Kitchen from scratch dilemma

13 years ago

We are building a new house and the open plan living dining has a very long 7.5m alcove 2m wide for the kitchen. How do I make the kitchen space feel more cosy? Love island benches and that can sit at the edge of the 2m width. I just can't figure out how to bring the space in and where to put everything. We like traditional style to fit with our other furniture. Any ideas would be very welcome.

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Cynthia Taylor-Luce

13 years ago

To me 'cosy' means a smaller enclosed space, so with your open plan I think you'll have 'spacious' and 'airy' rather than 'cosy'. A white kitchen is probably not the way you want to go either, since it can be a bit clinical and defnitely not 'cosy'. I would look at cabinetry that's in a dark wood finish which will give it more of a furniture look. Light countertops and pretty lighting will also add style and character. If you want to draw up seating to the island, I'd recommend counter-height chairs that have upholstered seats and low upholstered backs. The upholstery will soften the look and add texture and pattern which will help to humanize the exterior view of your kitchen. I did a search on photos to show what I mean and found it very difficult to find ANY kitchen I could term 'cosy'! The photos below are as close as I could find. I hope you enjoy your new home.

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Comments (15)

tbenish
13 years ago
I have an open concept kitch/den. Originally there was a half wall between the rooms. The half wall was made into a bar. The island has a cook top with cooking access on either side. The kitchen is very warm & cozy. I believe that warmth was created by the paint color traditional design anf dk wood flooring.
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annzhouse
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for your input. We will be having timber floors so I'm not sure if timbers cupboards will be too much - as much as I love them. Maybe colour will warm up the area too - I certainly don't want clinical!
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nFORMAL design
13 years ago
One other way to make the space more intimate and cozy is to put in a drop soffit above the island and bring the ceiling height down a bit. This is done much more frequently in commercial settings, but an effect is an effect...in residential or commercial.
annzhouse
Original Author
13 years ago
I wondered if placement of appliances/ cupboards would help cosy it up as kitchen design is not firm yet - only the room itself.
annzhouse
Original Author
13 years ago
nformal - would that be over just the back wall or out to the island?
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nFORMAL design
13 years ago
You don't even have to do it over the entire space...it could be just over the island and/or in the kitchen just over the island. On common method would be to line it up with the hall. That way it covers the seats on the island bar.
gkemp
13 years ago
is the framing complete yet? Would you be able to show more of the floor plan? What is going on around the kitchen?
lefty47
13 years ago
HI -- Just a small idea for you to think about before the build -- If you could shorten the kitchen a bit - enough to add an upright freezer in the pantry,kind of beside the fridge I think you may find that so handy .
annzhouse
Original Author
13 years ago
No the walls are not up yet, and I'm beginning to think we should shorten the kitchen somehow.
gkemp
13 years ago
Hi annzhouse, my initial thought is the kitchen space feels like a pass-thru rather than a destination. I think that issue can be solved without shortening the space. Let me ask a few questions.... Is the angled wall the only entry into the quilting room? It doesn't appear to have a door, is that correct? Are the windows/ sliders in the Dining space the only access to the outdoor space? Is it possible to switch the kitchen space with the dining space (assuming the plans are not finalized yet).
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nFORMAL design
13 years ago
@gkemp...I think those are sliding doors next to the dining area, so I doubt that is possible.
annzhouse
Original Author
13 years ago
I think we need to go back to the drawing board. Thank you all for your input but I think we need to rethink the design altogether. The open kitchen idea is just not working for me.
annzhouse
Original Author
13 years ago
Not sure if anyone is still listening to this discussion, but we have redesigned the kitchen part of the house so it works better than the original design (I hope). We have a lot of timber furniture and will have a warm golden timber floor, I like fairly trad white or cream kitchen cupboards with stone bench tops - but I just can't seem to pull it all together - my husband wants black benchtops - I'm wondering if they will be too dark as the kitchen space does not have a window. We also like the idea of the island bench being a feature - different benchtops or doors maybe................you were all so helpful before in sorting out my thoughts before.....hoping you can help again thankyou.
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苏州水晶石装饰企业
13 years ago
我觉得这个方案比以前的好很多。