Discuss Planning a room around an AGA cooker on IKEAFANS.com. We're Personalizing the IKEA Experience. Planning a room around an AGA cooker - Need help with planning your remodel? Want a kitchen planner to review your ideas? This is the happenin' spot!.
Hi all you creative minds! I started a short thread about painting over oak, but I thought I’d begin anew because I would like some advice on how to configure my kitchen when/if I decide to replace cabinets instead of just repainting them. This is one of those slippery slope kind of projects. For years I’ve yearned for an AGA cooker, and I finally found a reasonably priced second hand one and took the plunge. It has 4ovens and is claret red in color, like the one in the photo at this link: http://www.aga-ranges.com/models/four_oven.cfm
To install this 28” x 59” behemoth, I need to move some cabinets, which means I need new counters, which leads me to think perhaps new cabs are needed to complete the look. I’m partial to the Slat white cabinets. We have oak floors. Would love soapstone counters. The AGA has a black enamel top, so a darkish countertop would work here.
My current kitchen is tucked in the upper left quadrant of a 21’ x 21’ room, with sliding glass doors on the north and south walls. The upper left quadrant is where we have our table, though we do have a separate dining room that we don’t use much. The lower right quadrant has a loveseat, chair and coffee table. The lower left quadrant has open doorways to the entry hall and the living room, plus a pantry in the corner and a woodstove (it sits on the plinth that shows in the floorplan I’m posting, but I couldn’t get the Ikea software to give me a fireplace . . . or a dishwasher, or the beams that go along the ceiling.) The current configuration is a lot like in the plan here: a U-shape with one leg being a peninsula.
I’m keeping a new-ish white fridge and dishwasher. I’d like to locate the sink and DW in the current spot to keep costs down. (DW shows as a 24” cabinet on the plan.) I think the most sensible place for the AGA is where the cooktop and oven currently sit – it’s shown as 2 ranges on the plan, because it’s so wide. Next to the range, but not showing in the plan, is a 4” x 24” wall that I can’t remove because it joins up to big ceiling beams. Whether I use an island or a peninsula, I’ve got to integrate this pesky little wall.
My goal is to fit the AGA in without losing too much storage and counter space. I’ve put 2 15” pullout pantries in the plan on either side of the fridge, and am hoping they’ll do a lot to hold the line on drawer space that I’ll lose. But I do lose counter space. I’ve also widened the peninsula, from 38” deep to 48” deep. My worry is that the wider peninsula, although giving more counter space and maybe a breakfast bar, will also crowd the table that I’d like to keep in that upper right quadrant. I was wondering if building a 24” deep bench on the far wall would take up less room than chairs on that side of the table while also adding storage. I could see putting a small desk in the corner, adjacent to the bench and over the radiator box. If it turns out I can’t keep the table there, should I replace the benches with a full-fledged hutch unit? Or both hutch and benches?
If I went with an island for the AGA instead of a peninsula, running horizontally across the room, I would have to re-locate the table – against the wall, or to the lower right quadrant of the room. But then I’d have to lose the comfy seating area. I’d also have to go into the ceiling of the downstairs room to run the gas line and electricity to the island, at greater cost. I guess my question about an island is whether it is really much more functional than a peninsula?
So about our use of the room: We cook 2 meals a day, and bake only every couple of weeks. We have 2 teenagers who visit the kitchen frequently, and 2 large collies who spend lots of time in there. Because of the AGA, we won’t need a microwave or toaster, but will probably keep our rice cooker handy. We need separate bins for trash (under sink), compost (beside sink), paper recycling (currently by woodstove), other recycling (ditto) and dog food (ditto). We used to watch TV in this room (when our TV worked), and I often grade papers while sitting on the loveseat because the natural light is good. We eat almost all meals in this room, and the view from the north sliding door is wonderful.
I’d love to hear your ideas on the feasibility of this or alternative layouts, island vs. peninsula, and where to put the table. Thanks in advance!
Wow, AGA ranges are awesome! A range like that deserves to be THE centerpiece of your kitchen. I wouldn't hide it in the island, but would put it front and center so you can see it from everywhere. Put it where the fridge is and build a spectacular hearth style enclosure around it. What a beauty.
Moving the fridge will not be too costly, even if you have an icemaker. You can put the fridge where the wall cabinets are next to the sink on the right. The plumbing lines are there already, so extending it won't be too difficult. Same for the DW.
I'd change out the wall cabinet in the left corner to a corner upper.
I'd build the whole kitchen around that range, whatever had to be done. I don't see any venting over the range where it is currently?
24 inch deep cabinets for the bench are a little too deep for comfort unless you use big pillows at the back. You can use an over fridge cabinet or fan cabinet as the base instead.
If you put the bar seating at the end of the peninsula instead of the side you'd have plenty of room for the table and a hutch too I think.
HTH! I haven't had any coffee yet, so if it doesn't make sense I blame the lack of caffeine.
It's funny, I was just having that same thought about not hiding the AGA. I've been thinking about putting it where the fridge is, but was put off by the prospect of having to look at the wall while I stood at the stove. Although since 80% of AGA cooking is supposed to happen in the ovens, maybe that's not such an issue. I do love the hearth and mantle designs people use with AGA's.
My mental picture of putting the AGA on the current fridge wall matches yours: fridge would have to go next to the dishwasher, which would then require an island. That design puts it between a large window and a 6' wide slider, and I wouldn't be able to wrap it in cabinets. I worry that it would just stick out looking goofy. I guess another option would be to put it where the AGA is on the drawing I posted, and wrap it in cabinets. That would sort of work, but would block the view from the peninsula to the table.
On bench depth, do people use the 12" deep cabinets but set them away from the wall? Or is there such a thing as a 15" deep fan or fridge cab? The 12" one seems a little shallow, but I see what you mean about 24" being too deep.
I like your corner cab idea, but the window is actually too close to allow that to work. I'm a bit challenged in getting the floorplan to come out right.
P.S. I forgot to respond to your question about venting. AGA's are usually installed without venting because all the oven output goes up the chimney, and people are meant to do very little cooking on the top. People usethe hotoven to fry bacon, and another ovento finish anything that simmers: pasta, rice, soups, sauces, etc. So I was going to go ventless, although if I build a big surround for it, I'd consider including a small fan.
Check out the RAKKE storage bench at 20 inches deep, or the LACK shelving unit turned sideways and on legs or casters as options for a bench. The deeper base cabinets are all 32 inches high, so you'd have to definitely cut them down for seating height! If you use a fan or fridge cabinet, you could either build out the top a few inches to accomodate a nice seating depth or you could use triangular bolsters at the back to provide a comfy cushion.
I didn't know AGAs didn't require venting. Check your local codes, though, because they might!
If you put the fridge at the end of the cabinet run, you could use a cover panel on the dining room side to finish it off so it would look built in. Another idea is to have it turned 45 degrees in a corner configuration there, and finish off the back with cover panels. That would give you a nice area to display things facing the dining room. You could come off that with a peninsula. I prefer the straight configuration, though, because that will make the fridge easily accessible without someone having to actually go into the kitchen while you're cooking. I find that with children the fridge needs to be out of the main traffic path! You could have the island oriented parallel to the window wall for a different idea, but that might obscure that beautiful range.
Or you could go totally with the feel of the AGA and create a truly Victorian style kitchen, with the table in the center of the room and cabinets (pantry and fridge maybe) on the side of the room where the bench would be. Victorian kitchens always had the big farm-style table in the center and the whole kitchen wrapped around it.
I'll play around in the planner just to see what it would look like. I am really loving that idea LOL
I entered the 21x21 specs in the planner and guessed on the location and sizes of the doors and windows. It's a radical change but maybe it will work for you!
If you really had to you could swap the fridge out where the cabinets are next to the sink probably, and make the wall where the fridge is a wall of cabinets instead.
I like it!! What great ideas you have! Here's my version of your idea, with the fridge by the sink. I'll ponder whether I can live with the fridge across the room. Next to the table is a little trolley, which is there to represent the bizarre little wall that disrupts the room. I framed the AGA with cabinets, and repeated that across the room in the buffet. Does that look too contrived? I envision a small countertop/desk to the left of the buffet (can't do a cabinet because of radiator on the north wall).
Thanks for all your help. What fun having kitchen designer friends - Kathy
I love it! And look how much more functional storage and counterspace you've got! Your other design had more, but I think this one is more functional. That's a kitchen worthy of an AGA for sure. The fridge can go either place, whichever way works best for your family and style. You can always put a little undercounter fridge in the "hutch" area. We did that with our coffeebar and I am surprised at how handy it is. We store beverages, milk, butter, cream cheese and wine in it. The coffee bar has become our main breakfast and snack area!
Now you get to play with the configuration of the cabinets, glass doors, pullouts, baskets, open/closed uppers....have fun with the "hearth" doing the backsplash, maybe some decorative tiling, a beautiful hood...I just love design LOL
The little desk sounds great, put a phone jack and some electric and cable and you will have a very functional space. You can even have a trash can under there LOL And it looks like you have room for a longer table in there, so consider an extending table to have lots of people over.
Fun, fun, fun!! Keep us posted.
edited to add: if you have room, consider using a JUSSI table in the space where you are thinking of having a desk. It's a small folding table that makes a great desk, and opens to make a dining table that seats six! It would be great auxiliary worktop space if you need it. I use one as my desk and it slides underneath a niche in the coffeebar. We'll be pulling it out on Thanksgiving to accomodate extra guests.
Okay, I had to take a little break so I could get over my excitement at the room design. Now I'm obsessed with using the "AGA shrine" design. Hubby wasn't excited about it, though, as he is basically averse to change. I'll keep tinkering with it, though, and will keep you posted. All thoughts and suggestionsare welcome!
kmcg--I hope that when you're done you'll post the photos here and call the thread "Ikea kitchens don't look cheap" Or maybe "ikea kitchens are for serious cooks"!
It sounds fabulous and I of course agree w/ eva about making the aga the focal point of the room. Enjoy!
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