[tedrick]

Image Title: apt kitchen wall cabinet island
Description: This is my kitchen plan. Ignore the lack of countertops. On the floor-resting wall cabinets & connecting wall (fore - left of 3d view), I'm intending to place a countertop - is this crazy? Also, an undercabinet fridge & freezer will be placed on the 4' of cabinets in the back-left

[NBeth]

Welcome! Are those partial walls required? I'd ditch them if not. Can you move into the adjoining space a bit? I'd be inclined to spread out if possible so the sink isn't right in the corner and is a bit further from the stove (but still leaving cabs on both sides of stove). And for the island I'd use the base cabs if possible because they're much more stable and could function freestanding (though not advised) whereas the shallow cabs would require a floor connection.

[tedrick]

The tall wall is more or less required- it's where the electrical comes in & where the panel is. Currently, there's a full wall where I'd like the island; I kept the extra 2' to provide drawer clearance & support for the intervening countertop.

The drain & water pipes are right up against that corner- the soffit is the drain system for my column of units. I really am committed to putting in an 18" dishwasher; I may be able to put in a larger sink cabinet and shorten the end cabinet on the other end.

This is an efficiency; you're looking at the entire apartment, excluding entry corridor, closet & bath. As such, I'm rather reluctant to extend the kitchen much further- I'm planning the bed at the windowed corner & would like to keep office/dining/social space in front of the island.

[NBeth]

Got it. One thing to consider is that you'll still need storage, whether it's kitchen or not. Creating a larger island base gives you places to put things, whether or not they are kitchen things! In a small space like this it would also be very logical to do a breakfast bar for eating, rather than a big dining table. You could still get one of the small Bjurstas or similar folding tables, of course. I hope you will do wall cabs, for the same reason.

Can you post your planner file--maybe I could help?

[tedrick]

I've attached the file, along with the current layout of the kitchen (nothing like an 420 sft apt to cause one to think).

In terms of storage, there's a lot not being shown- the closets are generous for the size and total about 50 sqft. I'm planning to also have a 2x4 expedit at the end of the kitchen for either misc or dishes and provide separation between the sleeping area & kitchen (the fpf file has the configuration). I also currently own a 5x5, which is either going to be a room divider for the bed area or the dresser in my closet. I've been more concerned with countertop space.

I can see the point w / regard to full cabinets, I was just hoping to kill the *need* for a freestanding table/bar by having a bar (I was also planning to fortify the bar with legs on the free end to support the weight).

In terms of wall cabinets, with the setup at the back (base cabinets + fridge/freezer on top), there isn't quite enough clearance for wall cabinets. I'm planning to put a top on the fridges, of course, and possible a shelf above it (the back of the wall features a another soffit lowering the height by ~10 in).

	W definition W is a wall cabinet designation, as in W18, can be a stand-in for Wide, or when followed by a / stands for With.

[NBeth]

Hi,

OK, here is a plan just meant to jog your brain--even if you decide to reject it! It includes a bar using full depth cabinets and no dining room table. One cab faces the kitchen and one faces the diners. That second cab can't have an upper drawer because you won't be able to use it. An open shelf is a great place to hide board games or other large flat items. The other drawers can hold whatever you want: kitchen-ness not required. The cover panels are not exact here, but you can get the general idea. I pulled the sink and its other cab friends a touch more from the corner to get better door clearances and a bit of edge on the left side.

On the fridge wall, I've given you an actual fridge next to a tall pantry cab with drawers. I think this is much more workable than little fridges on top of cabinets (they're not really designed for that and I'm not sure what you gain from it?). You'll get to use your full wall height too, which is really important in such a small space. Where the plan shows a wall oven in the pantry, I'm actually envisioning a microwave.

In other areas, please note the "wall" around the bed is actually meant to be a curtain system like Kvartal and of course the bench is a placeholder for a small sofa. I'm suggesting a small desk that can be raised or lowered to present a smaller profile when you're not using it. The only downside is the lack of drawers but the wall cab partially compensates. Ikea also has some other clever options with similar flexibility.

[tedrick]

Thanks- it certainly shows that full depth cabinets won't intrude too much into the main space. As for the curtain system, another option that I've been planning for is hooking up a curtain upside down on Stolmen posts- one of my walls in my current place is 80% Stolmen acting as my closet/desk/media center/misc storage. Alas, a desk in my world is a place to hold paper when I don't need it immediately in front of me but can't quite file it yet, so by it's nature it's permanently 'down'.