[JenJen]

I just found this site and am so happy to know I am not alone in my joy and pain of the do-it-yourself IKEA kitchen remodel. My husband and I have been endlessly demolishing for several weeks. He and the kids have gone to stay elsewhere and I am in the mess supervising the Plumber, HVAC guys, Electrician, and Drywallers this week to put it all back together. I think I have my final plan done (hopefully attached correctly) and NEED to know what you all know before I order cabinets on SAT AUG 25. I need cabinets and appliances in next week to stay on schedule! I will attach my plan and await your responses!

NOTES:

I live in a newely purchased 1700 sq ft. Mid-Century Modern home in Michigan that has had little major renovations since its birth in 1956. While I like a lot of the more "west coast " modern design influences, I think it will be more appropriate to mix that with a little "midwestern" sensibility to make it work here. But not too much, you know :-)

I plan on using the Nexsus yellow-brown door that just came out, but it isnt in the planner yet. I also plan on putting in IKEA laminate countertop, sink, faucet, and lighting until we recuperate from the cost-overruns!

Because of needing 36" clearance on either side of the islands (one side to a wall and the other to the appliance wall) the islands can only be 78" wide. This is frustrating my efforts to balance the cabinets so they are asthetically pleasing. I need a 36" sink and my husband needs a 36" cooktop, so you'll see what I mean in the attachment.

The sink island has a half wall separating it from the semi-formal dining room / library. The cooktop island looks over double base cabinets into a small everyday eating area.

I am purchasing the following stainless-steel appliances:
--36" Jenn Air Pro counter-depth fridge
--24" Jenn Air Pro Dishwasher
--30" Thermador Pro Single Wall Oven and Warming Drawer
--36" Thermador Induction Cooktop

CONCERNS:

I thought I was going to use a downdraft vent (plenty for induction) but just realized how much room I'd loose in the cabinet below the cooktop. So I am looking at island hoods (what a pricetag!) and trying to figure out how to fit one in with only a 7 foot ceiling. (Ceiling pitches upward to the sink island.). We just replaced a load-bearing set of rickety beams and that was the most height I could get :-) . I am also trying to figure out if I will have enough clearance to use top drawers under the induction cooktop.

I need to figure out if the wal oven can sit a little higher with the warming drawer underneath it and fit in the same cabinet. It would help if I knew what the measurements were of the various cabinet components.

I am going to put in an after-market trash pull out in the 18" cab next to the sink as it appears IKEA doen't have one. Did I just read a post here that there is a 24" 4-drawer cabinet now that isn't listed yet? If so, I'll put that to the left of the cooktop.

I need to find space for a pull-out for baking sheets, tins, trays, etc. I had something like that in my kitchen a couple houses ago and it was invaluable for storting those difficult items.

Whew! If you're still reading this -- you are truly a friend I want to have! Thanks in advance for your help!

[DesignDiva]

Hi Jenjen and welcome!

I'd love to see pix of your home...I'm in love with the classic midcentury aesthetic!

I fooled aorund with your plan a bit. The first rendition has a L shaped island, giving you a bit more storage and some symmetry on the back side. You'll need a couple inches of filler there, but that should be no problem.

The second plan has the cooktop and sink switched. I offset the cooktop and sink so two people aren't bumping bottoms....

May I ask why you need a 36" sink? You can get a nice double bowl in a 30" cabinet, or you could have a prep sink at the end of the range run if you want. Is that walkway where the breezeway is? Could you put cabinets on the lefthand wall at all?

Let me know what you think!

[JenJen]

Thanks for responding, Eva! I feel like I know you already because I ended up reviewing so many of your posts earlier today --- I should have known you'd respond so quickly. Thanks!

My mid-century is more of a classic midwest version. Not an Eichler by any stretch, but we're so "over" McMansions we are excited to do something different. We have good bones, but we need to get the interior, windows and exterior in line with the aesthetic (currently: rustic T1-11 siding, no stone, no floor to ceiling windows, etc). We are on the "5-year program" and hope to do it in chunks.

I really like the way you changed the island in the 1st plan. I would never have thought to make the L shape like that. I am definitely going to remeasure everything (change my tape marks on the floor :-) and see what I can do! If I can't then I am glad you caught the "bumping butts" on my original plan -- that's any easy fix to offset them like that.

I've had sinks that were too small in the past and it seems the only way I can get one big enough for the large pots we use for beans, rice, tamales, etc. is to go 33" wide, those usually also have the deeper sinks too. I wll look again at 30" though -- I could really use the counter space. I am trying to get my husband off the 36" cooktop too for the same reason.

I'd love a prep sink, but the plumber says it would require another vent stack. Apparently I am already at my outer limit on the small one left over from the 50's and installing another is too much to do (time & money) right now. But I should keep that in my hat for later when we add a half bath and have to add a new or larger stack.

The IKEA planner is cool, but I really should be using something else, it's too hard to get ALL the room features and details. There are only two walls really, the one to the left I think you mentioned and the one on the right I bumped out 24" for the appliance/cabinet wall. The one on the left runs from one side of the house to the other, dividing the front public area of the house from the rear bedroom area of the house. so I really can't put cabinets there very well. That door actually leads outside the house to a funky private patio we'd like to keep.

Do you know where I can find information on the detailed dimensions of the IKEA cabinets? Like, I know it might be 24" wide and 24" deep with a drawer and a door -- but what are the dimensions of the drawer, drawer front, and door? It should help me make sure things will fit right. Also, how do people find out about the cabinets they don't list -- Go to the store? Mine's an hour and a half away. Or is there another online resource?

Thanks again for your help!

[zeuss]

Demicent in her blog, details how she uses her drawers under her induction cooktop - she loves hers. http://www.ikeafans.com/blogs/demicent/

I put together an article about pantries and the ways to customize them. Everything is components so the possibilities are endless. 88" Pantry Configuration Diagrams

I'll take a look at the plan and get back to you.

[zeuss]

Originally Posted by JenJen

I'd love a prep sink, but the plumber says it would require another vent stack. Apparently I am already at my outer limit on the small one left over from the 50's and installing another is too much to do (time & money) right now. But I should keep that in my hat for later when we add a half bath and have to add a new or larger stack.

There is a way to "cheat" and put a special valve in an island sink - air admittance valve. You could maybe go this route and have a prep sink afterall.
Vent an Island Sink and Other Tricky Spots

[DesignDiva]

I have a single bowl Elkay sink in my 30" cabinet, and I can lay a sheet pan flat on the bottom of it to scrub it. That's the biggest thing I have, my roasting pans are smaller than that. So you can certainly find an adequate single bowl for a 30" cab. Here's a pic of it, from our old kitchen...I kept the sink when we remodeled because I love it so much! It's an Elkay 25" sink, 10 inches deep.