Critique my Kitchen - house just started framing

10 years ago

I should have come here awhile ago seeking your advice, but I've been procrastinating and now the framer has started. Please help point out any glaring mistakes to this kitchen.

Here's a little background on us: Active family of 4, kids are both under 10. New construction on 5 acres. House just started framing right now and I need to start working on rough plumbing layout, which means my cabinet/kitchen layout needs to be pretty much nailed down. Total sq ft is 3500.

Our lifestyle: We spend a lot of free time in the kitchen now, with both our kids, our guests or even just my husband and I while we talk. I want to have a really comfortable kitchen where people feel like they can make themselves at home while I am preparing food or just socializing over a bottle of wine.

This is the 2nd version of this kitchen, the first draft included an eat in area for a table, but there was a dinning room around the corner and having too many places to eat is a pet peave of mine. Formal activities or family dinning will take place in the dinning room so we enlarged the kitchen.

Not shown on this drawing is the radius that the seating side of the island top will have. I've learned from GW that that makes for better conversation flow among a group. Also, the island will be a little longer than what is shown, hoping to get 5 stools at it. Anything else look strange?

Thanks in advance.

Comments (8)

swfr
10 years ago
I know that experts will come in and give you all sorts of tips, but these are my first impressions:
The prep sink (if that's what it is?) is quite isolated without much prep space around it. Where do you imagine doing your prep work? I would probably want to put in on the island so that you can hang out with guests while you prep or with kids while they do homework and you get dinner going.
What if the fridge went over to the wall where the pantries are? That would give you all your food storage in one spot. Then prep sink and prep area can be on the island and the clean up area can be on the wall where the fridge currently is.
That will also give you a place for dirty dishes away from where you are entertaining.

I don't know-- that's just my $.02. I think this can be a gorgeous kitchen and your needs are very similar to my own. Good luck! I hope the pros can help you.
oldbat2be
10 years ago
NWHobart - I can barely make out what's in the drawing. Can you link a picture so we can zoom in?
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robo (z6a)
10 years ago
Lots of nice counter space around your range and I love the windows on either side. I see the mini sink is by your coffee bar area,which is a look I really like. You've also kept your range, fridge, sink in the same area without having to go around the island, also a plus. Although like the idea of prep on the island and cleanup on a wall, that would keep your island looking nicer, but i really like the idea of not having to go all the way around island to get to fridge. I'm not sure how I feel about the 40" half walls bookending your island,do you have an inspiration pic for that? You have enough room to run seating around the left side of your island which might be even more sociable than the radius.
mama goose_gw zn6OH
10 years ago
Not an expert, so feel free to disregard my ramblings. Keeping the cleanup sink on the island, I think a 3500sf home with a kitchen this big can support a small prep sink in the corner between the fridge and cooktop, especially since you already have water on that wall (from laundry area).

I love the idea of the espresso bar--maybe your budget can include the sink there and a corner prep sink, but if I had to choose, the convenience of the prep sink would win. The espresso counter is close enough to the fridge to be used as a microwave/snack center.

You mention that there will be a radius on the island. It seems that accounting for the radius and stools, there might be a bit of a pinch point with the pantry corner. I think robotropolis' idea of taking seating around the left side would help with that issue.

If you do consider putting the cleanup sink on the right wall, the DW would be more accessible if it's installed on the right side of the sink, and the cleanup sink could then double as an extra prep sink. Word of caution: I have the sink with DW on left, then a trash pullout, in a corner with the same space as your right wall. I remodeled a kitchen in an old house, and didn't have a budget-friendly choice, but I wouldn't put a cleanup area in so small a space in a new build--there isn't enough room on the counter for stacking dirty dishes. I have a large, deep, farm sink in which to deposit dirty dishes, but putting the DW on the right would help with that issue in your kitchen, if you choose that layout.

Your kitchen/laundry/mudroom looks wonderful--good luck!

*edited to remove an extra word

This post was edited by mama_goose on Fri, Sep 20, 13 at 9:39
muskokascp
10 years ago
I can't make out the plan well either. If you could enlarge it I suspect you will have more responses and suggestions.
lavender_lass
10 years ago
I like it! At first, I thought you had doorways on each side of the cooktop...but when I realized they were windows, that made a lot more sense! LOL

The clean up sink...this is personal preference. I don't know that I would want the clean up area across from the main cooking and baking area.

I'd be tempted to move the fridge to the wall oven location and put the clean up sink/dishwasher, where you have the fridge. This would allow someone else to clean up, while you cook (if that's not the way it is now, hopefully will be as kids get older).

The island can definitely use a prep sink, so I'd move that down to the left and keep the rest open for prep. The oven could move to the espresso bar area...making it coffee, baking and maybe snacks. Could you make the left pantry the oven space (no stool across from it) and turn the laundry room storage (just to the right of the other pantry) into more pantry space? This would allow you to have the microwave above the oven...handy for snacks. Something like this? {{!gwi}}From Kitchen plans
mama goose_gw zn6OH
10 years ago
I'm going to insert a 'public service announcement' here, although I'm sure I will not do it nearly as well as marcolo.

If you click on the pic in the OP, it will open in another window. Then hold down the CTRL key, and hit the (+) key as many times as you need to enlarge the image. You can skip back and forth between windows. At least, that's the way it works on my laptop.

This concludes this PSA.
sombreuil_mongrel
10 years ago
It is spacious but a lot of the space is under-used. Like the whole SW quadrant.
Seating? none indicated. It appears to me that if things could be more consolidated there is the square footage for a very large kitchen table.
The ovens look lonely, and for me would spoil the view through the glazed wall onto the porch area. I'd swap the oven area and the coffee bar area. Then the SE quadrant is a dedicated baking zone distinct from the cooktop zone, and the coffee sink doubles as a prep sink.
Casey