kitchen remodel ideas/help!!

9 years ago

Hi everyone,

We are at the crossroads with our new kitchen remodel. Some background: The house is a 1925 american foursquare near Tampa, FL. It unfortunately had some of the original features "updated" through-out the years, but still has many nice and charming characteristics. I've included a few pictures of the house, they were actually from the listing when we bought, so not our furniture... but you can get an idea of the feeling.

The kitchen is an L shaped galley that enters from the dinning room and connects to the back door/deck. As you can see from the pictures, this is also where the washer and dryer are located. The plan is to essentially create a loosely defined "mud room" area between the back door and kitchen. The range is on an interior wall opposite to the fireplace. The awkward bump out is actually part of the stairs leading to the second story.

We are looking to update the kitchen with a higher quality and nicer looking option than what is currently there. We would also like to return some of the more original feel to the house while updating it. I LOVE to cook...

Cabinets are going to be custom inset w/shaker style doors. Painted one color for the lowers another for the uppers. Marble counters for the main section. Wood butcher block for the prep area opposite from the range. The main problem is the layout on the range wall. The duct work for the range needs to go up, turn towards the stairs, down the stairs, toward the sink wall and out. No other options for running it out. The original idea was to do a full bank of cabinets on that wall with a facade of cabinet doors covering the duct. Recently the dilemma on where to put to microwave (it will technically fit with the wall of cabinets, but will lose all symmetry) has brought to light another idea. Open shelving (matching the butcher block top of the prep area) with the duct exposed. I personally like the idea, as the open shelving helps to open up the kitchen, and the exposed duct is reminiscent to the stove pipes, old wood burning stoves would have.

However, we are more than likely not going to be liviing in the house for the next 10-15 years and worry about it affecting resale. I know that typically the exposed duct is a more industrial/loft idea and dont want it to seem like we were trying too hard or turn people off.

What is everyones opinion??? Wall of cabinets and just put the microwave in the corner of the counter? open shelving with raw metal duct? open shelving with painted duct? Or something i'm missing. Please reply and let me know!!!

Thanks!!

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Comments (8)

speaktodeek
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Any possibility of switching locations between fridge and range? That would solve the ducting run.
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I confess that I am not very good at visualizing things, but I don't like the exposed duct pipe, and don't think that it will be at all reminiscent of old stovepipe. If it must be there, then I say hide it. Put the M/W in the cab on the right hand of the stove, or under the stair where you show something -- a bottle rack?

Could you put the stove on the "mudroom" wall and duct out the back wall by the door, switch the work table over to the current stove wall?
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Karenseb
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I think you need to put a plan on graph paper to see the overall view. I suspect the range fits best on the wall as shown because the area in front of the fridge looks narrow and is a major pathway.
I know I would not like a pipe showing. I'm already trying to figure out how to disguise the stairwell in the corner of the ceiling):
Could the pantry or closet cabinets across from the fridge include the microwave? How about a microwave on the baking center underneath? I think the corner by the sink on the left side as mentioned by the previous poster sounds good too.
KS_Chicago
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Is there any way to move washer and dryer across the hall and hide them in those wall cabinets? You could then do some additional kitchen cabinets with the microwave where washer and dryer are now.
frederjj
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi everyone, thanks for the feed back. The wall cabinets are shallow only 12" deep, so it isnt an option to put anything else on that wall. As far as the layout, i believe the current setup really is ideal for this awkward kitchen space. if you swap the range and fridge then you visually cut off the kitchen from the rest of the house...

I'm surprised that the exposed duct was so disliked... but I love the feed back, keep it coming. Right now i'm leaning toward hiding the duct behind regular cabinets and just sticking the microwave in the corner. We have the smaller panisonic genie so it def isn't an eye sore.

MORE COMMENTS!!!

thanks :)
User
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I think the fridge has to go where the current wierd desk area is. That narrow hallway is just to narrow for such a major destination appliance and a main traffic thruway. That's NOT going to ever be a ''prep area'' because it's in the wrong spot for that. Your prep area is the corner between the sink and range. Also a 48'' range is proportionately too large for the space. I'd suggest a 36'' cooktop and then do a wall oven next to the fridge. Or, a 36'' range with a 220 OTR Advantium hung next to the fridge where it could serve as a snack reheater or a second oven and still have counter space below.
charlesroy
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
How is this new modern kitchen? Its the new style preferred for my friend.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Extensions
Swentastic Swenson
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I don't have anything constructive to add but I ran across this pic on pinterest today and thought of this post - could you somehow incorporate that idea into your stovepipe issue? I thought it was a very clever workaround.

This post was edited by Swentastic on Wed, Aug 27, 14 at 10:39