[ianai]

Hello all, I'm a first-timer here at IKEAfans and have been struggling big-time with my kitchen design. It is such a frustrating space.

A kitchen which originated in 1932 with three doors, two windows, and two full height partial walls which are load-bearing from a previous remodel that's only 11x12. Normally that would be ample space I, but with all the doors and windows in the locations that they are in, I'm having a really rough go and could use some help from any kind-souls out there that are willing.

My plan currently is Kasebo Beech w/ the black countertops. I am open to suggestions, but am also shopping in that door price-range give or take 10%. My max budget is 3k for all the goods I'll need from IKEA plus tax. I'm not really sure about the counter tops, the nearest IKEA is 150 miles away, so I haven't been able to see them in person. The black looks ok in the planner, but who knows in real life ;-)

My plans can be found via

http://ianbatchelder.com/ikea/Kitchen.fpf
http://ianbatchelder.com/ikea/Blank.fpf
http://ianbatchelder.com/ikea/outsidethebox.fpf

Kitchen is my current design
Blank is a blank kitchen
outsidethebox is a new idea I'm toying with that would change the location of the main kitchen door and not open the wall between the kitchen and the living room.


ian AT ianbatchelder.com
1K3@fans

Thank you sooo much to anyone who takes a crack at this. I'm sure there are questions, so I'll answer as best I can. I can also take pictures of the kitchen as it is now for your cringing enjoyment ;-)

One huge thing! To the left of the cooktop is the missing door. I'm actually opening up that wall so from the countertops w/ the sink, all the way to the edge of the corner-cabinet there will be but a half-wall. There will be enough room for me to mount a cabinet w/ extraction fan, possibly a little more and on the other side I'll have a breakfast bar of sorts - a couple of stools and a countertop.

Thanks again :-D

Ian

[DesignDiva]

Hi Ian and welcome!

I am trying your username and password and getting an error...it is case sensitive, so please post exactly what they are. Except for the @ in the email, got that.

Actually, I figured it out, but your plan is not there. Could you upload the .fpf file somewhere for retrieval?

[ianai]

Oops . I changed my IKEA username and password as it was pretty revealing of all my other internet accounts - thought these were still there.

Thanks for the welcome, this site is awesome. Oh, one more humerous note - I had designed what seemed like the perfect utilization of the space, only to stumble upon a series mis-measurements that threw the entire design out of whack -doh!

[DesignDiva]

OK...so do you have a new username and password?

[ianai]

Nope, it is the same as in the first post. I just quit and logged back in and both a blank template of my kitchen and my current design are there. Are you having trouble accessing them?

[DesignDiva]

OK, I did a different type of plan for you. I basically segregated the work zones, creating a cleanup zone under one window, a cooking zone on the adjacent wall and a "wall o'tall" on the back wall. I know you said you wanted to open this wall up, which would be doable to have a bar extend off the half wall without impacting the plan. The cart is important to easily transport things between zones, and it would live on the kitchen side of the half wall.

Just another idea, a little more out of the box but functional and maybe very workable. Let me know what you think!

[ianai]

Thanks Eva! I'm not sure what is going on with my IKEA account, but now I can't open the files using the credentials I posted and my old account is working. Its madness! ;-) I'm excited to see your updated plan. I also posted one that was a complete re-think of my own last night. I kinda like it, but the fridge is always a problem no matter what design I use. Can't wait to see your plans

[DesignDiva]

I uploaded it here
ianai.fpf

[ianai]

Thank you Eva :-D I like the way you've been able to utilize the space. I'll definitely run this one by other half and see how she feels about it. I noticed I can also place a couple of cabinets above the sink to the left and right for more storage near the dishwasher and sink for dishes.

I think the only possible concern is the lack of counterspace, even with the cart. Take the Cofee Maker and Grinder, the Microwave, the Blender, the Toaster, etc and it gets pretty cramped pretty quickly. Those are all appliances that are used daily so we like to have them out. Still, I really like the layout.

Thank you

[DesignDiva]

I was thinking that one of the deep pantries would be a perfect place for small appliances...you could run electric in there and have everything plugged in, sitting on a shelf to use. The only appliance that might not work for is the toaster, because it generates heat. That would keep your counters clear and your small electrics functional!