[ikeaCan]

Hi guys,
ideally, and this is still in discussions with my dad, I'd open up the wall from the left door to about where the tall cabinet is next to the fridge, that way the eating bar would be looking into the living room/dining room. It sounds scary, but I think it will open up the whole room and make the living room brighter too.

I would prefer a pull out tall cabinet, I find the use of space a lot better, and it would be easier for mom to reach in the back shelves, I'll play around with sizes, do they make a 21" or 18" pullout... i found the 15 to be a bit small (being the only real pantry).

if we don't take down the walls, I at least want to remove the doors, so it'll make the transition into the room a little easier and we won't have to worry about doors hitting anything inside.

for the cupboard doors we were thinking Adel White. My mom would want some hints of yellow in the paint and due to my lack of artistic talent, I've been "informed" (by my fiance) that white would look nice. any suggestions?

thank you Quiltmaster for the screen shots. I'll send them to her now.

[bethabax]

Originally Posted by ikeaCan

Hi guys,
ideally, and this is still in discussions with my dad, I'd open up the wall from the left door to about where the tall cabinet is next to the fridge, that way the eating bar would be looking into the living room/dining room. It sounds scary, but I think it will open up the whole room and make the living room brighter too.

I would prefer a pull out tall cabinet, I find the use of space a lot better, and it would be easier for mom to reach in the back shelves, I'll play around with sizes, do they make a 21" or 18" pullout... i found the 15 to be a bit small (being the only real pantry).

if we don't take down the walls, I at least want to remove the doors, so it'll make the transition into the room a little easier and we won't have to worry about doors hitting anything inside.

for the cupboard doors we were thinking Adel White. My mom would want some hints of yellow in the paint and due to my lack of artistic talent, I've been "informed" (by my fiance) that white would look nice. any suggestions?

thank you Quiltmaster for the screen shots. I'll send them to her now.

I second the idea of removing the wall if at all possible (as long as its not weight bearing). Then you could even flip the eating area around so it faces the kitchen. During family get- togethers, people could visit with the cook without getting in the way.

As far as color goes, since Adel white is a creamy white, I could see the walls being a creamy yellow, or white walls to match the cabinets with a yellow backsplash, just thinking out loud. What countertop were you thinking of?

Beth

[ikeaCan]

we haven't narrowed down the countertop yet. we got a little overwhelmed at the choices last time we were there.

we were thinking of a darker stone top. the white cupboards, brushed metal handles, and the stainless appliances would look pretty nice together.

yeah, a nice creamy yellow would look really nice and would brighten and warm the kitchen up i think.

I'll have to check how much of that wall we could bring down. hopefully we could bring that corner out and open it up.

We'll hopefully get started on the project early in the new year, after things die down a little. '

i can't wait, I'll have to post some pictures of the project.

[quiltmaster]

The pull-out pantry may not be as convenient as it sounds. With the shallow pantry cabinets, depth isn't really an issue. I don't think a pullout or drawers add much. I think the general consensus is that drawers in 12" deep cabinets are pretty useless. Because of how drawers work, you lose about 3 1/2" of depth. A worthwhile trade-off for ease and convenience in a standard 24" cabinet, but a pretty substantial loss of space in a 12" deep one.

Having said that, even with full depth pantries, many folk prefer individual drawers behind a door as opposed to the pullout. It can be quite a hassle to pull out the whole thing every time you want a can of beans. You can also opt for regular drawers in lieu of doors in a pantry cabinet. Remember that it's just a taller box; you are not stuck with the standard pantry doors. Likewise, you can make an 18 or 21" pantry by cutting down the 24" and using the 18 or 21" doors. You can also stack wall cabinets and get the wall-of-tall effect. There are lots of options; options are both the joy and the curse of Ikea...

p.s. Note rnks kitchens for a primer on pantry design: Progress pic Also just happens to be Adel White...

[reckebecca]

I would second quiltmaster's thoughts on the pullouts for tall cabinets - I find them MUCH more frustrating than internal drawers or individual drawers. To me, they really obstruct access and you have to walk around them to get something on the other side. And, especially in a 12" deep cabinet, pullouts don't make sense, there's not that much space to get lost in.

~Rebecca