Help with oven wall/baking center please!

9 years ago

Greetings!

I'm trying to come up with a decent layout for my oven wall and considering scrapping the "baking center" altogether, or putting doors in front of it. I don't roll out stuff enough to actually have a dedicated low counter, but low counters are nice for kids. I'd like to keep my stand mixer there and perhaps a few other items.

Here it is as presently drawn out. A few things I should mention...

The thing listed "convection oven" is a speed oven; there will be a real oven in the range. The "microwave" will be a nicely finished shelf for a microwave because I am too cheap to get a built-in. I could see instead putting the microwave in the baking hole though. The microwave is used often enough that it shouldn't be behind doors (because the doors would always be open).

The 4'10" section to the viewer's right is in front of a chimney and will be somewhat shallow (they're marked as 10" deep but won't be quite so deep). Instead of how they are depicted now, I do want this entire bank of cabinetry to be flush. So some bits will be a smidge deep and some a lot shallow, probably overall about 27" from the wall.

It's visible from the family room (the kitchen and family room are in the same space) but not form the more "formal" parts of the house.

What would you do with this?

Where would you put the microwave? Would you have a baking area (mixer area, really, and perhaps a toaster or a microwave or coffee center) at all?

Would you have the cabinets above the counter the same depth as the lowers (and tall cabinets to the side) to make it nice and continuous? Would that mandate a really tall hole? No uppers above it at all maybe? Just a big clock?

I don't have a current overhead sketch at the moment, but this shows the general layout of the kitchen EXCEPT the fridge and 24" oven have been swapped. (Should I switch them back?) It hopefully shows the general orientation of things and how the chimney fits into things. Yeah, it's a little weird, but we had a hard time getting a kitchen in this space at all. :)

Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

Cook1
9 years ago
I just want to point out, just make sure that space from the counter to the bottom of the cabinet is tall enough to hold the mixer when the top part of the mixer is up (because otherwise (this happens to me every time I bake) when you lift up the top of the mixer to remove the bowl, it hits the upper cabinet and won't open unless you move the mixer.
Cook1
9 years ago
I just want to point out, just make sure that space from the counter to the bottom of the cabinet is tall enough to hold the mixer when the top part of the mixer is up (because otherwise (this happens to me every time I bake) when you lift up the top of the mixer to remove the bowl, it hits the upper cabinet and won't open unless you move the mixer.
Related Professionals
Southbridge Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Waianae Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · 20781 Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Ewa Beach Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Glen Carbon Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Hoffman Estates Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Lincoln Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Vashon Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Tenafly Cabinets & Cabinetry · Bellwood Cabinets & Cabinetry · Saint James Cabinets & Cabinetry · Baldwin Tile and Stone Contractors · Beachwood Tile and Stone Contractors · Brookline Tile and Stone Contractors · Woodland Design-Build Firms
Fori
Original Author
9 years ago
Ah good point! My current mixer has the drop bowl action but it's still pretty tall (and making bad sounds so the next one might lift). It would be nice to use it in place instead of sliding it out. We are thinking we'll want quite a bit of height over the counter instead of the 24" in the current design.
rhome410
9 years ago
I like the micro where it's shown in the pic. It would take up too much of the baking/mixer counter, IMO. I LOVE having the counter to keep my mixer out and use it. We roll on the island, but I like a dedicated mixing spot. We also keep our blender, mostly for making smoothies, on the counter there, and use the food processor, which is kept in drawers beneath. Actually, not now that I got a new one that won't fit! Solution is yet to occur to me on that one.

I wouldn't want overhead cabinets as deep as lowers right over the mixer area, but would consider a couple open shelves (thinking cookbooks, or jars with flour and such) with doored, deeper cabinets above those that could be flush with the rest of the wall. Our uppers are 21" above our counter, which gives the mixer 3" clearance when it's tipped up.

You've probably seen it all too many times, but I'll link pics of my baking counter.

Here is a link that might be useful: my mixing counter area
Fori
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks! I don't think I've seen the details on it before. That's very helpful! I think it'll really help the spouse to see some images as well. Looks perfectly lovely not having everything at the same depth. Open shelves might work--or would if we were neater. :)

You should be careful showing that kitchen of course. You'll have to change your name to RHome411. Why should I make a new kitchen when yours is so perfect? I bet you wouldn't even notice me....
rhome410
9 years ago
Haha, Fori... You're welcome any time! That room has room for a crowd, and often has one in it...just as it was intended.

I should already be RHome413, now that we have 2 sons-in-law and our grandson! :-D