[ikeaCan]

Hi folks,
just came across this forum and I could really use your help.

It's my parents' 40th anniversary and we're planning on putting a new kitchen in for them.

My mom says that she'd prefer only to have base cabinets, but I think some upper cabinets on the right side wall might be acceptable. currently the fridge is next to the stove but I think I will move it to the place shown on the design.

She did mention that an L shaped kitchen spanning the length of the room would be nice, but she is open to suggestions. we were also hoping to have a breakfast bar/area in as well.

I guess I'm just looking for any suggestions/tips/ideas that you guys have.

I really appreciate your help.

[bethabax]

I'm playing around with your plans and have a couple of questions:

1. Where do the 2 doors lead, are either of them just openings without doors?

2. Where is the current plumbing and can it be moved? Can electrical for the stove and/or fridge be moved?

3. Are you buying new appliances or using what they already have? Have you considered a counter depth fridge?

3. Will you be including a dishwasher? Do you want a single or double bowl sink?

4. What kind of cooking does your mom do? Does more than 1 person use the kitchen at the same time?

5. What is the style of the rest of the house?

6. Is there anything else in your mom's lifestyle/house that we should consider in the design?

I think this is a great thing you're doing for your parents!

Beth

[ikeaCan]

Hi Beth,
Thank you for your help, I'll answer your questions below:

1) the right door leads to the dinning room/living room (one long space). the left door leads to the entry way (when you come in you can go up some stairs or down some stairs, going up takes you to the kitchen/living/dining rooms. (I hope that made sense. at the moment there are doors, but I'm not against taking them out.

2) plumbing is under the right window and seems hard to move. I'd rather not move the electrical for the stove, but I could move the fridge

3) they just bought new appliances, unfortunately I wasn't thinking of counterdepth fridges at the time. fridge/stove are both 30" wide, there's also a dishwasher coming (standard size)

4) usually there will only be one person there, maybe 2, but we usually have our family get-togethers there so the kitchen will have lots of people in and out/working

5) the house is relatively modern (although it was built about 40 years ago). there's hardwood in the dining/living room. I'd also say it's fairly minimalist, there's not a lot of "big" furniture pieces.

6) none that i can think of... there's not a lot of counter space or drawers in the current kitchen. I think she would like to have something with lots of drawers, basically having a place for everything so that things aren't cluttered,

Thank you very much for your help, I really appreciate it. I think it'll look great at the end.

[quiltmaster]

Hi. Mom has a great space. And she's a gal after my own heart with the no-clutter look. I love the look of no upper cabinets; unfortunately for practicality, I'm ending up with upper cabs on one of my walls. See the file below for a starting point and a couple of suggestions.

First, she'll love base drawers. They almost double the amount of usable space. Plus, it's so much easier to get to everything down there. Anywhere you can put drawers, do. Since she doesn't want uppers, IKEA drawer systems have places for easy dish and pot/pan storage.

However, If she can stand a few uppers, I popped in a few easily removable options that I think still add storage, yet keep open uncluttered look. The secret is glass. It keeps the airy feeling. Most Ikea lines offer frosted glass so she doesn't need to keep the insides pristine.

I took the liberty of moving your fridge, but kept other fixtures/appliances essentially where they are.

Note the breakfast bar solution. The room is large, but narrow. It felt chopped up to have a peninsular jutting out into the room. If you have a drop-dead view from the left window, it would also be a great bar location, Although you'd lose a lot of storage and countertop there. You could compensate somewhat by putting 12" deep base cabinets where the b'fast bars is now.

This is just a start. As you play with the plans, new ideas will come quite naturally. Have fun!

[Dave of the Coonties]

I'll take a look at the plan later (my main computer's a Mac, so I have to turn on the PC). Your comments about the kitchen and house will be very helpful.

Moving a stove electrical outlet, at least by a bit, is not costly. Adding electrical outlets and such need not be expensive, so I'd consider budgeting for wiring revisions. Plumbing is expensive. Surprisingly, making drywall changes need not be costly, but the dust can absolutely drive you nuts.

I'll check whether there's space for tall pantry cabinets. They're incredibly useful if there's any significant need for food storage. They can take pots and pans, too. Or dishes, plates, whatever.

Wall cabinets are extremely useful for glassware and such, at least on their lowest shelves. If you're willing to do some work on wiring, undercabinet lighting (like LED strips from Home Depot) and in-cabinet lighting can be handsome and very practical. Anyway, so much for speculating without actually looking at your plan!

Best wishes.

[bethabax]

Here are 2 ideas. The first gives them an eating area and has wall cabinets on one wall.

Re: Help needed, mom's kitchen 

Re: Help needed, mom's kitchen 

Re: Help needed, mom's kitchen 

The second has lots of drawers, counter space, and storage, with no wall cabinets (I happen to like this look lot!)

Re: Help needed, mom's kitchen 

Re: Help needed, mom's kitchen 

Re: Help needed, mom's kitchen 

Re: Help needed, mom's kitchen 

Hope this helps!

Beth

[ikeaCan]

Hi guys,
Thank you very much for your help, it's always great to get a fresh set of eyes on these things.

I took a few suggestions from both of you. I really like the design.

let me know what you think, and if you have any other suggestions they will be very much appreciated.

I couldn't figure out how to take screen shots of the design, but I've attached the file.

[quiltmaster]

Great! I hope Mom loves and enjoys it!

Here are a few screen shots.

[Dave of the Coonties]

Thanks for the screenshots, Quiltmaster.

Consigning the fridge to the interior wall seems a very good option--the more I look at plans, the bulkier it looks on the window wall.

I'd put some tape on the floor to check the amount of space for the dining corner, and to see whether there's any problem with the adjoining door.

The tall cabinet next to the fridge is a wide, shallow one, so the hinged doors may indeed work better than pullout doors.

[bethabax]

Originally Posted by Dave of the Coonties

Consigning the fridge to the interior wall seems a very good option--the more I look at plans, the bulkier it looks on the window wall.

I'd put some tape on the floor to check the amount of space for the dining corner, and to see whether there's any problem with the adjoining door.

I agree with both of the above. Big bulky refrigerators are a personal pet peeve of mine, especially in small or narrow kitchens, although I can see how in larger families, the storage area would be needed.

I'd also think about whether people would be comfortable sitting facing the wall.

Just for curiosity's sake, what door are you planning on using?

Beth