Kitchen Plans — I’ve Had A Major Change Of Heart
This weekend, as I was working on the drywall in the foyer of our bedroom suite, I was going through the mental list of everything I need to do in order to finish our bedroom suite (as I do very often), and thinking to myself that as soon as these guys are done with the bedroom door and the drywall repair around the door, I’ll be off to the races and I can get this thing done relatively quickly.
“Quickly” is, indeed, relative. But I don’t think it’ll take me nearly as long as the walk-in closet took me. And I was thinking about how amazing it will be to have that whole bedroom suite finished, hopefully by the end of this year, and to have so much of the house finished at that point.
And then I remembered my plans. Yes, that half of the house with the bedroom suite would be finished, but then my plans were to basically start tearing up the other half of the house on the other side — moving the kitchen from its current location into the area where the current breakfast room and pantry are, tearing out the half bath to create a walk-through pantry, turning the current kitchen into a dining room.
I started thinking about how massive that project is going to be. Before a kitchen can be built, I’d have to have all new plumbing installed. I’ve already gotten a quote on that, and it will be almost $10,000 just for the plumbing since this room has a concrete foundation. And then I’ll have to purchase new windows for the front wall of the breakfast room because the current ones are too low to put cabinets below the windows.
And then the installation of new windows will require new framing and new siding on the exterior. And moving the kitchen will require some pretty major flooring repair because part of the current peninsula (the part that overlaps into the breakfast room area) doesn’t have flooring underneath it since I had to do that in stages that were a couple of years apart, if my memory served me correctly.
I mean, with all of that, I’m looking at probably $20,000 right out of the gate, and that’s before I even get to new cabinets, new appliances, countertops, and all of the pretty stuff that actually make a kitchen a kitchen.
And right there, in that moment, I realized that I just don’t have it in me. I don’t have the want or the desire to do all of that. I certainly don’t want to spend that much money right out of the gate before I can even get to the pretty stuff. And who knows how long all of that would even take. I spent five months building a walk-in closet, so I could imagine a project that requires much more construction, both inside and outside, taking far longer.
I just don’t want to do it. And you know what? I actually like the current location of my kitchen. It’s small, but it’s not the size that bothers me. What does bother me after 10 years of living with this kitchen is the inefficiency. I’ve shared several times that this whole wall of cabinets on the back wall of the kitchen, while it looks pretty, is basically useless. I used cabinets that are way too narrow on top that they won’t even hold plates. And the bottom cabinets are upper wall cabinets, so they’re only 15 inches deep. I set the middle section out from the wall to give it some depth, but the inside of the cabinets are still only 15 inches deep.
Also, when I designed that back wall, I always thought that the long countertop there would be where we place food when we have people over, but that’s never what ends up happening. The food ends up on the peninsula with people gathered around the peninsula. So that long countertop on the back wall ends up as a catch-all where random junk gets piled up.
So this past weekend, almost in an instant, I decided that I don’t want or need a larger kitchen. I need an efficient kitchen. I need a kitchen with usable cabinets and storage that is better planned. Now that I’ve had this kitchen for ten years, I know what works and what doesn’t work. So now, I can rearrange in the current footprint and design it in a way that actually works better for how we use it.
In addition to the inefficiency of that whole back wall of cabinets, I have a couple more issues that I want fixed. First, I hate that I don’t have more countertop space next to the stove. I always feel so cramped when I’m trying to cook. And finally, I hate that the dishwasher can be seen as soon as someone enters the front door of our house. As soon as you walk in the front door and glance towards the kitchen, the dishwasher is the first thing you see. I’ve hated that from the moment I put that cased opening between the kitchen and the living room, but I’d never give up that cased opening. It’s the dishwasher location that has to change.
With those issues in mind, I headed to the IKEA kitchen designer and started playing around with some ideas. I have no plan to use IKEA cabinets, but their kitchen layout designer is so easy to use to get some basic layout ideas in place, so that’s where I headed. Let me show you what I came up with.
First, I moved the refrigerator to the back wall. And since I want a French door refrigerator, I put it in the middle. I’d love to get a panel-ready refrigerator, but we’ll have to see about that since they’re so expensive. And then I put floor-to-ceiling storage on both sides of the fridge. Actual usable storage that takes up the full depth of the space available. What a game changer that will be! So that back wall would go from this…
…to something like this…
With the refrigerator relocated, the wall with the stove could go from this…
…to this, with plenty of countertop space on either side.
This would require some plumbing work, but since this part of the house has a pier-and-beam foundation, the cost would be a fraction of what it would be to move it to the breakfast room area. And then I’d have much more countertop space on either side of the stove, as well as more storage near the range, which I’ve also wanted.
And then on the peninsula, I’d just want to swap the location of the dishwasher from the right side of the sink where it is now…
…to the left side of the sink.
Again, I’d love a panel-ready dishwasher, but we’ll have to see about that. I think if the location is just swapped, I’ll be fine with a nice-looking dishwasher without the expense of a panel-ready option.
I feel so much more peaceful about this plan. I know it kind of came out of nowhere, but I really don’t want to be working on this house for the next decade. I do actually want to finish it (at least the inside) so that I can spend my old age outside tooling around in the garden, picking weeds, planting flowers, and enjoying the outdoors.
So basically, that means that the breakfast room stays a breakfast room (or a dining room). The kitchen stays where it is. And the half bathroom in the studio also gets to stay.
The one thing I’m unsure about is the pantry. Matt and I are divided on this topic. I think that if I have an efficient kitchen, I don’t need a pantry anymore, and I’d love to take that wall down. Matt wants to keep the pantry, but the fact is that he doesn’t use the pantry. He just likes how it looks.
But I still want to leave the door open for that future addition. We’ve been talking about it for what seems like forever, but I still hold out hope that it’ll happen. And when it happens, I’d like a doorway leading from the new family room into the dining room. That can’t happen if the pantry is still there. So I really want to take this wall down and just have one big, open room. Perhaps I can still leave the cabinets along that back wall, but I’d really prefer a pretty seating area or something that is more appropriate for a dining room — something that looks less like a kitchen.
And that means that this whole arrangement will basically stay like it is — kitchen peninsula, dining area next to it, and the doorway into my studio.
On the IKEA kitchen planner, I wasn’t able to add cabinets to the back of the sink area, but it would stay just like it is, only with new cabinets and a new countertop.
And then there would just be some minor changes with the plumbing for the other two walls.
Anyway, I know it’s a huge change, and it happened in a split second, but I feel so peaceful about this. It seems manageable, and it doesn’t seem overwhelming to me at all. The other plan seemed very overwhelming and like something I’d be spending the next two years (or probably much longer) trying to achieve.
Sometimes bigger isn’t better. It’s just more to clean, with more countertop space to gather clutter. That’s not what I need. I just need efficiency, and I think I can get exactly what I need in the current kitchen’s footprint if I plan properly.
And do you know what the best thing about this plan is? I’ll still have that half bathroom in my studio. And with that half bathroom available for guests, that means that I can go head and finish our bedroom suite completely. I can go ahead and turn that hallway bathroom into the storage closet for our bedroom suite without having to wait until we build an addition.
I was prepared to live in this awkward “middle stage” for as long as it takes, having a guest bathroom inside our bedroom suite until we could build an addition that has a new guest bathroom in it. But as long as we have a half bathroom that guests can use, that won’t be necessary. I do need to get the pump in the studio half bathroom repaired or replaced. That broken pump is why that bathroom has been out of commission for over a year now. But as soon as it’s fixed, that can officially be the guest bathroom, and that hallway bathroom won’t be needed anymore. As soon as the pump is fixed, I can move full steam ahead on actually finishing our bedroom suite without any delays.
There is a part of me that will miss the dream of that grand vision that I’ve had for the last year, but I keep telling myself what so many of you have told me over the years. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. What I have is good, and as soon as I have an efficient (but small) kitchen, it’ll be great. And what will be even greater is being able to finish it much faster and on a much smaller budget so that I can move to other things.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Great idea. In our last home, we had a very small kitchen with two doorways and the back of a closet stealing some space. Like on your plant, we used one wall for the refrigerator and floor to ceiling cabinets (many of them drawers on the lower levels) and it was a dream for storage and efficiency. It was a game changer for us. I think you’ve found a great plan for going forward.
Yay! I’m feeling a sense of relief for you! I felt overwhelmed when you were planning the huge project. Now I’m excited again! Love what you do!
Oh! I think this is exciting! With the money you are saving with the plumbing, maybe you can get integrated cabinets 😃 I even saw IKEA has some. Maybe, you can use it as inspiration and design something yourself!
Before you finalize this plan, consider measuring all the things you have stored in your walk-in pantry, and make sure you have a new home for these in the extra storage you will build in this new kitchen design.
Also, if you eliminate your walk-in pantry, what will you do with your freezer and microwave? At least the microwave will need to be integrated into the new layout.
You are extraordinary at space planning, so we will all learn something if you do this!
What a brilliant idea! I agree 100%
YES!
I’d say that was divine intervention/inspiration!
Still much fun with design and decor, but more practical and efficient use of your time and money!😉
Love the new plan. Amazing what being cost conscious can make possible. And, it gives you so much peace.
I think your new idea is inspired! You can get just what you need/want without spending a gazillion dollars and several years of disruption. What do you think of the idea of painting the dishwasher the same color as the kitchen cabinets, as you did the freezer in the pantry, which would make it less obvious viewed from the front door?
I had never considered that idea! Even though I painted the freezer, and it has held up remarkably well. It doesn’t have a single scratch or chip on it. Someone else mentioned using vinyl wrap in a solid color. That’s an intriguing idea as well.
I came to say instead of moving it replace it with panel ready. The cost may offset itself since you won’t have the cost to move it.
You could save yourself some time, effort and money redoing the peninsula to move your dishwasher because you don’t like the look of it by just replacing the dishwasher with a panel ready one and that will camouflage it to look like just another cabinet.
This is a perfect idea! Then you don’t have to touch the peninsula at all.
Totally agree with this. Plus, in my house I’m the right-handed person who does the dishes 99% of the time and I can’t imagine my DW not being on the right!
Peace on earth, or at least in the kitchen. I love that it came to you in that epiphany moment. It is how they have all come to me. When we bought the farm almost 14 years ago, I was discouraged because the house was half the size of what we were currently living in. As I pointed out to my husband, we could not make the land, 250 acres, but we could always improve on the house. And we have, but I tend to want to “Go big or go home”, and while that has served us well for the almost 40 years we’ve been married, sometimes smaller, or just far more efficient is better. When we would go home for visits, I always wondered how my parents and his raised the large families and had all the things we had in such small houses, by comparison to today’s housing. One, I think our mothers were magician’s as to keeping 15 pounds of stuff in a 5-pound bag. Something I was taught as an Army wife, but now that we have retired, I keep wondering where my magic wand went to and how to I make it more efficient in a smaller workplace. Sometimes just the movement of one item can change the entire space and how you can utilize it better. I cannot wait to see how all this goes, and I hear you about wanting to be done before the next decade.
Cheers to you and Matt!
This is brilliant, as are you. I am not a naysayer, particularly when it comes to others’ hopes, plans, dreams or budgets. I have absolutely loved your plans for the house, the additions and upgrades but I keep thinking, holy guacamole, where do you get the energy to do half of what you do? Don’t you need down time to play (beading, art, etc.)? And the workshop, the gardening plans, the outside of the house and surrounding property: when you’re done inside will you have the energy to tackle those upgrades?
So to this new epiphany I say, hear hear! I’ve cooked in tiny kitchens and while it was cramped, every delicious meal can be made and enjoyed with basic gear. And you have it WAY better than that. I guess the major hangup is the interim, of not having a dining room until the addition is built? How have you been handling that currently? TV trays and the like? It is my understanding from this post that the recliner / TV room off the kitchen will become the dining room and the current use will migrate to the living room in the new addition in the back? Or will the current living room become the d/r once the addition is added?
Kudos for keeping first things first, keeping the focus on a master plan and an open mind while you enjoy life. Blessings to you, Matt, Coop and Felicity (and Tiger, is that the outside kitty?).
The new plan sounds great. I think you’ve made a wise decision.
I really like how you’ve reimagined your kitchen and think it is a wise plan. When you addressed changing the pantry area, I kept thinking about where you would move the freezer. (If you still need a full size freezer). It would sacrifice some cabinet space but have you considered a full size refrigerator and a full size freezer side-by-side in the kitchen? Perhaps that would allow you to open up the pantry area for a doorway into the future livingroom.
Love the new layout! Several thoughts from my recent kitchen build. First, please don’t use 24″ deep pantry cabinets on either side of the fridge in your layout. I have those pantry cabinets in my kitchen. The depth is very hard to work with since everything gets shoved to the back and forgotten plus you have to unload the front edge to get to the back. Mine are 24″ deep x 30″ wide. I’m 5’9 and the upper shelf is almost useless to me. 18″ would be more practical unless you plan to use pull-out trays instead of shelves. I am looking at ways to convert my cabinets given that they have a face frame.
Second, please keep the beautiful pantry. So much storage and your freezer & MW are there. If the visual off the DR is too much, put some frosted glass french doors or “saloon” doors on it. I have a friend with a similar layout: LR has a room attached with a sloped ceiling and no wall to separate them. About the size of yours. It detracts from her LR which is fairly large for a WPA house built in ’39.
Third, I know the DW bugs you where it is. Consider this: If you are right-handed, leave it where it is. Placing it on the left may annoy you even more since you will be crossing your right hand/arm over the left to load it. I can tell you from previous experience that it is a PITA to deal with since you will be dripping water, etc. on your left arm half the time. Or maybe not! Depends on how well you use your left hand!
PS, I like the idea of a panel ready DW to hide it where it is. Much less work!
Also noted the fridge/freezer side-by side post. I bought a fridge from Lowes that can be converted to a freezer by flipping a switch on the back.
I have 24” deep cabinet pantry… simple solution is roll out trays. Doesn’t work for the very top shelf but i just store things not often used. I installed the rollouts on the shelves (they have shelf brackets with a small screw, so need to worry about tipping) so i can adjust them when needed.
Although i just recently saw Rev-a-shelf has roll out with adjustable height’s
So glad you are doing this—after living through 2 simultaneous renovations (long story) on two different houses, I feel for you! Enjoy your bedroom suite sooner and get started on your shed! That should keep you busy enough. Bodies and minds need rest—your kitchen will be perfect for your needs and you can look forward to other projects while having a perfectly perfect kitchen and bedroom suite!
Love this new idea! I really liked your original plan, but it definitely seemed like a LOT of work (not to mention money), but we all know you don’t shy away from hard work 🙂 I love that you found a way to make the existing space work for you. My husband and I just purchased a house with a recently renovated kitchen. It’s on the smaller side but it was so thoughtfully planned out that there’s plenty of room for everything we need.
One idea that worked for me when making sure everything fit: I wrote out a list of every single cabinet and drawer in my kitchen, and then went through and noted where everything in my existing kitchen would go (sometimes even specifying by shelf in each cabinet). It helped me see that my new kitchen was big enough to fit everything I needed, plus gave me a great reference point on where I planned on putting everything! Nothing worse than moving a mixer 4 times because you can’t decide on which cabinet to store it in 🙂 Just an idea, especially if you’re looking to make sure all of your pantry items will fit in the new kitchen. Can’t wait to see the results!
I love your pantry, even more for its functionality than its beauty. As my interest in health has grown, I want my microwave OUT of the kitchen and away from people. Seriously, that electromagnetic radiation that it puts out is no joke. Our health also benefits from getting a 1/2 side of grass-fed and grass-finished beef every year to stock our freezer (our full-size freezer is in the far side of our basement which is inconvenient). And I would love to have a place to stash appliances and other countertop clutter that could be closed off visually with a door. Your house, your decision for your lifestyle, but I would be sad to see the butler’s pantry go.
We could very easily live without a microwave. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve used that microwave since I finished the pantry. If not one hand, definitely two. Right now, I can’t even remember the last time I used it. It’s been months! I may just get rid of it altogether.
Our microwave is also our vent hood. I hate it. If I were as skilled and talented as you, I would replace the microwave with a real hood. Even though I don’t use the microwave function often anymore, my husband does although I avoid being in the kitchen when it is in use. I do think it is a very good decision to work within your current kitchen footprint: saves time, saves money, saves physical energy.
I agree about keeping the pantry, at least for now. What about making it match the dining room like a butler’s pantry? Have it flow more with the dining room. I suppose that doesn’t solve the problem for later when you add the addition. But I do like the idea of a butler’s pantry there.
Also, regarding the dishwasher, I really don’t think it’s a big deal to move it to the left even if you’re right handed. I’ve been in my house over 10 years, with the DW on the left, and until reading the comments today, it never even occurred to me that it was on the left and I’m right handed. Ever. I’ve never dripped water on my left arm or anything. And my old house had it on the right, so I made the switch without even thinking about it. I wouldn’t sweat it.
Yes yes and yes! Except for the dishwasher on the corner. It seems like a real knee bumper walking from the dining room into the kitchen but I guess it’s the same coming from the living room. You seem to severely dislike that dishwasher. Maybe you should just get rid of it. Or get a drawer dishwasher. They are big enough to handle daily dishes and it would look like cabinetry.
Good point about tripping over the dishwasher when it’s between the dining area and the kitchen sink. I have it on the left rather than the right in our latest house and I hate it in that location. i’m ight handed and it’s awkward to load. Lots of dripping over the floor. Love the idea of getting one with the panel so that it wouldn’t bother you to see it from the living room. And the cost would be offset by not having to do any new plumbing. And I love the revised layout. Perfect work triangle. When you came up with the kitchen being moved into the current family room/dining area, I felt like it was an awful lot of work. And I also didn’t like the walk-through dining area off the living room. I had one of those and we were constantly shoving the table off to the side so we could move through it. Your new idea makes great sense.
I always wondered if you might regret removing the powder room from the studio area – it just seems so handy to your working area rather than having to travel almost the length of the house to use the facilities.
Your present kitchen isn’t really that small and the changes to the back wall increasing your counter space seem better suited to the way you use it. I would leave your pantry alone until you are finished with the changes to the kitchen and have worked out the new storage and see how it all works.
THIS IS AWESOME!
Love it. Great idea. Proceed.
;D
I love the new kitchen plans.
Not sure if it helps. So a change inlaws did on a kitchen wall with fridge is they framed and installed a doorway in the wall where the fridge was. The other side was the laundry. This let them fit a full depth fridge and put counter depth cabinets in. They created a creative built-in that looked like a bookshelf with inset french doors on the other side to hide to full depth fridge poking into the laundry. Gave access to turn the area behind the fridge and level the back feet of the fridge in its home.
Your plan sounds great, but let it settle more- resolve all the the paths of travel. resolve the order of operations more. If you’ll still fix the floor or not. Where will the freezer live? The how you’d organize these areas you’ve settled with different division, does the wall hold what your pantry does? Can the family room be acceptable with your symmetry needs with a doorway there.
I’m curious if turning the pantry into a breakfast nook with a small cafe table and leave the sitting area for Matt is an option. Or just turn the pantry short wall shared by the bath into a freezer/drink area. With the remaining area as a flex zone. Not formal, but it works for you. at least until the addition is done then you can shift Matt’s sitting area into a dining area after.
Good for you. Clarity often comes unexpectedly; you are wise to always be willing to change your plan.
Hey Kristi! I am a long time follower but don’t comment much! I just starting working for an interior designer who focuses on kitchens and baths…I just wanted to share this company if you aren’t familiar with it
https://rev-a-shelf.com/
I just do the drawings for her amazing ideas, and I have never been in this industry before so all these things I am learning about BLOW MY MIND…I thought maybe this site could help you utilize the storage you want.
I love EVERYTHING you do – my favorite was the green kitchen even though it didn’t stay around long – lol!
That’s so wise! I’m excited for you. You are right that bigger isn’t always better.
One thought I have is about loading the fridge. Are your main counters close enough that you can use them to set things on for loading the fridge? I think about when I come home with groceries and also when putting things away after meals. Mine is about 40″ away and works well. (I never use the counter to the side because I also have a french door fridge.)
Yes, both countertops on either side will be close enough. Even now, I put my groceries on the countertop on that back (inefficient) wall and unload them from there. The kitchen is small enough that even walking from the back wall to the fridge isn’t a big deal.
I did panel dishwasher and refrigerator in our remodel .
You are right the cost of the refrigerator is high! I found a Z-line frig that although high$ was a LOT more affordable. We also did the dishwasher which is a Miele, again expensive but so worth it as it does a beautiful job!!!
One thing about the frig is that they are tall and you would need a stool to reach the top shelf, they are also counter depth
This is definitely a better option in terms of cost and effort.
I’d echo what someone else said about the dishwasher. My panel ready dishwasher wasn’t that much more expensive than a normal one. By the time you factor in moving the plumbing you would probably be at a wash, and your sink cabinets would look so much more symmetrical.
With all due respect to Matt, the person who uses a space is the person who should make the decisions about a space, especially when it comes to a heavy use area like a kitchen. Kitchens that are designed with aesthetic concerns first are miserable places to cook.
Just a thought…have you considered painting the dishwasher the same color as your cabinets…my daughter has done that to an old refrigerator & it looked fabulous!
I considered that with the refrigerator. My painted freezer has held up perfectly over the years. I hadn’t considered painting a dishwasher. I guess if it works for a fridge, it would work for a dishwasher. I’ll give it some thought.
We are planning on panel-ready when we remodel our kitchen in a year or so and have had success finding panel-ready appliances heavily reduced for scratches, dents, etc, at Harbor Freight and Best Buy Outlet. Since they’re going to have panels over them, who cares about a scratch? Of course, you still have to consider the cost of the panels themselves, and the hardware.
What a waste of money, to tear out a beautiful, functional kitchen on a whim! Times are tight in this country right now and getting tighter.
You must be new here. Kristi is very thoughtful and considered in everything she does – nothing is done “on a whim”! She is very cognizant of costs and usually builds or constructs or DIYs everything including furniture, cabinets, lighting to get the look she wants. No cookie-cutter here! She is a perfectionist and goes the extra mile to do the project right. We love following along as she is an excellent teacher. Perhaps you will be able to learn something new too!
I think you must have missed the part about me having an entire wall of cabinets that AREN’T functional, which amounts to basically half my kitchen.
Honestly … I am so glad to hear this! I really couldn’t understand why you were going to totally redo so much of your house. Although I was more than happy to go along for the ride. Making the kitchen more functional makes sense to me. I’d leave the pantry decision until you finish the kitchen redo and make sure you have all the storage you need. I love your pantry so I am with team Matt on keeping it but I also understand why you don’t want to walk through a pantry to get to a dining room. Sometimes the monotony of sheetrock allows you to clear your mind and really focus on what is important. Congrats on you epiphany.
I thought you were going to remove the dishwasher altogether at some point because you washed your dishes by hand? And you were going to put baskets in its place? Couldn’t you do that now-or just do full cabinets?
That was the plan until we started having groups of friends over to our house regularly for meals. 🙂 When we started doing that, I realized very quickly that what worked for us when I was just washing the dishes that Matt and I used wasn’t really preferable for those times that we have people over. It’s very likely that it will still be a glorified drying rack most days of the week, but now I’d like the option of having a usable dishwasher for those times we have people over.
Sounds very inspired and wise. I’m 100% for letting the pantry go. I know you will make that large space beautiful, and if/when the additions happen – which I guess is more likely after this decision on the kitchen and the studio half bath – it will be so easy to open up a doorway to the new living room. The flow between all the social spaces will be wonderful.
I don’t think you’ll have any problem fitting the stuff from the pantry (including the microwave) into your new back wall cabinets. The only issue might be freezer capacity? Don’t really have a solution for that one, except maybe sacrificing an undercounter cabinet for two more freezer drawers, hidden behind matching panels …
It must be such a relief knowing your home won’t be torn up. I couldn’t deal with all of the chaos. Get your kitchen situated the way you want it, you still have the addition coming too. I do vote with Matt on the pantry. You already have a bit of a seating area with the benches. How about a door(s) for the pantry that coordinate with the music room doors?
Totally agree with leaving the kitchen where it is, but disagree with the details of the floor plan. I agree that you need space next to the stove, but you are not really gaining it, because it’s split. Essentially you would be making the two mini-workspaces you have right now a little bit wider (by a small fridge’s half-width). So not much wider. On the other hand, I understand the need of symmetry. But there’s a way to get both. And this is the sink. For most of us, food prep area tends to be next to the stove, but if we are more accurate, it tends to be in the space between the sink and the stove, if there is such a space. So I would put the stove on one end of that wall, and the sink on the other. The space between them would be continuous and make a marvelous workspace.
Also, as an aside, beware of the fridge space – unlike all the other appliances, fridges don’t have a fixed size, so be generous with the space you design for it – it will help with air flow too.
Dear Kristi,
I thought after the bedroom suite was getting the workshop usable/functional?
Maybe now is not a good time to make major decisions for the future when you’re up to your eyeballs in renovation?
Perhaps after the bedroom suite is complete you can take your time on the workshop. When that is finished; you may feel differently.
It’ll be so great for you and Matt to have your own private space again once the bedroom suite is complete. I’m looking forward to that for you both!
YHWH Bless You : )
Very glad to hear this–your other plan seemed a little bit like tearing things apart just for the sake of content. This plan gives you plenty of content and will make your kitchen more functional too.
Wait, one question – I thought you didn’t use a dishwasher? Why not change it out for another cabinet?
That was the plan until we started having groups of friends over to our house regularly for meals. 🙂 When we started doing that, I realized very quickly that what worked for us when I was just washing the dishes that Matt and I used wasn’t really preferable for those times that we have people over. It’s very likely that it will still be a glorified drying rack most days of the week, but now I’d like the option of having a usable dishwasher for those times we have people over.
I appreciate the honesty! I still hand wash all of my dishes, but I don’t host large meals regularly, so I get wanting to switch. 🙂
I am so glad you are keeping the studio bath and the new kitchen rearranged sound like a much better idea and like you said, much less work and money. For two of you, you don’t really need a huge kitchen. I am glad you are keeping the sitting room like it is by the peninsula.
Isn’t your freezer in the pantry? Where will it go if you do away with the pantry?
I haven’t figured that out yet, but I still have plenty of time to work out those details. 🙂
Do you use the dishwasher nowadays? I remember a time where you were about to just yank it out and replace it with cabinetry because you only used it as a drying rack. On the pantry, redo the kitchen and live with it for a while. Empty out the pantry and live with it for a while. If you don’t feel any constraints then move to incorporating it into the dining room. If you still would like some of that storage (and don’t you have a deep freeze in there? Where would that go?) I think it could be reconfigured as a butlers pantry with a doorway from the new living room into there. It would be more of a passthrough area with storage and an actual room.
Good luck, look forward to what you decide on!
I don’t use it because it hasn’t worked in about two years. But when we started having groups of friends over to our house regularly for meals, I realized that I might be better off having a usable dishwasher. I haven’t figured out the freezer issue yet, but I still have lots of time to figure out those details.
Love that feeling of when things click and it feels right! I second the recc to pre-determine where everything would go in the new layout to decide if you need the pantry or not.
One thought about the DW, keeping it on the current side means it’s not inside the work triangle; this makes it easier to have it open/being loaded while not interfering with someone moving around the kitchen. Splurging on a panel for the DW is much more affordable than the fridge (which as someone else mentioned, those fridges are generally only counter depth, in addition to being $$$)
Could the pantry be turned into a gym and you skip the addition?
I was wondering about this, or at least turning the pantry into a gym until the addition gets built. I think that idea was floated around at some point. It would be smaller, but I think a good use of space.
I like your ideas except I think the peninsula should be an island even though you’d have to lose a cabinet and center the sink . I’ve had both and the island really helps the flow … there’s no dead end street .
… I thought you got rid of the dishwasher . Didn’t you have an anti dishwasher phase ? 🙂
So what made you change your mind? I love my dishwasher but you really hated your “glorified drying rack” . 🙂
“I will be getting rid of my dishwasher, and I’ll be glad to see that glorified drying rack go. My plans for what will go there have changed, but it will be storage of some sort. Now THAT is something I’ll use.”
https://www.addicted2decorating.com/why-i-dont-need-or-want-a-dishwasher-a-visual-demonstration.html
What made me change my mind is that between then and now, we started having groups of friends over to our house regularly for meals. 🙂 When we started doing that, I realized very quickly that what worked for us when I was just washing the dishes that Matt and I used wasn’t really preferable for those times that we have people over. It’s very likely that it will still be a glorified drying rack most days of the week, but now I’d like the option of having a usable dishwasher for those times we have people over.
This post makes me so happy! I knew when you put in all those small cabinets on that wall, you wouldn’t be able to put stuff in them. I had that problem in my house. And changed it when we redid that kitchen. Looks like a great plan! I love the pantry because of the looks also…but you gotta do you, and I know you will!
The original plan made me tired for you. The weight off your shoulders with letting that go must be liberating. Is it possible to cut the pantry area down to allow space for a walkway into the future livingroom? If not, maybe create a false cabinet for the freezer facing the dining room on the right and then open up the walls & use the lower cabinets as a buffet. Or, is there any wiggle room to bump it into the studio?
I was looking at the floor plan to see if there was a way to cut down the pantry or rearrange it so that I could keep it and have a doorway. The freezer could move to the other side of the pantry, I suppose. That might be the way to have both.
Another possibility for the fridge and/or dishwasher is a custom vinyl wrap, like people do on cars (instead of painting). Here is one example I remember reading about. In this, they didn’t try to match to cabinets, but did ask for a match to a specific pantone color.
https://abeautifulmess.com/how-i-recolored-my-kitchen-appliances/
Oh, wow! That’s amazing! I’ve known about vinyl wraps, but I’ve only ever seen the ones with graphics on them. How funny that I never had considered that you can do a solid color! 😀 It didn’t even dawn on me!
Have you started using the dishwasher again? I remember you were going to take it out, then decided you didn’t want to go through the hassle at the time. However, if you are redoing the kitchen, why spend the extra money on something you don’t use or need? And maybe to compromise with Matt, you could keep the doorway into the pantry, and put the door to the addition on the side and keep the pantry more like a butler’s pantry. It may need some changes to fit in with more of a pass through aesthetic, but you wouldn’t have to rip it all out, and you would be able to keep your freezer someplace. Unless you don’t need that anymore either. 🙂
Our dishwasher hasn’t worked in about two years, but when we started having groups of friends over to our house regularly for meals, I realized that I might want one.
Smart indeed! We get to a point where we want to get to the end and enjoy our homes. Make absolutely sure you have enough depth for the frig. I think with the extra depth and full height pantries(with pull outs)will give you enough storage to eliminate the pantry. It would give you the space for a very large extendable table for church gatherings. Leaving the back cabinets would be a great pace for desserts/ coffee bar. Adding glass front hutches to either end would be dining appropriate
Boy am I relieved, the previous goal/plan sounded emotionally, physically and financially exhausting. I am glad for you that you have had a change of heart.
YES, YES, AND YES! I was frustrated by all your elaborate plans for a new kitchen, when all that was needed was a more efficient space. So glad you came to that conclusion, too!
Instead of moving your dishwasher, could you paint the dishwasher to match your cabinets? Unless you don’t like the old one and just want a new one.
I could. Our current one doesn’t work anyway, so I have to replace it. I could splurge on a panel-ready dishwasher. Or someone else mentioned using vinyl wrap in a custom solid color to match the cabinets. That’s an idea I hadn’t even considered.
What if the back wall of the pantry was still caninets- but a coffee / drink station? That would be great off the dining room and the living room when you’re hosting. A buffet surface for snacks, coffee stuff, beverage fridge. Maybe a popcorn maker or something along those lines.
I like that idea!
This seems like a wonderful idea and a much simpler and less stressful way to proceed! Yay!!
My 2 cents: I HATE my french door refrigerator – there is absolutely no vertical space. If you have a lot of tall items, you may want to think hard on it! 😉 I would buy a side by side in a heart beat if I could do it again.
Great plan. I felt relieved and I don’t even know you! Maybe you can find a fridge that sits flush with the cabinetry, to make up for not getting a panel ready one!
View of the pantry is very pretty, but I agree with you the pantry should go.
😁
Love the kitchen and your ideas to make it more efficient. All of your plans sound great except for getting rid of the pantry. I have a love for pantries, sooo. Anyway, you always work things out in your perfect way. Can hardly wait for the bedroom.
Bravo!!!!! I love it!!!! Thank you for showing us all that sometimes good enough, is actually great! Peace of mind overcomes all. Good for you!
Kristi,
I love the new ideas!
The good thing about the closet renovation taking longer than you anticipated is that it gave you the opportunity to think more about your kitchen plans. So many homes now have huge kitchens and walk in pantries but are they really necessary? If you want a larger dining room for your church group functions you may want to eliminate the pantry. We remodeled our kitchen 4 years ago. We have two pantry cabinets similar to the ones in your latest plans. They are 24″ deep and have pull out shelves. I have plenty of space and it is easily accessible. Perhaps you could move your freezer to your studio if you decide you really need one.
I love the new kitchen plan Kristi!
Just throwing this out there. ..is it the dishwasher you hate or the location of the dishwasher? If it’s the look of the dishwasher, why not make the splurge for a panel ready dishwasher and leave it in the same spot? Seems like it would be cheaper and less work in the long run. Of course, I’m not there to see it or your vision of it….you have wonderful taste!
It’s the look of it that I don’t like. I hate that the first impression of our kitchen from the front door of our house is the dishwasher. A panel-ready dishwasher would certainly solve that issue.
You are sounding like me! I have so many projects to do in my house and I have fibromyalgia and spine issues. I have been slowly buying things and building/swapping out things. I am going in order of either what can fix my biggest annoyances right now or what can make my life easier? Putting together 2 bookcases over 3 days to use as a pantry and get my food off my counter was a huge one! Getting additional storage for my bathroom and changing out the shower head and curtain liner to fabric (there was a mix up when it was bought). Slowly but surely I am getting my rented house in order. I will eventually paint the mismatched furniture though 😂
I believe you have come to your senses.
It sounds like you have made a wise decision and one that you won’t regret a bit. I was thinking that if you replace your dishwasher with a panel ready model, you wouldn’t really need to change its’ position since a cabinet door would be on the front of it.