What a nice layout!! I think you can never have too many drawers, as long as you don't have tall thinks that need cabinets. I have 3 stacks in my little kitchen!

I cannot wait to see yours completed!

Nancy

Thank you for the kind words Nancy! I am excited to post my reveal, although I still have to be patient.

I'd go all slab. The top drawer is often slab anyway, and most of your drawers would only be seen by someone cooking. Mixed with the regular uppers and lower doors, it will look nice. If I had to do this again, I'd go all slab on my drawers. I like the look, and it's easier to clean.

I'd also suggest at least one, maybe two, 4 drawer stacks. Take inventory of what you need to store. Flatware, utensils, knives, baggies/wraps, and most small gadgets store best in shallow drawers. I also prefer storing my cast iron skillets together in a shallow drawer to deal with the weight. An oversized skillet might also do better shallow. Spices are also a popular shallow drawer item here.

I'm not an expert on reading lay-outs, so I hope what I think I see is accurate. :) I am also confused because I love what I see in the drawings and not so much here. For instance, I am having a hard time visualizing the different heights of the four wall cabs and windows. Here my eye is going up and down all around the room, but in Photobucket, either the ceiling is lower or the windows are taller. Do you plan to tile the range wall as shown in PB? Otherwise I find the cabs very unsettling just hanging on the wall with no supporting cabinetry. They look forlorn!

It looks like those cabs are 24", correct? With a single door, you'll need to step back so you don't get hit in the face. Am I reading that right that they're 48" tall? I might rework those and the range hood to make it more cohesive.

Why is the prep sink there? Is it to save you steps from the fridge to the range? Is there enough elbow room at the sink? The distance from clean-up sink to range isn't too great for it to not be a good prep zone, and you have the island, so I bet you'll find you don't prep there much. At least use something smaller than a 33" sink base (if I'm reading that right).

What will you put in that 6" (hard to read) pull-out next to the main sink? Cleaning supplies that could go under the sink? Have you priced that pull-out separately? I was going to put one in a vanity and it was a few hundred dollars! I know it's forced into your design because of the Susan, but I hate tiny filler cabs! Have you considered using a Hafele LeMans or Magic Corner pull-out unit on the range wall, allowing you to add another drawer stack to the right of the sink? That could be your 4-drawer base for silverware, dish towels, pot holders, wraps, (leftovers go to the sink), etc.

Is there no cabinetry around the fridge? It looks forlorn too. Are you putting trim around it? I'm not a fan of the over-fridge cabinets stuffed into the wall.

The lack of uppers makes me want to suggest that you don't use slab drawers. I have them on my 4-drawer cabs (top three drawers) and I love them, BUT, my cabs are natural cherry, so it shows off the beautiful grain. Wish I had done the large drawers too, but I was chicken. I don't think the slab looks as good on paint, but I've only seen painted white slabs in a traditional kitchen. I know you want an industrial touch. Are you dividing the doors like you show in your PB drawings? That is very traditional and looks nice with the subway-tiled wall, but you want industrial touches, so I am confused.

Would love to see what other elements you're using to get a better feel of the direction you want to go. I did see your light.

Thank you both so much for your thoughts! To answer may_flowers questions:

1. If you look at the other Photobucket pictures, those are old designs based on paper plans. The ones that I used in this post are of actual measurements of the space, including the windows. All of the windows are at the same height, and are the same vertical dimension. I might tile behind the hood, if it fits the budget.

2. The two different heights of the cabinets are due to a beam over the main sink. We will make that beam into a soffit and the cabinets will hang under that. I see what you mean about the differing heights being jarring. Maybe if on the "tall" uppers, what if I stacked two cabinets on top of each other. The lower one would match the other cabs, and the taller one would match the height of the soffit? I am going to draw that out and attach it.

3. Upper cabs next to hood - yes they are 24", good point about having to step back to open them. I think I will have him switch it back to the two doors.

4. Prep sink - my husband (the cook) wanted the prep sink in line with the range. It is kind of shoved into a corner....my very first drawing had no prep sink and everyone I consulted recommended one so I put it in there. DH doesn't want it on the island. I think the cabinet size was just a space filler. The sink we want (Silgranit Large) needs a 24" cabinet. If we switched the cabinet to 24", then we have 9" on the end to play with....any ideas?

5. Pull out next to main sink -Not sure what to put there. I was thinking of just having him turn it into a decorative door. Or I could put extra coffee supplies, since my coffee maker will be near there. I will look into the Hafele LeMans or Magic Corner - thanks!

6. Fridge - no cabinetry around fridge, we don't have any wall depth next to the fridge. Right behind the fridge is the powder room. I don't feel strongly about the cabinet above the fridge, I was considering an open shelf. I can ask my cabinet guy about using some trim to make it look more finished.

7. Slab drawers - I think my cab guy was just trying to save me some money. I am leaning towards all shaker for the look. The industrial touches will mostly be in light fixtures, nothing too crazy. I have pretty simple taste, and will go with a subway tile. Most likely using Ceasarstone London Grey on the island, and Raven on the perimeter. I love the attached stool for my island. The cabinets will be all white, even the island. The floor will be a medium brown wood.

Here is the idea I mentioned above to deal with the different heights of the cabs. The upper cabs would be the same height as the soffit.

I am definitely open to any suggestions on how to deal with that soffit....

I my previous home, my layout was similar to your proposed layout, including the prep sink location. We in fact used both the space between the cooktop and the prep sink, and the island, for prep, so I think that's fine. I can't tell how many inches you have for prep between prep sink and cooktop (your kitchen is bigger than mine was in general). I think we had 48" (and extra depth because the window was bumped out there) in that particular spot and it was great. As for the 6" cabinet next to the sink - if it's really a 6" cabinet, that means the interior is pbly only 4-1/2". I have one of those and intended to get a pull out. In the end, I just didn't need the space, so I got a Hafele pull-out towel bar. It will be installed this week or next, but it solves my problem of hating to have dish towels "out".

I think I'd run the soffit onto the stove wall too and skip the upper cabs.

I agree with May...the cabinets look too tall, by the range. Since they won't really hold that much, what if you duplicate the beam/soffit look on that side of the kitchen? Maybe give it a bit of a Craftsman look?

That would be easier on the eye and the windows wouldn't look so short. Are you planning to hang a valance or anything above the windows? If not (and if these are new windows) I'd make them a little taller, so it gives you a level line around the top.

The details on the island look very nice. I still think the prep sink would be much handier on the island...but your DH sounds adamant. Has he ever tried a prep sink on an island? Maybe you can look at some kitchen displays and see what he thinks?

Grmph (that's my frustrated sound of resignation) - I am slowly coming around to extending the soffit to the "range wall". I was hoping to have no soffits at all, but it does seem like the most simple solution. If I did that, what would happen to the hood? Does it stop at the soffit? It would seem stubby to me....

Prep sink - we've always had very small kitchens, so never a need for a prep sink. He and I have talked about it many times, and it just makes sense for him to have it there. I think if I bring it up again, he might get crabby. :) So, I just want to find a design with the prep sink there that works best. Currently there is *approximately* 36 inches between the range and the sink (33" drawers + a few inches into the next cabinet).

Windows....those are set in stone. I agree that taller ones would have looked nice. Sigh! I was planning on some roman shades for those.

This post was edited by rebecca3142 on Sun, Feb 9, 14 at 15:18

How tall are the uppers on the range wall? I think I see 48" but that can't be right. How tall is the ceiling? I would think about making them all 36". That's a tall cabinet, especially for a 24" one divided into two doors. That's exactly what I have on both sides of my range. I liked the looks of those lone shorter cabinets on the Photobucket drawings.

Where are you planning on storing dishes and silverware? I don't see a spot near the DW. Silverware in the drawer over the trash? Dishes in a 19" cabinet over head? Inside dimension I think is 18". Did you measure your dishes?

If you end up with a small cab near the prep sink, I'd use it for cutting boards.

You are right, may_flowers. The uppers are 48" on the range wall and 36" on the main sink wall. The ceiling is 8.5 feet. Could I make a mini soffit over each cab on either side of the hood? This would help it reflect the sink wall with the full soffit, but then I could retain the chimney hood as planned.

I was planning on storing dishes and silverware to the left of the range.

I was thinking of cutting boards and cookie trays if we do a small cab next to the prep sink. I guess I'm catching on! :)

I'm wondering if 36" cabinets with a nice crown could just float on the tiled wall. But then there is the chimney. Are you set on that style of hood? I have one and it's a dust collector. I'm not really able to clean the chimney part adequately either, ie. wipe the stainless in one direction while standing on a step stool, and I have 8' ceilings.

I definitely prefer the chimney hood. I guess I could do some type of cabinet above with a hood insert, but that cabinet would also be stubby if it were to fit under a 1 ft soffit.

I think that if you want to keep the dust collector hood(I have one too!), I would do the soffit all along the range wall except for between the two cabinets where the hood Is.

Thanks Karenseb! That was what my husband suggested too. I found a picture on Houzz that looks good, so I can keep my dust collector. :)

I am going to call my architect this week and see if there is any way around the beam (that I already paid for and installed....).

Someone posted this as an inspiration photo. No soffit, but it made me wonder if you should turn the corner on your sink wall uppers and put a cab to the left of the window if you extend the soffit.

This post was edited by may_flowers on Mon, Feb 10, 14 at 13:55

Thanks for the idea! I should have known not to call it my "final" layout. :)

My husband just got finished talking to our architect. We can move the beam, it will be about $2500. A little disappointing that this whole thing could have been avoided, but I can't dwell on that. My architect thinks that a soffit on the "range wall" will look too obtrusive. He suggested just hanging the cabinets at the same height on each wall, and just have some space above the ones on either side of the range. That was his top choice, and my husband likes that idea. Or do a mini-soffit above the cabinets to somewhat match, but not be too overwhelming.

I need to decide today if we are going to move the beam...any thoughts on the options?

Thanks!

I'd move the beam because of the problem of the chimney rising above the cabs.

This post was edited by may_flowers on Tue, Feb 11, 14 at 15:36

I think a soffit could still work, but if it bothers you, take out the beam. Check out soffits on houzz.

I don't know how this would look, but what if you removed the soffit and the cabs on the sink wall? Switch the sink wall cabinet to the range wall--you have 23" between corner and window. That might provide more balance to that wall--there's something about it that looks off to me. I think it's all the height and bulk in the middle of the wall and the unevenly-spaced windows.

Or could the stove and window be shifted down and that wall be made more symmetrical without the soffit?

I'm not sure about keeping the single cabinet over the DW, but I think two shelves for mugs and coffee supplies could work. Then that corner becomes a coffee corner.

How tall will the crown be on your cabinets? When I add 36" base cabs + 18" between counter and bottom of upper cabs + 48" upper cabinets, I get 102", the height of your ceilings. I think those 48" uppers aren't allowing for crown. I am concerned that all your wall cabinets will look very tall and skinny and not really hold much.

I can't believe how many times I edited this post! I must need a nap!

This post was edited by may_flowers on Tue, Feb 11, 14 at 20:35

Came across this interesting kitchen in the Buckling Walnut Veneer thread.