We haven't broken ground yet but we signed with the title company today so very soon...

Our kitchen is an open concept but the true kitchen portion is roughly 14x22 (not including the butlers pantry). To be honest, I don't know if that's big or not. :)

We also break ground in a week or two.

I based my kitchen on Ina Garten's Barn and Kitchen of the Year. It is 13.5 x 18. With extra walkway space. This includes a 17ft island. Hard to explain how it is laid out. My pantry is 8 x 10. I have a big built in breakfast nook, butler's pantry, and desk area that are connected but not technically in the kitchen.

So my kitchen is quite large based on other plans I have seen. But my house is very big too. Allthough it is the second to smallest in my neighborhood...go figure.

I will say that size does not make a kitchen a dream. Trust me I had much smaller plans for a fabulous kitchen, but the sq minimum for my "hood" is huge. But the land was cheaper than expected so I could afford the bigger house.

My NYC condo kitchen is literally 7x6 and I renovated it into quite a jewel box. Also cooked big dinner parties in it.

After two years in my new home, I'm still ecstatic over my kitchen even tho, compared to many that I see on plans posted here, it isn't really all that big. The "working area" is about 12.5 x16 but that doesn't include the breakfast nook. Here is a quick diagram that was done on Paint so isn't perfectly accurate but it's pretty close. The grid lines are 1 ft apart.

The only thing I would change if I had it to do over again is that I would move the dishwasher 12" closer to the sink. I was so worried about not having room to stand at the angled sink when the DW door was open that I ended up setting it a tad too far away so that I sometimes wind up dripping water on the floor when moving dishes from sink to DW.

Other than that, it's a dream to work in! Plenty of counter space; plenty of storage; the sink, fridge and stove and MW are close enough together that I don't wear myself out getting a meal on the table; and yet there is room enough for a couple of cooks to work together without getting in each other's way.

And best of all, when I have company and everyone gathers "in the kitchen" -- as everyone always does!-- the kibitzers (non-cooks) naturally tend to stay on the nook side of the bar instead of wandering into the working area. There is plenty of seating there and they can get to wine/beer/sodas/water and see and talk to me without ever coming around the end of the peninsula. That means I can visit while I finish cooking without simultaneously having to worry about bumping into someone while carrying a boiling pot of pasta from the stove to the sink or constantly having to ask someone "to move over just a little" so I can get into a cabinet or drawer that they're blocking.

I do think people sometimes go overboard when designing a kitchen and make it so large that one practically needs roller-skates to get around in it. LOL. A dream kitchen does NOT have to be huge. It just needs to be well-designed for your cooking habits.

For example, I've never been a big fan of kitchen islands although I know they're all the rage. To me, kitchen islands usually force kitchen to be way too large and they often wind up sitting smack dab between between the sink and the stove, or between the stove and fridge. Plus, when you have people over, everyone winds up standing around the island making it just about impossible for the hostess to get any final meal prep completed.

Hope things work out for you to get your "someday house" built soon.

Just read your blog post...so sorry about your renovation nightmare. And I actually thought the year it took me to find my lot was horrible.

But we found a great architect, the land and hopefully the builder lives up to his promise... so the dream will soon be a reality. Hope things get better.

My kitchen/eating area is 17-1/2 x 25', with a separate pantry. That seems big to me, my house is 2400 sq ft. I'm sure it's that size because I spent too much time over in the kitchen forum. We'll have a window seat and a woodstove in it so I think it will be a nice place to hang out. We move in October.

Btw - nice blog and good luck.

Secret admirer of your kitchen.

Bevangel- I really like your kitchen plan! Having the beverage fridge and bar sink in that location is such a smart idea...and great nook, too :)

Jenswrens- Nice to see you back! Your kitchen is so pretty. How do you like the wood countertops? They look beautiful...but have you had any trouble with the sink? I'm thinking about a prep sink with wood, so just wondering.

As for your 'Someday House' I hope things work out...I know you've had some beautiful kitchen/house plans and I look forward to seeing your latest version!

Our kitchen will be about 11x19 with a separate pantry. I think the layout will work well for us even though it seems to be on the average side on this forum. :) Coming from a tiny 10x10 footprint with about 6 linear feet of counter space, I'm sure it will seem like a palace!

I was simultaneously laughing and crying when I read the main page of your blog. I can soooo relate to the missing trim, projects unfinished and looking out the window for CPS to come take my kids away for raising them in a dilapidated house! Here's to better futures to us both!

I am very interested in these responses also Jenswren. Still looking at houseplans - close to closing on land and hope to sell our existing home and break ground in 2014. Read your blog and it's making me wonder what we are getting ourselves into! While looking at plans the kitchens really stick out as far as the shape and size and really how much space do you NEED for a nice functional kitchen! I am so used to my 10x10 kitchen that is cramped mostly due to poor layout. I *think* a 12x12 that has a nice flow with decent walkways would probably be enough but it's so hard to say. Have you went through parade homes or anything like that to get a vibe on if you prefer L shaped or U shaped, galley, etc.? I plan on doing that myself next year, missed them this year and I need visuals (and will probably bring a tape measure)!

Not trying to highjack here but a question for you Bevangel-you have a raised bar? Do you enjoy that? I have a small 10x10 kitchen (sounds very similar to parsonse) right now and use the peninsula a lot for food serving, kids doing homework or having a snack while I'm in the kitchen - not sure how I'd like a dual height surface but that may be likely because it is also my main prep area??? I think my kitchen is a G shape maybe, with a walk way right through the main area between the stove, fridge and sink! Thoughts on that? I see a lot of plans now with the sink/dw in the island/peninsula.

Autumn - I do like my dual height peninsula although, if I had toddlers and no breakfast nook right next to the kitchen, I'd probably feel differently. Toddlers on tall bar stools scare me! When my pre-school aged niece and nephew visit, they are NOT allowed on the bar stools. When their Mom and I are working in the kitchen, they sit in the breakfast nook instead of at the bar. (Probably helps that I have several birdfeeders out back so there are usually a number of avian visitors for them to watch!)

Some of the reasons I chose a raised bar over a single-height surface.

1) Obviously, it gives DH and visitors a place to perch and have a glass of wine or a cup of coffee while visiting with me when I'm cooking. Sometimes adults don't feel comfortable "sitting" while others are working so they'll stand even when plenty of chairs are available. Maybe being perched on a barstool doesn't feel quite so "lazy" as sitting.

2. When we sit down to meals in the breakfast nook, no one can see any of the dirty dishes left behind in the sink or on the stove.

3) The raised bar totally keeps kitchen messes hidden from anyone who comes to the front door unexpectedly. (From the great-room, you have to walk to within a couple of feet of that wide doorway before you can see anything on the counters behind the raised bar.) So the kitchen FEELS open when you're working in it but the work surfaces are really quite well hidden.

4) The raised bar is a perfect spot for setting up a buffet dinner which lets me keep both the breakfast nook and dining table free for seating. Only problem is that small kids can't serve themselves... then again, given little fingers that sometimes don't get washed quite as well as perhaps they should be, maybe that's not a problem. LOL!

Having the raised bar doesn't seem to have any negative impact on my "prep area" because the lower counter top is still a full 2 feet deep and the lip of the upper counter only overhangs the lower counter by about 2 inches.

Lastly, you mentioned a walk way right through the main area between the stove, fridge and sink. One of the things I wanted to avoid in my kitchen was having a walkway from one room to another that passed in front of my stove. It is just too easy for someone walking past a stove to accidentally brush against a pot handle and send the contents to the floor. And given those bulky backpacks with straps and doodads dangling every which way that all school kids now seem to carry, I can imagine one of those straps swinging into a cooktop flame as a kid walks by.... So I tried to position my stove so that, unless one is actually cooking a meal, there is almost no need to ever walk right next to the stove.

Thanks bevangel - so grateful for your detailed response! Yes we are very used to (but sick of) doing the dance in the kitchen anytime anyone wants through and worse yet - the fridge is furthest from the table so if I'm still at the stove and the kids are trying to set the table, condiments, milk, etc it is a nightmare!

My peninsula is 66 1/2 wide x 41 deep and is my favorite place to stand and prep - I can look out both the kitchen window and the dining windows (eat in kitchen so it's not far). It's really the only thing I LIKE about my current space - and that I can easily pivot between the sink and the peninsula. So you essentially have a 48" depth split evenly between the 2 levels. I think I was picturing a very narrow top bar.

I have searched high and low (google search) for pics of your kitchen. Do you have a link or would you mind posting a pic?

We are building right now. The drywall is almost done. We bumped out our kitchen twice, 1' more then another 2', and I'm so glad we did. Our kitchen is about 18'x13' with a 15'x8' adjacent eating space. I wish we could have gone bigger, but we did as much as we could afford. I think it's more important to have the kitchen well designed than to have it big. I'm so grateful for all the help and guidance I received from the kitchens forum here because I believe my kitchen will be very functional. It really helped to go through our specific kitchen needs for our family. We cook a ton, kids like to "help", DH is always in my way, and I needed to make sure the kids could safely prepare snacks or do homework at the island while I cook. All this helped determine appliance and cabinet placement.

If you haven't read through buehl's extensive (slightly overwhelming) "new to kitchen forum" thread in the kitchens forum, I highly recommend it.

Autumn - I sent you an email offline with pics you requested.

Bevangel- I understand, if you don't want to post all your pictures...but any chance we could see just the breakfast nook? I'm interested in the built-ins, for my mom's kitchen. She has a big window that also overlooks her birdfeeders :)

The business end (excludes dining nook, butlers pantry and walk-in pantry) is 20' x 16'.

Here is a link that might be useful: Build Blog

We have about 20x18 in our design if you include the area taken by the casual dining banquette and the open space just beyond the island, or maybe more like 15x18 if you exclude that, though we have overflow in a butler pantry/storage pantry and a storage room in the adjacent service wing.

I built about 14x16 in my last project and that was very spacious so I hope I'll be satisfied with this! We are squeezed into 13x12 in the current layout and I can't fit everything in.

I just noticed something very odd in this thread. Are kitchen tables going the way of the dodo bird? I've seen breakfast looks, kitchen island with 2 to 3 seats, But in this design plans today I don't see a kitchen table with for to six seats.

If you have a family of 4 to 5 are you now eating at the dining room table most of the time? Or has the family meal gone the way of the dodo bird?

hp

I just noticed something very odd in this thread. Are kitchen tables going the way of the dodo bird? I've seen breakfast looks, kitchen island with 2 to 3 seats, But in this design plans today I don't see a kitchen table with for to six seats.

If you have a family of 4 to 5 are you now eating at the dining room table most of the time? Or has the family meal gone the way of the dodo bird?

hp

Thanks everyone for all your replies! So, I guess I am suffering from dream kitchen delusion. I look at pics of many of the homes in the "How's your build..." threads and wonder about actual size and space.

It seems that most of you who answered are working with or living in a space similar to my proposed space (21 x 16, plus a little bump out for a table). I want and dream of a giant square space, but the reality is I am limited by my DEP-allowed footprint, and I know my house can't be all kitchen, even though I'd sometimes like it to be.

Bevangel, your space is very inspirational - because it functions so well. I am all about function in the kitchen, keeping people out of the work zone, yet having an open, airy, 2+ butt kitchen.

whallyden, thank you for the elevation pic - it's very helpful, and the layout is similar to what I want. I'm assuming that 16' space includes a walkway behind the island (where the stools are)?

Lav - we have been in limbo for the past year, but have a new architect now, a new engineer, a new direction... So, I'm hopeful, and glad to be back on the boards.

Heading over to the Kitchen Forum now to post a plan and see what happens...

Maybe someday (oh my, did I say that?), I'll be able to join everyone here posting in one of the "How's your build?" threads. That's my goal. :-)

Ours is 11 x 20. We've been in the house 2 years and I love it. Functions great!

My actual kitchen is about 16'x20'...I also have a breakfast nook that's built into a bay window, and one side of the kitchen is open to the family room. The pantry closet is just around the corner with the door opening to the hallway instead of the kitchen.

Kitchen

Mail station, bar, ovens on the right side

Breakfast nook: (you can just see the edge of the kitchen on the right)

I have to say the space works perfectly for us. I love that DH can be doing clean up at the sink while I can continue cooking between the cook top, oven, fridge and prep sink. And the aisle ways are fine for us to get by each other. Bar is also great for entertaining. But when the girls come over, we coffee klatch at the breakfast nook. (note, table is a temporary one...we are working on plans for a replacement)

Our actual kitchen, not including the dining area, is 20x18. It's large, but laid out so it functions well for me. Especially when our big family is all home.

We have lived in our current home for over twenty years - the kitchen is 10 x 12, and there's a very small pantry closet in the breakfast room. I love my U-shaped kitchen so much that our new kitchen will be pretty much the same style and size, just a smidge larger - roughly 12 x 12 - plus we will have a little larger pantry closet off the kitchen. I find it very easy to reach everything, and I love the 9 feet of open counter space that runs along one side of the kitchen. It's a little cozy when hubby and I are both working in the kitchen, but I find that romantic! ;-)

We have been in our house about 3 1/2 yrs. now and I love our kitchen! Of course, our house is only 1650 sq. ft. but our kitchen is about 16 X 12. It functions very well for just my Dh and me.

Our new kitchen will be 14' X 15', but it is U-shaped (actually G-shaped with the peninsula), and no through traffic, so I think it will be plenty for two people. It is open to a good-sized dining room as well. I think it is adequate-to-large for the 1250 sq ft home.

I incorporated two sinks so that the kitchen has two work zones- fridge/prep/cook, and a separate clean-up area with its own sink and a dishwasher. After subtracting for the sinks and range, there is still almost 30' of counter space. Our old kitchen has 12' of counter!

"whallyden, thank you for the elevation pic - it's very helpful, and the layout is similar to what I want. I'm assuming that 16' space includes a walkway behind the island (where the stools are)?"

Yes, and then the space bumps out another ~7' of so for the casual dining area.

I'm looking at all these. kitchens and it seems that kitchen tables are no longer in so to speak. Is it just two stools at the island and two chairs at the breakfast nook

is the average idea of a family dinner or family meal together gone away? Or is it the idea that the average family United States is down to about one child per family ? speaking of birth statistics:

Even the Catholics are down on their birthrates, the only real exceptions are the Muslims. I'm all for higher birthrates don't get me wrong. It's amazing how birthrates are affecting countries. For example Italy now has a birth rate of 1.1 child per family, again except for Muslims. So now most the country is slowly becoming Muslim.

Birth statistics aside, our dining room tables the only large table in the house to eat nowadays?

hp

By the way where do you put your extra freezers? In the basement or in the garage?