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will2kz_gw

Kitchen stadium (not for the faint at heart)

will2kz
11 years ago

Hello world,
I owe much of my slowly amassed wisdom to forums like this and when I can, I do try to contribute back. I've been putting this off for a bit, so I have spared you months of planning, pontificating, and questioning. Thanks for the help on a couple of topics in the appliance forum. So without further ado, I shall begin at the beginning, and when I get to the end, I will stop.

PS - If I sent you to this sight because you wanted to know how the "kitchen was turning out?" do think better of me for at least trying to reveal some of my madness to the world. We all need our outlets....

Chapter 1 - the problem kitchen




So most who see my 11 year old kitchen (as it was until 4 weeks ago) would say it was beautiful and not in need of anything (apparently I have first world problems). Indeed shiny black granite (when clean, and no other time) pops under nice lighting with nice cabinets. But looks and function are two different things. I cook, as in REALLY. I consider myself a full contact cook. I needed a space where I can be doing 3 things at once (yes, likely one of those as an adult version, we're everywhere!), and not have guests in my way. We frequently entertain with 2 or more families with kids milling about, wandering through my work triangle, getting under my feet, tempting fate with fire and sharp knives.... We host parties with 20 or more 3-4 times a year, with a couple of 70 person parties around the holidays. It’s a big house (>5000sq ft), and the kitchen suffers to keep up with me, and not endanger those in my path.

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First, look at this island.
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Sure it is a reasonable triangle for the sink, stove, and fridge, but it is all in one very tight space. The best and only reasonable workspace is above the dishwasher and that leaves no landing space for washed dishes or things out of the fridge. The left of the island is never free of books, mail, and "not my" stuff that the family discards on entry.
Look at the space by the sink, then the fridge, there is room for only one butt, not two. As I like my wife, I would like to allow her in the kitchen but we simply cannot function as a team here.

OK, now look at the fireplace.




The angle looks kind of cool, I admit, and makes a fire visible from the eating area, the kitchen island, and the living room. It did add warmth on a cold morning, but it choked all traffic through the kitchen around the bar, and separated the dining area from the living area. As you will see in a bit, not having a wall there creates a stunning, panoramic view of our forest from many angles.

Appliances - this P.O.C range.


Sorry Jenn-Air, but I just don't buy a downdraft fan in the middle of the gas range with barely a 9K burner. I will upload a video sometime showing the design flaw in that when the fan is on, the flame is sucked away from the pot above it. I cannot boil water when the fan is on. Yes, you heard me. Also the door to the oven falls out of its hinge sometimes, the convection fan never worked, and the panel below the oven disengages every time the dog's fetch ball bounces on it... I do like the griddle though....

The wine bar...



Its OK, good storage, but anyone who can wrestle bottles of wine out of the fridge with small, fixed racks, deserves a glass (pssst, if you got this used appliance as a house warming gift from me, try to think of my better traits.) No water or sink here, if you want a drink, invade my triangle with caution....

The Living room



So like many who have bought a house built before 2005, I had a deep, square hole for a TV. Don’t need that anymore, as they are now rectangles and flat…. I did fix it up to hold a newer style, but alas, it is now gone. I also couldn’t see the TV from the kitchen . (first world problem)

The Pantry




So it was tucked behind the range, a little triangle, I guess it worked, but the shelves were sort of wobbly (ie don’t remove too many things from the left or the teeter-totter will eject those on right). It also had the vent in here, making the pantry smell a bit like what was cooked last night.

The Second Hall
So we only really used this hall to carry laundry through, we otherwise always walked through the kitchen as that’s where the keys, wallets, food, dog treats, and family members are kept.

OK, enough complaining. My next post will show the remedy… Stay tuned

This post was edited by will2kz on Wed, Mar 27, 13 at 21:58

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