Created pass through to dining room from kitchen

8 years ago

We were supposed to have started our remodel a month ago but ran into a very unfortunate contractor issue and while trying to resolve issues with the help of an attorney I've been thinking about the opening we have between the kitchen and dining room.

A while back we created a half wall between the kitchen and dining room to see how we liked the open feel before doing our major remodel. There is a framed header the same height as the other door ways in the home above it and on one end it opens to the actual walkway between kitchen/dining. Some time after the contractor opened it for us, we noticed that it is off by 6/8 of an inch from one end to the other. Might not seem like a lot but it's noticeable and now every time I look at it I see it.

So while thinking about getting it fixed I've started thinking about what it would look like to take the header wall above the peninsula and doorway area all the way out and just wrap the two end walls with crown moulding into the kitchen.

For reference in our new plan the peninsula will not have a capped wall like it does now, but will be 18" depth cabinets with a 15" overhang of granite into dining room side to allow for two stools.

The wall you see in bottom picture where Keurig is currently plugged in is the outside wall of a walk in pantry which is why we can't open the kitchen and dining room all the way across.

I feel like it could make things seem more open. We only have 8' ceilings and thought it might make it seem taller. Thoughts?

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Joseph Corlett, LLC

8 years ago

No granite with overhang, no stools please. You have a beautiful Craftsman style home. Please learn to embrace the formality of your home's style. You've met the limit of "open concept" here.

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Comments (6)

sheloveslayouts
8 years ago
I like the header. It separates the dining room from the kitchen and ties into the rest of your home's doorways.

Why are you adding a bar with stools? Do you really need seating in the kitchen at the small table a few feet from stools at a counter a few feet away from the dining table? If you require counter seating, I think you'd be better off doing counter seating in the form of a table or built in island where your small table presently is.
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sheloveslayouts
8 years ago
It doesn't look like you have posted a request for layout help on this forum. It would be a good idea to go ahead and have folks review it. They might see improvements you haven't considered.
townlakecakes
8 years ago
I agree with Joe and Benjesbride. I don't why you'd need a third area for seating. It's not consistent with the style of your home and doesn't fulfill a missing need. If it were my home, I would even consider adding a post to mimic the one between living and dining. It doesn't seem like a spot where people would gather because of the table immediately behind and because it's a walkway. We're building a similar opening with a single header. We are going to see how we like it, but I expect we will add a post in the end because it's more appealing to the eye than having an odd shape. That kind of opening usually feels like an afterthought to me...unfinished.
townlakecakes
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
On another note, are you sure you would even be able to recess the header? If it's perpendicular to the ceiling joists it would probably be a no go.
Kat
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Thanks, the house is a raised beach bungalow that was actually wide open(other than the completely closed off kitchen) when we bought it. We added the craftsman details ourselves when we first purchased including the bookcases that divide the living room from dining area as I needed a place for our homeschooling books to be stored. It is not a true craftsman home but it suits the style fairly well..

Yes the header can go. It's a truss frame and side walls are bearing.

The kitchen table will be going and there will be an island but it will only be big enough to accommodate two stools.

We are a large family with young children and teens and felt that having the island area and peninsula area for additional seating for quick meals and snacks would be beneficial, but mostly I wanted the peninsula for serving food into the dining room table. At first we weren't going to do stools. I was just going to take the cap part of the wall off and have granite extend over cabinets and wall to make a level serving area. Then we decided to do the shallow cabinets pulled forward to allow a recessed stool area for no back stools. I have an inspiration photo from pinterest but don't know if that is against the rules.

Here's a couple of photo renderings but the peninsula wall is different on both and neither is accurate at the moment for what we have planned.(adding in regards to the peninsula, everything else is correct)