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I've been playing with this awhile now and this is the first design I'd be interested in posting for your comments. I downloaded my plan to the ikea website - id sherbstreit@yahoo.com, password 1kitchen. This plan uses the walls as they are, very little reconstruction. We are planning on taking the soffits that we currently have out and use the taller cabinets. My kitchen is almost identical to the one in the before&after pictures of jordanl/adel medium brown (which is the doors we are planning on using also) except our kitchen is a little smaller.
The pantry wall is 96", The wall I have the dishwasher on is 80", The window wall is 106" currently then the eating area space is another 106", The peninsula is currently 102".
I would like to add a breakfast bar (the raised type) to the peninsula. Do I have room for that?
I currently have a double oven and cooktop on the pantry wall. I HATE the cooktop that far from the sink - the oven is ok there. I am very confused as to the best place to put the oven/cooktop or whether to do built in single or double or just a regular range. I'm not a gourmet cook so I don't need the double but I have it and it's newish. I work for an appliance manufacturer so I can consider replacing appliances for a better layout. I put in a 36" cabinet in the one corner wanting to use the Lee Valley corner unit. Did I do this right?
So far this is the layout that gave me the most storage, but I would love to know what the experts (you guys) can come up with.
This is our cheapest option for kitchen remodel. We do have another option that involves major remodeling in the house and I'm not sure I'm up to all that so I'm trying to come up with a plan using our current space that excites me.
Hey henny! If I haven't said so already, Welcome to the forums! jordanl has a beautiful kitchen, and I'm sure you will too!
I'm not the layout expert, so I'll leave that to those who do that best. It might be tomorrow before you get any real feedback, but I want you to remember that we guys are people just like you! Seriously...some of us haven't even done our kitchens yet (me), and most of us ('cept Eva) struggle with the planner every single time. And, we all started at the beginning, just like you.
So. Now, you're one of us! (chanting "one of us, one of us") Welcome to the fold!
Susan
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I would recommend swapping the dishwasher and the range. I don't like ranges in peninsulas, besides the safety issue there is the venting issue which is much easier on a wall than an island hood. The range you show is smaller than standard American ones which are 30" wide, so you might have to cut the cabinet next to it down to a 9" Perfekt unit.
Seating at a breakfast bar might be tight.
I've uploaded a revised plan with the changes I suggest, see what you think.
I would be open to swapping the range and dishwasher. I've been moving the oven all over the place trying to find a good spot for it.:? My concern with the plan you did is that I lose the wall cabinet space. Is there a way in the Ikea software to do a OTR with cabinet in the plan? I really like the style hood that you have in there but would rather have the storage there.
The other reason I put the dishwasher against the wall was I thought it would be easier to put dishes and cups etc in the cabinets over the dishwasher than turning around to do it. Not that it's such a long walk in our size kitchen. lol.
What are your thoughts on the pantry wall? I like the floor to ceiling storage but how does it look aesthetically. Also it's hard to tell which ones are in the plan by the #'s. I like the pullout rather than shelves. What about the one with the drawers at the bottom? What is that unit like? Do you think it'd be better to some counter on that wall? Or any desk space - it'd have to be small so I'm not sure it's worth it?
I have no idea where to go on the Ikea website to look at the plans. I think we might like to know more about your family and how you use the kitchen so that we can advise you. Do you have kids? If you don't, you might be more willing to leave the range in an island or peninsula so that you can have your dishwasher closer to your dishes. I have to turn around right now to put put away my dishes and while it's not the end of the world, I definitely prefered it when I put everything in one big cabinet above the dishwasher. Eva's right though about ventilation being more of a problem.
I like the pantry wall. All your food storage is in one place, making it easy to get everything you need in one trip. I personally utilize the baking sheet method of transporting, and it works great for gathering all your food, transporting stacks of dishes and glasses, etc.
I think putting the DW in the peninsula is a far better option than the range. Putting dishes away will be no trouble. My dishes are stored totally outside the kitchen, in the dining room and at the coffee bar, and I don't even think about it since I use a rimmed baking sheet to carry everything in one trip. They do the same in restaurant kitchens, and it works just fine for me.
I forgot to ask before, what is on that wall next to the pantry wall, a doorway, or is it available for cabinetry?
If you have framed cabinets now, you'll be amazed at how much more storage you get from frameless, even if you kept your current configuration. I think you have a ton of storage, even with the changes I recommended. Yes, you can get a cabinet for over the range, they are 24 or 30 inches wide and 12, 15, 18 or 24 inches high. I have one with my OTR micro mounted beneath it. If you have a smaller range, though, they won't exactly line up.
The pantries you have give you good storage options, drawers, shelves and pullouts. I like the pullout mostly for the coolness factor but it does hold quite a bit. I don't like deep shelves because things get lost in there, but it is possible to retrofit drawer units into the 30" wide pantry unit. You would need to change the hinges out though to get the drawers fully extended, and you'd need filler at the 90 degree wall end.
We have 2 boys 5 & 8. They are pretty calm (for boys anyway). My current cooktop is right in the walkway, major traffic area so I think in the penninsula would be less of a hazard than where it is now. I was also thinking that with the raised bar there that would help with the hazard. I know ventilation is required and was thinking if I did an oven built in (which cabinet is it that people do that with?) and a cooktop with a downdraft vent would be an option. I'm not sure why venting is such an issue - I use mine like once a year if that oftenwhen I burn something. So I am looking at it as a requirement for resale and asthetics vs. actual usage.
So many options and things to think about......ahhhh....We bought the house 9 years ago and the first thing we were going to do was replace the carpet in the kitchen with laminant (who puts carpet in a kitchen???). Anyway, one thing led to another if we're going to do that then we might as well move the dishwasher (don't like it's current location) to well let's do the whole kitchen. Then asked my BIL opinion and he came up with the idea to move the kitchen to the current family room location. Which gives me a much larger nicer kitchen but involves remodeling 1/2 our house. It's still an option but would be sooo much easier and cheaper to live with what we've got.
Hopefully that helps you know where we're coming from - the land of confusion. I'd like a kitchen fairy to come and poof it all done with the perfect layout.
The wall next to the pantry is actually a closet that opens on the other side - basically in the stairway. I think it is supposed to be a coat closet but we converted it to a pantry when we moved in. We have discussed opening that up to the kitchen. However my current thought is getting the Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer and stacking them in that closet as a way to get the laundry out of the basement.
OK, I'm back to the idea of the dishwasher in the peninsula, which was my first location for it, and the range back against the wall. I have to figure out which is the right size - no I won't be getting a small one. I don't havea regular rangenow so I couldn't measure which I did for the other items. And put the cabinet over for the OTR - that takes care of the venting and the spot for a microwave. I think I'll switch the pantry back to the one without the drawers.
Ah...you've contracted a case of the galloping might-as-wells! A common affliction, but unfortunately incurable.
I think the range on the wall is your very best option, and an OTR microhood is a good bet. The downdrafts I haven't heard such great things about. A vent might be required by code, it is in my area.
I like drawers, especially the full extension drawers in the IKEA cabinets. They are quite functional for tons of things, including pots and pans.
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