Kitchen help-opening vs. cabinets, banquette, step down...

5 years ago

Hi all--I'm agonizing over our reno plans. We're replacing the kitchen in the home we purchased and opening it to the living and dining rooms. We need an open kitchen, as we have small children, but in doing so we're losing a lot of wall (cabinet and counter) space. Similarly, we're planning to put in a banquette, but that will limit the single wall run as well. On the other hand, the wall has low windows that would need to be made smaller or raised to continue the countertop, and that would be $$$. I'd love any feedback on layout, cabinet design, ways to get a little more storage, etc.

I'm also generally feeling like we need some sort of better landing space (coats, shoes, etc) and would love any recs for built ins etc. These are the plans. Basically it involves taking out a wall between kitchen and dining, taking most of the wall between kitchen and casual living (with rail and two step downs, which already is there) and opening the wall between formal living in the front and the entryway.

I'm generally just nervous about making the wrong decisions and would be extremely grateful for constructive suggestions. We're replacing all cabinets, appliances, countertop, and putting in wood to match the rest of the first floor in the kitchen where there's currently tile.

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Comments (8)

lmckuin
5 years ago
I’m not a pro so take my thoughts lightly. It overall, I think it looks nice. In terms of where to put more storage, do you need your dining room to be that wide? You could make the opening smaller and have a built in built on each side of the opening. One facing in for dishes, platter storage and the other facing the hallway for landing zone, etc.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
5 years ago
Big time and I like kitchens open to DRs but not to LRS ever. I hate banquette seating I can barely handle it in a diner . If you open the wall between the entry and the LR no wonder you need a place for coats you have none. The floor plan has no meaurements and does not enlarge so really we have no idea of the size of the spaces
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User
5 years ago
Leave some walls. Bowling alley spaces are not pleasant spaces. They are disproportionate and need the space broken up. You already have the space broken up. Leave it that way. With maybe some wide cased openings.

You need an architect and a kitchen designer.
Reno Help!
Original Author
5 years ago
Sorry OP here--these plans are from our architect. She does incredibly beautiful work, but I wanted to get some second opinions bc I'm worried that she may be a bit more minimalist...
Buehl
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Your DR table is right there...I would not put in the banquette as it's taking up space that can be more useful as part of the Kitchen. Your kitchen is now crammed into a small space with all three primary work zones (Prep, Cooking, Cleanup) crammed into an even smaller piece of that limited space. You have children? The lack of useful counterspace, etc., will become a major issue very shortly as they begin to help out...assuming your partner isn't helping out now and you're the only one working in the Kitchen. If s/he helps out, then it's going to become an issue immediately!
Buehl
5 years ago
FYI...most architects are lousy Kitchen Designers. They're fine for things like the overall flow of a home, designing for your site, architectural interest, etc., but they don't understand good Kitchen design. Sure there are some that can do both, but I don't think yours is one of them...sorry if you're unhappy with what I've just said, but I think it's better to hear it now than later, when it's too late to fix the issues. The smart architects hire a KD or send you to one.
Buehl
5 years ago
Your layout has no dimensions. If you'd like help fixing the issues, please post a fully-measured layout of the spaces under consideration (in your case, Kitchen & Dining Room). An excerpt from the Featured Answer in the "New to Kitchens? Read Me First!" thread:

Please post a fully-measured layout of the space(s) under consideration...either hand-drawn, computer generated, or drawn up with computer/app tools.

By "fully-measured", we mean a layout with the widths of each wall/window/door/doorway and the distances between each wall/window/door/doorway labeled. See a sample below. If something cannot be moved or changed, label it precisely on your layout (see post in sample) and tell us why it cannot be moved/changed -- we may have some ideas for you.

Regardless of how you draw it up (by hand, computer, etc.), please be sure all measurements are labeled. (Note: Computer generated layouts often lack key measurements and, sometimes, measure to/from things like the middle of a wall or the middle of a window. Neither are useful. Measure each item and the distances between each item.)

Other questions...
- What appliances (& their sizes) do you plan to have?
- Where are you flexible? Can walls/windows/doors/doorways change (move, change size, add, delete)?
- Do you have a basement under the Kitchen or are you on a slab?