Kitchen Plans

[lightbulbsun]

I'm at the early stages of planning my kitchen remodel, but I've been messing around a lot with layouts in the Ikea kitchen planner and I think I'm getting to a good place. Basically we will be tearing down the wall between my kitchen and living room, to make a kitchen/dining/living space which will be 15' x 35'. I attached the house plan as it was when we bought the house, and my proposed layout.

The nook by the back door can get really tight. In the original layout, the laundry was in that space, but last year we converted the family room into a laundry/mud room. We moved the fridge where the laundry used to be, but it's still really tight there. I want to still utilize that space, so I want to do 15" deep full height cabinets there, and a small counter where we will keep the coffee maker. 

The biggest thing I'm unsure of is where to put the sink/dishwasher. I was thinking that the island might be a good location, because then there would be a lot of counter space between the fridge and range. Or maybe it would just make sense to keep it under the window and leave the island completely clear? 

Also, there's a few random things that the Ikea app doesn't do. There would be more filler panels, and the island counter would be a rectangle, not a U.

Attachments:

[lightbulbsun]

Here are pictures of the existing kitchen from the listing photos.

Attachments:

[froggy76]

I think your plan looks really good. I prefer the sink under the window than in the island - then the island is clear and more functional.

The only other option I can think of is that you could move the fridge and stove back where they were originally and either do a smaller island. You'd get more counter space around the perimeter of the kitchen that way. You have a lot of doorways to work around so I'm not sure if there are any other good options.

FYI, you can use "extra countertop solutions" in the Ikea app to get a piece of countertop to fill out your island. It will have a leg- you can also remove the leg.

[lightbulbsun]

Aug 26, 2020 13:25:46 GMT -5 froggy76 said:

I think your plan looks really good. I prefer the sink under the window than in the island - then the island is clear and more functional.

The only other option I can think of is that you could move the fridge and stove back where they were originally and either do a smaller island. You'd get more counter space around the perimeter of the kitchen that way. You have a lot of doorways to work around so I'm not sure if there are any other good options.

FYI, you can use "extra countertop solutions" in the Ikea app to get a piece of countertop to fill out your island. It will have a leg- you can also remove the leg.

Thanks!

I forgot to mention in the OP, but I don't want to put cabinets on the left wall because there's baseboard heating there. If we took that out there wouldn't be enough heating for the space, and there's really no other place we can put it. I was hoping that adding the island would be enough counter space. 

And thanks for the tip about the app!

[rubytue]

I don’t have design advice, I’m just 😳 at a couch in the kitchen.

[aprilsails]

I would keep the island clear. We have almost the same layout in our new house and we use the island as all prep space. It’s amazing. I don’t care about a work triangle when I’ve got a great big landing space in the middle to work with.

[mrsukyankee]

rubytue, it's very normal to have in large kitchens in England (mostly rural - but they had one in our kitchen, which is large for London, when we went to view it - they had a smaller table in the kitchen and a dining room area).

[roni]

Aug 28, 2020 17:34:11 GMT -5 rubytue said:

I don’t have design advice, I’m just 😳 at a couch in the kitchen.

Haha. I gave it a second glance too, but considering how much (pre-Covid) socializing) happens in the kitchen, I’m now convinced it’s a cozy idea.

[rubytue]

Aug 29, 2020 10:04:36 GMT -5 roni said:

Aug 28, 2020 17:34:11 GMT -5 rubytue said:

I don’t have design advice, I’m just 😳 at a couch in the kitchen.

Haha. I gave it a second glance too, but considering how much (pre-Covid) socializing) happens in the kitchen, I’m now convinced it’s a cozy idea.

Yes, I did think of that. Nice the have family have a comfy place to sit while others are cooking. At my dads house, the stair were a common sitting place to socialize. It was still just something unusual to see. 

I’m glad it was a listing photo, and I’m not really judging the OP or anything. 

[lightbulbsun]

Aug 29, 2020 11:32:15 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Aug 29, 2020 10:04:36 GMT -5 roni said:

Haha. I gave it a second glance too, but considering how much (pre-Covid) socializing) happens in the kitchen, I’m now convinced it’s a cozy idea.

Yes, I did think of that. Nice the have family have a comfy place to sit while others are cooking. At my dads house, the stair were a common sitting place to socialize. It was still just something unusual to see. 

I’m glad it was a listing photo, and I’m not really judging the OP or anything. 

I kind of like the couch in the kitchen (although we don't have one there now). My great-grandma had a small couch and chair in her breakfast area instead of a table, and it was nice to sit there.