I will be sure to post an updated layout when I get a chance. First I will try to answer all of these answers to give you a better idea of what I'm looking for.

We are a family of 4, my Husband, and 2 young boys, ages 3 and 1. Late 20s. We do plan on having 1 more, but not for awhile. I am the only kitchen worker we have. I spend the majority of my day in the kitchen and dining room. Cooking and cleaning. We sit down for 3 meals a day at the dining room table. When I am in the kitchen I cannot see what the kids are doing in the living room because there is a 5'3 wall in front of the stove, in fact I cannot see them from anywhere in the kitchen and dining area.

We do on occasion entertain, mostly family that stays for the weekend and are always in the dining and kitchen area. It is very informal, but I spend hours preparing appetizers beforehand and hours cleaning up after.

We use our dining room from meals to puzzles to finger painting daily.

I definitely do not want to close the space off. I feel very confined in my area and do not have much workspace to cook. And when it comes to opening up, I love open floor plans, I am just not sure if it will work in my house. I am very open to it.

Flexibility:
The only door that could not be opened up or moved would be to the laundry room, next to where the fridge is now.
I do not have any windows in my kitchen OR dining room, which is another problem I have (the lights are almost always on in the afternoon.) The window from the dining room to the entryway (is actually just a square opening in the wall with trim around it) could possibly be opened, but the entryway was an addition so I'm not sure how it works.. if it's a supporting wall or if it could be changed.

I would like to say any walls could come down, meaning we are open to it, but not sure what is possible for the structure.

The sink does not need to be centered and I don't think it would be a problem to move things around. Our stove is electric so that should not be a problem to move either.

I have been staring at this layout all night. I do not know if the wall can be taken down between the living and kitchen/dining room because there is a metal duct in the open space between. If it could I would love to open it up, but would lose 2 of the 5 hanging cupboards and tiny counters. My whole laundry room is a wall of storage cupboards where I put the things I use most, crockpot, casserole dishes and entertaining things. The pantry is also rather large and can store a lot in there. We do not have much, only the basics, so it all fits and works well in what I have now. However, it is just not functioning the way I would like it to. With it's awkward shape, I would like suggestions on what I could possibly do to change it. From a rolling island...

And this is the current layout, that does not work! I just cant vision what it "could be"

It may be a little bit off.

hi MStolp,
hope this helps.
you could back the fridge into a recess in the laundry room;
doing this raises the floor of the laundry room in that section.
and, similarly, you copuld raise the floor of the laundry room over more area, a larger "room"; this would give you space for other recessed things who knows what.
underneath the raised floor would a longterm storage space in the laundry room.

proximity to existing plumbing (vent and drain) will limit the distance your new sink (s) will be from the current spot;
but this is not a big deal now, since it's a small space.

keep refining that layout, and get it right.
post another layout along with a positive statement that you got it right.
wall thickness (of the walls as they are now) is good to know so include that in the layout too.
post where plumbing vent and drain are.
post an image that displays larger than what we see above.
the image is so small in photobucket that i cannot read the numbers of your dimensions, because my expanding it causes it to go fuzzy.
don't despair, be happy, have fun getting your numbers onto images that the crowd can see.

is ceiling height higher in the laundry room?

this is a challenging space.

hth

We took down the wall b/w our DR and kitchen but had to leave a 2' section to accommodate an HVAC duct to our upstairs bedroom. The duct was in the middle of the wall space, but we moved it to the far side of the wall space so we could take advantage of as much openness as possible.

Would you be able to take down the entire wall except a small section with the duct? What about the small wall segments b/w the DR an kitchen?

Would you be able to move your duct? It may not be necessary, but the more we know about what can be done, the more options we can show you.

Darn on the Laundry Room door! That was the one I was hoping you could move!

So, the DR "window" isn't to the outside, it's just into the entry way, correct? How far off the floor is it?

Regarding the measured layout you posted, it's too small to read and when I zoom in, it's far too blurry to read. Could you please post a bigger/clearer one?

Light...some people have installed "solar tubes" to bring natural light into their windowless kitchens. do a search for "solar tube" to find out more information. I have limited knowledge about them.

Table seating...how do you feel about "banquette" seating? It frees up quite a bit of space b/c you don't need to plan for traffic behind the seats against the wall.

Thanks again for suggestions. We are limited with options for the laundry room since it's lower than the rest of the house, there are 3 stairs to go down into the laundry room, and behind the fridge is the stairs to go down in the basement.

As far as that wall blocking, with the duct in it, it is a load bearing wall, but I was thinking of putting a section around to cover it, so that wall will be bumped back by 1 1/2 ft.

I have still been playing around with dimensions and numbers but here is what I've come up with, and would love an opinion. Since there are just too many doorways and not enough counter space, I was thinking of switching the dining room and kitchen around. So, in front of the window opening to the entryway would be the cleanup area (sink dishwasher ect and I figure I could get more light and actually be looking outside. The fridge would move just to the other side of the wall it's currently on,since that wall is also a support wall, but we could maybe make it a little smaller. I put it together on lowes planner, and all of my current cabinets fit but will maybe need more or different sizes. I am still trying to incorporate some kind of island looking into the living room, and having it more of an L shaped to expand the counterspace. And I also opened up that wall (where the kitchen might be) more, to be able to see everything room from the kitchen. Let me know if you have any advice.