Planning reno and begging for layout help

10 years ago

I think I've read every post in the last 30 pages, and am amazed at all the information contained on these boards. How generous everyone is with their input and expertise.

We're in the early stages of planning our kitchen renovation, and I'm trying to figure out layout options. We have young kids, but I see the as our forever house and one day it will be filled with lots of teenagers. We don't entertain often, and I'm the only cook.

This is our current kitchen. The peninsula is awful, and has overhead cabinets that I have banged my head on numerous times. I couldn't show the current cabinet layout exactly, but I want to change it all anyway. (There are cabinets along that sink wall, but couldn't line them up properly in the program.) The doors on the opposite wall are 2 pantries.

The opening at the top leads to the living room, and I like the seperation. At the bottom is the opening to the family room, and I am considering opening it up some more, but I don't want to take the wall down completely.

I want to do away with the peninsula and extend the island with seating for 4. No overhead cabinets at all. I also want to bump out the window in the eating area, as it's way too tight for 6 to dine comfortably. I'm contemplating a beverage center, maybe at the wall to the family room.

I would appreciate any input/advice!

This post was edited by myfoursons on Wed, Mar 12, 14 at 23:54

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Comments (6)

greenhaven
10 years ago
When you mentioned getting rid of the peninsula and extending the island my very first thought was a longer island and angled to mimic the angle of your cabinetry, essentially creating a galley-like space in which to prep and cook.

Frankly, I have a table about the same dimensions and the same spacing from the wall and it is not that tight. Are you already eating there and know exactly how easy or difficult it is to move chairs in and out, etc.?

At our last house we had some crowding issues. When our table was not in use I would slide it and the chairs up against the wall, and slide it away again when we needed to.
feisty68
10 years ago
I know some folks are awesome at visualizing floorplans, but IME it worked best to use 3D kitchen planning software to plan my kitchen. You just enter your room dimensions, windows, doors, etc. Then add appliances and cabinetry. You can change door styles, paint, floor etc. It helps you to see the room from different angles and visualize important sightlines.

The IKEA one is free and easy to use. Even if you are not planning an IKEA kitchen, playing around with their planner can help you work on basic layout issues. If you email the planner file to yourself, it will give you a link that you can then share with other in this thread and folks can play around with your design. You will have some challenges if you want your kitchen to follow the cool shape of your room, in which case you could use Google sketchup.

I'm not planning on having any uppers either. I want to create a more spacious and open feeling.
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my_four_sons
Original Author
10 years ago
Hi greenhaven, the table we have is 83 inches, but the input tool on the program is used was wonky and didn't allow me to alter the table correctly. Ts super tight, cat squeeze by if someone sitting, and it annoys us daily! I've thought about the bump out so I can orient the table the other way or even do some sort of large oval table with a bench in an octagonal bump out.

Feisty68, I'll try the ikea planner. I'm a visual person and honestly, this is really hard for me. I can't picture an extra-long island with a bump out like I've envisioned, so I'll try some different software. I have a vaguely spanish revival thing going in my house, so I'm planning on darker base cabinets and ceiling beams with creamy walls to offset any darkness. I'm into the decorating and finishes, it's the nuts and bolts of layout that I find myself completely helpless!

Thanks for your input.
greenhaven
10 years ago
I use the Lowe's planner, myself, but not sure why. I think I had trouble with the IKEA one for some reason. But it is an invaluable tool for me, because I have a hard time visualizing things without it in front of me. I do like the idea of letting others play around with a design from IKEA planner...will have to think about that one...
PRO
Rachiele Custom Sinks
10 years ago
When you are designing a kitchen, try to think about how it will be used. The first thing I saw was that the dishwasher door, when open, may require you to walk completely around the island when taking dishes from the eating area. Something to think about...

Dino Rachiele
my_four_sons
Original Author
10 years ago
Drachiele, yes, the peninsula is a bad fit for the space. I'm going to take it out and add in a longer island.

I thought I was good with computers, but am having problems with both google sketch up and ikea kitchen planner on my Mac. I tried to install ikea planner and it keeps bringing me back to the install page. Ugh,so frustrating.