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maddmadd620

Kitchen Layout- Need all the help I can get!

maddmadd620
9 years ago

Hi everyone, my husband & I are currently working on house plans to build in the near future. I am having such a hard time with the kitchen/dining area... I change something every time I see it! I would like a spacious, functional kitchen. Initially I wanted the sink under a window facing outside. I would also like a stove with a vent hood, double oven, and large pantry. We are a young coupe with a toddler and hope to expand our family. We also both have large families who get together often, and I love to cook!

Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!

{{!gwi}}

Comments (11)

  • annkh_nd
    9 years ago

    What's on the wall to the left, adjacent to the pantry?

    What's between the fridge and double ovens? It looks pretty narrow, but you have a counter shown there. The ovens also make that right-hand corner a dark hole. I think either the ovens or fridge should go to the other side of the kitchen. Moving the fridge closer to the pantry would make more sense for putting away groceries.

    There was a discussion this week about having sink and stove opposite each other if multiple people will use the kitchen. What's your tolerance for bumping rumps?

    Where will you keep your dishes? I'd move the DW to the other side of the sink, since that's where your upper cabinets are.

    Think about where things will go in your new cabinets, and storing things near their point of use: potholders, pots and pans near the stove (and oven), cooking utensils near the stove,

    I'm not crazy about the way the pantry dominates the space. Sure, storage is terrific, but not at the expense of windows! What direction do the kitchen windows face?

  • maddmadd620
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    The wall adjacent to the pantry right now is just counter with an opening into the living room. The area between the fridge and oven is just counter I guess, but you're right.. really too narrow to do anything with.

    I originally thought the pantry should go on the opposite side of the kitchen, closer to the fridge, since our entry into the kitchen from the mudroom/garage is on that side. (for putting away groceries ect..) I'm just concerned about what I would then put on the left side that wouldn't cause the kitchen to be totally closed off from the living room.

    I'm not sure about the sink across from the stove situation. I thought maybe I would prefer to not have anything on the island, but I didn't think I had enough room to not put either the sink or stove there.

    The placement of the pantry has been a big area of concern because as your mentioned it looks like its taking over the kitchen. Also because if we had windows where they pantry is, they would look out to our patio & backyard. Which would be very nice.

    Do you have any suggestions on where to put the pantry, and what size/shape it should be? I'm guessing not a corner pantry?

    Also, do you think I should do away with the counter on the left side of the kitchen and put my oven or something there? Do you feel like it would close the kitchen off too much?

    Thank you so much for all of your suggestions. I really appreciate your help!

  • christina222_gw
    9 years ago

    It's hard to tell but you've got a laundry room, and then a mud room, with closet and then entry to the kitchen. Could some of that space be combined and the pantry worked into that area? It would be much more convenient for storing things when you get home from the store and also get that intrusive pantry out of the work space, this giving you a lot more layout options.

  • greenhaven
    9 years ago

    If you have that nice big door opening to the the living room does the wall above the counter need to also be open to the LR? If you closed up that wall you would have a lot more viable options for creating a good work zone. For instance, you could put your wall ovens over there, even if you did not change round your pantry. Then you have room to get your sink on the "top" wall between fridge and stove.

  • maddmadd620
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you for all of the good advice! I have been working on the layout and here is what I have come up with...what do you think? Would you still do a corner pantry, or do you think it would be better to do a pantry taking in the mudroom closet and then I could have a door to the patio possibly in the corner of the kitchen? I tried to show both options... sorry I know my sketch is far from pretty! hah

    Thank you!

    {{!gwi}}

  • Buehl
    9 years ago

    Do you have a picture of the entire layout of the first floor (assuming the kitchen is on the first floor)?

  • maddmadd620
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    {{!gwi}}

  • christina222_gw
    9 years ago

    Now that I see the layout I definitely recommend getting the pantry out of the kitchen and into the mud room. If this is to scale your mud room is huge, nearly half the size of the kitchen, plenty of room for a pantry in there. Also if you're doing cabinets overlooking the great room I would balance those with cabinets in the dining room also.

    Editing to add that it would probably be a good idea to get an actual kitchen designer to come up with some plans that include the kitchen, mud room and laundry room. The laundry/mud room look like kind of a poor use of space. A professional could give you good ideas and save you an expensive remodel down the road.

    This post was edited by Christina222 on Sat, May 3, 14 at 19:42

  • Karenseb
    9 years ago

    I can see you are in the early stages of planning. You might want to relocate or add windows in your bedrooms to allow for bed placement. I think most of your rooms would look nice with two windows flanking the bed on the wall opposite the door you enter. Master, bed rm 1 and 2. Are you sure you need such a wide kitchen and dining room. 20 feet is a lot of space for a table, but I do like large dining rooms connected to the kitchen because most people end up there.

  • maddmadd620
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks everyone... my plans must need more work than I thought. I agree that the mudroom/laundry is quite big. We did this because we have two dogs and this will be their allowed area inside the house. I'm not sure at all that I need such a wide kitchen and dining room. I don't want it to feel big & empty, but at the same time I want plenty of room to grow..no "adding on" down the road hopefully. I guess I need to keep working at it!

    Overall do you think the sketch I did of the kitchen has a better flow than the original?

    Thank you for all of your suggestions!

  • berryjam
    9 years ago

    I think I'd put the fridge and double oven by the great room wall, remove the large pantry, keep the stove at the top but make the windows bigger for more natural light (and to watch the children out back when they're a bit older) and the cleanup/DW by the mudroom. Then I'd have a prep sink in the island closer to the fridge. Your kitchen is pretty big that I'm wondering if you need such a large pantry. You'll probably have enough cabinet space for small appliances, pasta and canned goods. If you're concerned about large paper towels and such, I'd try to fit that in your mudroom or laundry room