All drawers & no doors? Or, at least cup pulls, which I think of as a drawer thing, with no knobs. Where would the large appliances go?

How do you open the corner cabinet drawer without banging into the cabinet next to the stove?

I don't find them Odd, different yes. I'll bite. The stiles are proud of the drawers? No toekick?

I noticed the styles and the odd corner. Love the drawer under the sink!

Oh, and what are those little metal things poking out of the end of the left on stove run?

It is all freestanding. The rods poking out support the marble countertop. You could slide the whole thing, theoretically , out from the walls. c

I like the look of them, and the color.

each drawer doesn't have it's own side bars on either side. I like the streamlined look of it.

Very pretty! I don't see anything that looks odd. Love everything about this!

everything mentioned above plus furniture legs. no toekick, all open space under there. Probably makes it easier to feed the dust bunnies.

Freestanding bases each built as a unit? No corner? All inset drawers with a raised stile and inset rails?

Drawer under the sink?

I don't think so...

Stiles protrude from face of each cab

Bingo.

This Is The One and Only Kitchen That I Have Ever Seen in a GW forum
that allows the occupant to walk up to the window and stand next to it.

Good for little ones. Good for those adults who like this feature too. I've often wondered why nobody draws this layout. Everybody uses their software to plaster the walls with cabinets and build up the corners. Corners are wastes. Corners are not drawers. Drawers let you have full access to everything stored right up to the back end of the drawers. Corners are the one place where people who have appliance garages all say their appliance garages are very useful. Appliance garages take up counter space. Corners force you to stop moving over and they "back you into a corner" if there is one other person in the same space. Two people. Corners do not allow you to dance hop sideways. Corners are barriers.

2nd comment about the open floor and bare wall under the window:
a "space-opening" layout
makes the space feel bigger
lets the sink side user hop sideways farther than otherwise, instead of bumping into a corner
therefore allows a user more room to maneuver
causes a small amount of storage loss
losing a corner cabinet is not a significant loss
increases the drawer capacity of the kitchen
more drawer means more real storage (unless you want to argue about it)
makes you stand a little bit sideways when you open that "corner" drawer full tilt
not a big deal when one really must open that drawer full tilt

3rd comment
adroit use of This (corner opening) Layout can transform a kitchen's natural east-west traffic flow into an area that flows north-south, and this can define a specific work area. johllu has a rectangular room that is big enough for this.

hth

You got it. This is a diy kitchen, not mine. The base cabinets are individual freestanding furniture pieces, custom built for the kitchen, using furniture techniques - sold wood, posts, rails, mortise and tenons. Not plywood boxes sitting on other plywood boxes, shimmed and screwed to the wall with faux legs I don't know that I've ever seen this in a kitchen. Have you?

Love dark-colored painted cabs. Considering dark blue (either dark purple-y blue or like this, a dark greenier-one) or dark mossy green for mine. I think this look works particularly well in kitchens w/o uppers, or at least w/o long runs of dark painted uppers.

John, where did you find these gorgeous images - are there more, or more info?

Agree that cats and dust bunnies will lurk underneath but in old houses like mine where there are issues of moisture arising from the basement, having the cabs not planted directly on the floor makes a big diff. I wonder how the sink water and drain connections are handled - back through the exterior wall, or just so far back that you can't see them unless peering underneath?

One could achieve this look with some hacking of IKEA carcasses.

L

David, I like the open corner too, though I didn't know if that was very unusual. Seems joy joy joy is going to have something like it, iirc. I hate blind corners.

The base cabinets are individual freestanding furniture pieces, custom built for the kitchen, using furniture techniques - sold wood, posts, rails, mortise and tenons. Not plywood boxes sitting on other plywood boxes, shimmed and screwed to the wall with faux legs I don't know that I've ever seen this in a kitchen. Have you?

Yes, in my kitchen. All of our pieces were built as furniture by a furnituremaker in England. All have finished ends and backs. Even the ends you cannot see. All hardwood, tongue and groove. My island is only one piece - luckily four men got it through the double front door. Technically, I could take them all with us when we leave, but DH says no. :(

All of our bathroom cabinets are open underneath, but I didn't want that in the kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen

Here's a pic of a freestanding cab in our kitchen, it's actually two pieces mated (if you will) by the bowling-alley-in-former-life counter top. The cab on the left (blue) was from a tile/stone place, the fancy marble top had been broken, so we got the base for almost nothing, the cab next to it is a KM pull out trash unit that I bought on CL, it was damaged on the side that's butted up to the blue cab,so it worked perfectly for us.

I also detest blind corners, the sink run ends at a wall and the other corner houses the range, set at an angle just so we didn't have to have a blind corner.

Here are a few pics:

sandyponder

where did you find these gorgeous images - are there more, or more info?

The pictures were sent to me, I've asked the guy for more info but not sure I'll get any. I'm curious if he built them like dressers - webs and all. I'm also interested in what's under the sink - I'm guessing a custom U-shaped drawer. He furred out the walls (block walls), laid the pine floor, built the cabinets, cut the granite, everything.

Yes, in my kitchen

Alison, you have a really beautiful kitchen!

It used to be true, may still be, that European kitchens were free standing. It is/was intended that you take your kitchen with you. I like it. I would have that kitchen in a shot. I love having everything completely off the floor. It is no more difficult to run a dust mop under there than it is in any other room. My preference for sure. c

One interesting thing about a completely freestanding base cabinet - you see this one even has the mini-backsplash as an integral part of the counter - is that the height can be adjusted.

You can modify the legs, use spacers, or include screw-in feet.

In fact, you could have the base cabinet move up and down using a crank, so that the height could be adjusted on-the-fly. Tall person prepping - he raises the cabinet up 6''. Next is a short person kneading - he lowers the cabinet down 6'' - just a few turns of a crank or even a press of a button.

I've linked to one hardware system that you could build into the legs, I'm sure there are others.

(Obviously, there would be issues doing this with the sink run . . . )

Here is a link that might be useful: ErgoSwiss Manual Lift System 12

I like it. It would be easy to do custom-height (or depth) counters with this approach. Also easier to deal with leaks and cleaning. The only thing I don't like are the large stiles which cut down on drawer size and storage space, but that could be remedied with a slightly different design.

If the upper cabinets were integral with the base cabinets, that same height adjustment hardware could be used to bring the uppers within easier reach, when shorter users need to reach the topmost shelves.

There is no doubt other industrial hardware that would allow the upper cabinets to be moved up and down, either motorized or manually, independently of the base cabs. Up to be out of the way, down when you need to load/unload from the upper shelves.

This would all cost money, but a huge amount of effort/money expended to make kitchens look pretty, while far less is expended to make kitchens work better. Getting an exotic granite countertop, which add little to functionality, costs far more than height adjustment hardware for the cabinet under that counter.

Yes, I think this is much more common in Europe than in the U.S. IKEA does sell a freestanding cabinetry line, though, that's quite nice looking---I've seen that in a couple of kitchens, though one of them was just a 'temporary' fix for a few years while they got ready to do a remodel. Hansen, a Danish cabinetry company with distribution out of NY, also makes gorgeous freestanding cabinets.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hansen cabinets

Well, I think the sink run is where you want adjustable height most. It's where you prep, it's where people get backaches from leaning over a deep sink, etc. Adjustable height might be great in a freestanding island with no plumbing.

With respect to plumbing, the water supply bit could probably be worked out. Picture those floor-mounted tub fillers for fancy clawfoot tubs. The drain part, though, would have a hard time passing code with adjustable length.

If you could sacrifice the adjustability of the sink, you could put a stationery sink base between two adjustable-height working cabinets, so you could move over for prep.

I agree on the lack of interest in functionality. It seems there was a lot more ingenuity in that 1949 video we've all seen than there is today. But very few things in America are designed to work well anymore. They're designed to sell.

Amanda- If you see this post...this is what I was talking about, having your fridge/freezer/pantry on the 'west' wall, with a gap in front of the window. Then, more cabinets for the range and main sink, under the bigger window.

It's a nice look and it will allow you to utilize that entire wall of cabinetry...not only the area up to the corner. In fact, I'm going to link this thread, to your #25 post.

Great thread, Johnliu :)

Ikea will sell you a freestanding kitchen. Just not as pretty. :)

I have one of their freestanding 52" wide drawer bases from a discontinued line that I purchased for my old kitchen. It is actually superfabulous and awesome. Not really to my decorative taste, especially now that it's in my dining room housing art supplies but I just love the thing.

I had looked into doing it with this place out of PA. They seemed to have really nice stuff.

Here is a link that might be useful: Freestanding cabs

The drain part, though, would have a hard time passing code with adjustable length.

I've never heard of using flexible hose in a drain waste water system. There are flexible connectors, though I know they're not exactly loved. Maybe if the geometry is such that the sink can move up and down a few inches with only a very small "flex" at the flexible connector(s), something can work? Seems like a stretch. Bada-bing.

I learned a little more.

Adler posts, poplar rails, mortise and tenon, 3/4'' plywood dado'ed between posts, 3/4'' plywood tops (so, not pure furniture construction method, I was wrong, but would be very strong), drawers 1/2'' plywood and dovetailed, full extension slides. Sink is Shaws. 8'' deep drawer under that has a cut out for the disposal. Counters are extra deep at 30''. Only connection to wall is silicone along the sink wall, plumbing accessible when remove that drawer. He has built all the furniture in his house. He wanted heavy, indestructible, permanent furniture for his kitchen. I think he got it. I like this a lot.

I hear that typical kitchen cabinetry gets torn out and thrown away every 30 years or so. It seems possible that these freestanding pieces might have less obsolescence. For one thing, if he someday wants a 60'' range, just slide the flanking pieces further apart. If he wants an induction cooktop, just build another piece. Want double dishwashers? Lift the granite and re-arrange the pieces.

there's been a few on here with a window area like that left open. one was a white kitchen - sink on wall run ending by window (on the right of pic), big stove on wall opposite of window wall. great LS (metal) turn in the corner by the stove. Big island with goldish marble on top. had plug ins hidden on end of island. family room open to it. I think it was a whole house remodel.

I've thought of taking my sink run to to the wall - no window there tho. just to use the corner area. or about making the turn but at a different height for the cooktop.
either of those would help to not need a seam in the counter top and make it easy to have 2 hghts in the counters.

ending at the wall might work out as an area for the dog dishes that is out of walking area (lest I walk into them and send the contents flying).

I loove the color of the cabs. I think I might try to find one like it and paint on doors of my old cabs and live with it for a time to see if I'd rather have that color over a midrange wood stain.

love the sandyponder kitchen!