Software
Houzz Logo Print
emmielou72

Need help with mid-century kitchen remodel layout

9 years ago

Hi I am planning a full remodel to our kitchen. We have a 1962 post and beam house with a beautiful window wall in the kitchen. We are replacing is a 1980's formica kitchen and the layout is not ideal either. I'd like to work with the style of the house and have a user friendly layout and create a mudroom coming in from the garage and a desk workstation or possibly a small powder room. I'm working with a designer I like, but her initial designs have some windows being closed up and the fridge in a corner. The space is tricky with the windows so I could really use some help! The first photo is a design (closing 2 windows) with the current layout as an overlay. The second is the kitchen as it is now and all the appliances are behind the peninsula in the far corner.



Comments (15)

  • 9 years ago

    Can you post just the existing floor plan's drawing with dimensions? I too wouldn't close up any windows. In fact, is it possible that originally all those windows in the second photo went to the floor but were closed up in the 80s?

    Em R thanked sheloveslayouts
  • 9 years ago

    I just saw a MCM episode of "love it or list it" on HGTV with similar windows and the kitchen looks fantastic. I can't find good pics of it online but here is one. Behind the partial wall is the dining table. Jealous of the wall of windows- what a great space!

    Em R thanked brdrl
  • 9 years ago

    Oh, keep all those windows!!! Don't close a single one. Fantastic.

    Yes, please post the current kitchen with dimensions. We'll work hard to find a functional, attractive plan that allows you to keep all the windows.

    Em R thanked funkycamper
  • 9 years ago

    Agree with funky camper. Keep those windows!

    Em R thanked my_four_sons
  • 9 years ago

    I wouldn't want to lose any windows either.

    I saw the mcm kit remodel on hgtv too. it was on again last night. check the guide to see if it'll be on again this week.

    Em R thanked desertsteph
  • 9 years ago

    What is your weather and bug situation like? I think I would go the opposite direction and try to make it so that the wall of windows can disappear by opening to the outside so that in good weather you could enjoy the outdoors directly.

    Em R thanked practigal
  • 9 years ago

    Oh, of course, practigal. I see that there is a slider on the DR side that opens. If the kitchen design can open to the deck as well. Why not?

    I'm kinda anxious to see your floorplan, emmielou. We need a floorplan with dimensions. Preferably on graph paper.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for your replies! I can see by the dated glass window panes that the sizes of windows and sliders are original. There are 2 sliders in the kitchen. I'd be willing to lose the lower half of one or both of the sliders (there are 3 other exits in the room and a slider to the deck in the dining room also). The corner where the cooktop and microwave is living now is actually blocking the best view. I dreamed about opening that corner by continuing with more windows and having banquette seating and a table there.

    funkycamper-I agree opening up to outdoors would be great but it's not realistic here. I'm north of NYC, the summers are super humid and our house backs up to a nature reserve with wetlands so it's super buggy :(

    This is the current floorpan. I'll work on getting the exact measurements. The deck photo is the view that's mostly blocked by the microwave and cabinets.

  • 9 years ago

    I would love to see photos of the rest of your house just for fun. It looks very cool.

    What is the room to the left of the kitchen, i.e., to the left in your floorplan above? Can that wall be moved to make your kitchen a tad bigger?

    Em R thanked funkycamper
  • 9 years ago

    I agree to avoid losing windows if possible. We're in the end stages of renovating an MCM. It's all about letting the outdoors in!

    Em R thanked dbabrams
  • 9 years ago

    funkycamper the room to the left is the dining room. it's quite small so there's not much to take and still have room for a decent sized table. I would like to open the two rooms up more to each other...but that makes even less room for appliances and cabinets. the designer's plan above has a bar and wider entrance.

    Living room and dining room- both works in progress


  • 9 years ago

    Is that an Eames? Awesome! And love that Ikea pendant. I'm imagining that the light from it plays in a very interesting way on your lovely ceiling. I'd love to see a night time picture of it turned on. Your home is incredible.

    You have three eating areas back-to-back in your new plan? Do you really need all of them? In your proposed plan, is that room at the top of the plan a new laundry room?

    I'm having trouble reconciling some of the photos to where they might be on the floorplan. For example, that last picture in your post above, where is that? Could you give us a floorplan of the entire floor the kitchen is on? It can be hand-drawn. It's best if it's on graph paper, to scale, with dimensions. But even a rough drawing would help at this point and you could put something more detailed together later.

    I have a few ideas bouncing around in my head but I really need to see a drawing with the rest of the space to see if they might work before I take the time to put them together.

    Do you really want your kitchen so closed off from the rest of the house? Most MCM homes I've seen with walls of windows are more open concept than you have. My idea, if it works with the rest of the space, would be to open it up more to the dining and the rest of the house, have a lot of pantry space for main storage, and more of an un-kitchen kitchen design in that great room with the wall of windows. Does that sound like something you'd like?


  • 9 years ago

    Thank you funkxycamper- here's a pic of the room at night-giant spiders is what i think of! Yes the three back to back is too much. I just like the placement of the eat-in-kitchen area because I would be able to sit and eat/work and look out back.

    The first post pic has a laundry/mud room at the top, yes. The second photo on the most recent post (with the playpen) is of the dining room that I would like to open up more to the kitchen. I love your ideas and I'll work on getting a graph paper drawing.

    This is the layout. The 2 stairs lead up to the bedroom level of the house.

  • 9 years ago

    I played around with your plan a bit. Without dimensions, I don't know if this is feasible. My idea was to try to swap sides with your existing kitchen proper and existing breakfast area, putting the half exterior wall toward the garage and the slider toward the good-view side of the kitchen.