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kaya0920

Feedback on kitchen layout please

kaya0920
9 years ago

I have been lurking here for several years and have learned so much, thank you. I am getting ready to remodel my kitchen and would love some ideas/feedback on layout. My house is a typical 1920's California bungalow. From the back entrance, which is used as the primary entrance, you enter an office/mud room, and then go up 5 stairs into what is currently the laundry walk through that takes you into the kitchen. The kitchen was last redone probably around 1968, when the office/mudroom was added.

My goals for the new kitchen are to open it up more, create more storage and counter space, and have space to relax and eat. I need to keep the laundry and also need to add a half bath. And no, unfortunately there is no other place in the house for the half bath.

current floorplan

proposed new floorplan

There are two adults living in the house (and an ornery cat). I love to cook and frequently have friends over for dinner. Everyone ends up hanging out in the kitchen so I need a place for people to sit and be out of my way. I do have a separate DR that I use but when it's just two or three, we eat in the kitchen. Plus I'd like a comfy spot to have a cup of coffee or tea and peruse my cookbooks.

From DR looking into kitchen

The entrance to the DR is very narrow due to fridge and counter/oven placement. I plan to move the fridge and widen the doorway. On the DR side of the shared wall is a built in sideboard that is about bar height with a recessed arch above it. I�m thinking of cutting out part of the arch to get more of a connection with the DR.

Doorway barely visible on left leads to kitchen. (am in the process of stripping painted over wallpaper.)

For appliances I plan to have a single wall oven, gas cooktop with exhaust, MW, DW, toaster oven. I think that I will need to get a French door fridge to allow room for the work table I want. I have not yet decided if I want a 36" cooktop or if a 30" will do.

Things I need: counter space, food storage, eating area, cat feeding area, recycling & trash space, storage for several crockpots and canning supplies, display for cookbooks. I�d like to store dishware in large drawers instead of upper cabinets.

Things I would like: a wine fridge (30-40 bottles?), coffee bar, possibly a bar sink if it doesn�t eliminate too much storage. Would it be too weird to use the bathroom sink to get water for coffee?

I'd prefer to not move windows or the gas line.

I�m having a particularly difficult time with the left side of the kitchen, what is currently the nook. Any suggestions for improving my proposed layout would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

Comments (5)

  • feisty68
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Looks like a nice house and a good start on a layout. I always love a banquette by a window! Very good choice.

    I think it's tough to have no counterspace adjacent to a fridge. I'm not sure what the benefit is of having wall oven there, rather than just a full range where you have your cooktop?

    Also, I am not a fan of islands on wheels. I think they tend to look like an afterthought. If you want a readymade island solution, IKEA has some nice ones that might work well in your space. For example:

  • renov8r
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This comment is based on my own kitchen remodel. I had a powder room opening into the kitchen. I never liked this idea. I notice your door to the powder room is directly into your kitchen as well. Is there a way you can change the direction of the door? Maybe combining the w/d and toilet/sink so that if the door is left open, the toilet/sink will not be visible from the kitchen.

  • greenhaven
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    On another thread someone suggested sticking with a 30" range and using a portable induction burner when necessary. They are inexpensive and easy to tuck away when not needed so I have added one to my Gadget Wish List.

    Can the cat be fed in the mudroom? I recently tried feeding my two big dogs in the laundry room and it is working out very well, plus their stuff is not out in plain sight.

  • sjhockeyfan325
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Re the powder room - this issue always generates a lot of discussion on here, but the perfect solution for you is to move the powder room door altogether - close it off on the kitchen side and open it on the hallway side.

  • kaya0920
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    thank you all for your comments. Regarding the wall oven versus a standard range, I find a wall oven so much easier to use. Plus I have a gorgeous KitchenAid oven in the garage just waiting to be installed. :-)

    I agree that work tables look better without wheels and I probably would only have wheels if the clearance warrants moving the table. Thankfully I won't need to decide on the table until everything else is done. And by then I'll know exactly how much room I will have.

    Greenhaven, thanks for the excellent suggestion of getting a 30" cooktop and using a portable burner when needed. That's a perfect solution for me.

    As far as moving the powder room door, I can't see another place for it. There's a bedroom on the other side of the wall and the floor in the mudroom/office is 5 steps down so would necessitate widening the stairs ,and i am not sure that there is enough clearance for that, if following the building code. The way I'm envisioning the bath layout, the toilet should only ever be visible from the stairs coming into the kitchen. The sink would be visible when the door is open - would it look better if I use a nice bar sink instead of traditional bathroom sink?