Playing Around With A Completely Different Kitchen Layout (Based On A Reader Suggestion)
Y’all know I don’t work on Wednesdays, so I have no bedroom progress to share with you today. I have the whole day today to do work on it, and now that my hand is almost back to 100% after my fall a couple of weeks ago, I’m hoping to make a lot of progress on it today. In the meantime, I wanted to share an idea from a reader (thank you, Trish!) for a potential new layout for my kitchen.
I know that this potential kitchen remodel is pretty far in the future, especially now that I’ve decided that we should do the addition first. But it’s still fun to play around with ideas and dream.
The biggest problem I was having with the layout that I had originally suggested was that the space on this back wall of the kitchen really isn’t deep for a refrigerator. I love the look of this layout, but in order to put a refrigerator there (even a counter-depth refrigerator), I would have to borrow space from the living room for a bump out to accommodate the refrigerator.
That’s the wall that currently looks like this…
If I stick with that plan, the bump out into the living room wouldn’t have to be much. I can’t remember exactly how much space I would need. I’m just in the dreaming stage, not the planning stage, so I haven’t paid much attention to the minute details at this point. But I think it would only be a few inches. And a bump out of only a few inches could certainly be disguised on the living room side with some bookcases or something like that.
But what Trish suggested was a completely different arrangement that wouldn’t require that bump out at all. She suggested that I keep the refrigerator on the wall where it is and move my storage/pantry cabinets to that wall, move the sink to the back wall, and move the range to where the sink is now. That would allow an opening between the kitchen and the living room above the sink.
I tried out that layout, but then moved the refrigerator to the opposite end of the wall where it’s currently located to make a tighter work triangle. Here’s what that looks like…
I’m kind of limited in what I can do with the IKEA kitchen planner, so I’m not able to get it exactly like I envision it in my mind. In reality, I think I would want the countertop behind the sink to extend a little bit into the living room to create a bar area on that side.
And then on the side with the range, which is where the sink is now, I would want to keep the dimensions of the current peninsula, which has the countertop extending about 10 inches into the dining area. But again, the IKEA planner won’t allow me to add cabinets on that side, so we’ll have to use our imaginations on this.
So it would basically be exactly what I have now, except that instead of a sink right there, the range would go there.
I really love this layout in general. I like keeping the refrigerator on the wall where it is, and I love the idea of moving the sink, having the opening into the living room, and moving the range to the opposite side where the sink is right now.
I do think it’s funny that I’d basically be going back to the original layout of the kitchen. This is what that back wall of the kitchen looked like when we bought the house. It had the sink on that wall with a window into the sunroom. And that sunroom is where the living room will be. So if I go with this layout, I will have come back around full circle to where I started. 😀
The one thing that I don’t like about having a wall of 24-inch-deep pantry cabinets and the refrigerator arranged this way is that when you look into the kitchen from the living room (which will be how most people enter the kitchen) the depth of those cabinets and the refrigerator on that left wall obscure so much of the back wall.
So I played around with another idea. I moved the refrigerator back to where it currently sits, and instead of using 24-inch-deep pantry cabinets on that wall, I went back to 24-inch-deep lower cabinets and 15-inch-deep upper cabinets, which is what I have now. So it’s basically the exact arrangement I have now, minus the range. Here’s what that looks like…
And here’s what I currently have. So it would look pretty much the same except without the range and range hood. Those would be replaced with more cabinets.
And that means that the view of that back wall would be the exact same as what I have now. From the living room, the view of the back wall is obscured just a little bit, not nothing like it would be with 24-inch-deep cabinets, or with the refrigerator moved to that end of the wall.
This feels less crowded and cramped to me. And since it looks like I’ll be keeping the pantry, I don’t need to squeeze out every single square inch of storage space in this kitchen as possible.
Anyway, it’s a fun idea, and I love that Trish suggested it. I never would have thought of this arrangement because I had tunnel vision and couldn’t get past my own ideas.
I love it when people bring totally new suggestions for me to try out and dream about. And while the IKEA kitchen planner isn’t perfect, I do love that it’s very quick and easy to use and to test out different ideas.
But enough dreaming about future, far away, potential projects. I have a very real project in progress that I need to get busy on. It looks like I have a full day of sanding, caulking, and hopefully some painting ahead of me in the bedroom foyer. I hope to have some progress to share with y’all tomorrow!
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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.
This is a good plan. I like a range hood, but they aren’t easy to clean—the range in this position would be easy clean-up.
The cabinetry for my kitchen sink is 24″ deep, the same depth as my counter depth refrigerator and pantry cabinetry. I’m confused as to how moving your sink to the back wall wouldn’t require a bump out unless there are smaller kitchen sinks that don’t require a 24″ deep cabinet. As you are losing your current pantry with the new plans, I certainly wouldn’t want to lose the pantry cabinetry in your new kitchen plans. I wouldn’t worry about the pantry cabinetry on the left blocking your view of the back wall of the kitchen.
She wants a bump out to the new (future) living room, to use as a server for guests. But that could also just be added to the living room side as a sort of shelf. And she is not getting rid of her current pantry now. That idea has gone away. I know it’s hard to keep up, so I sometimes just wait and see at the end! LOL! Example: this new design as it is shown, has drawers below the sink, but that must be a cabinet due to plumbing. I’m guessing she just used drawers for the width required for the sink. As she said, these programs don’t work as well as our minds do sometimes! But I like the plan overall! ( range hood needed)
I dont have a range hood as my stove sits on kind of a peninsula as well. Sometimes the smell of cooking permeates the open kitchen, living room etc. I would prefer one, but there’s no upper cabinets to have one. It would have to be down spout that comes up out of lower cabinets, but unfortunately there’s no room for that in my open kitchen, l.r.. so I live without one.
I love your current kitchen. I really don’t understand how it does not work well for you. I know the countertops are stained but maybe you could consider just changing those. It is such a major re do and I am trying to understand what you want to accomplish. I doubt if I have much more space in my kitchen and I cook a lot just for 2 people. Your kitchen to me looks so pretty…
My concern would be splatter from the range without a wall behind it.
My concern is the smell without a hood. I have friends who have a peninsula range with poor venting (a couple don’t have venting at all), and they complain about cooking smells wafting throughout the entire house. I would hate that in my home, with a husband who loves to cook on the stovetop with garlic and onions and other pungent ingredients.
I agree here. And what would you do for an exhaust fan? I have a telescopic downdraft fan, which I would never suggest. (Very, very loud, makes a mess with grease, & traps are not easy to clean)
I myself wasn’t strictly adhering to the kitchen triangle formula. If I have to walk around my island a few extra times, I count those steps as cardio! 😊
I have one and love it! To me all fans are loud when turned on. And not difficult to clean at all. My range sits in front of a window, didn’t want to block with a hood and it stops any splatter so I don’t have to constantly clean the window.
This new arrangement appears to leave out the range hood. Consider that cooking residue (smells, splashes, etc) move too easily into the living area. Even a down draft arrangement is less than ideal, imo.
Way to go Trish! I should send her some of my ideas for my kitchen and see what can do to go beyond my own version of tunnel vision. One thought, with the range where it is at, which is awesome, first a downdraft vent, which I am sure you’ve got covered, but also take a peek at putting up a second-tier countertop to help keep anything thing or anyone from dropping anything on a hot range top or catching themselves on fire, this is far easier than you can imagine. My sister had a similar configuration in her kitchen, and they had to add the higher countertop behind it, made for a great small bar top that they put some small stools at, and viola, no more problems. It does give you a little bit of kitchen privacy while in the dining room. I love the layout, as a lover of the old school kitchen triangle, you’ve nailed it.
Cheers!
I like that you can now take some time to tweak your kitchen plans. My only suggestion would be to include a floor to ceiling cabinet to the left of the fridge. It will eliminate that problem of having a gap in order to open the fridge door fully.
On the wall with the fridge, could you bring the uppers all the way down to the lowers but keep each of their depths? Visually it would still give you the breathing room, but would look a little less busy. And you don’t really need more counter space. Also, the opening on the sink wall still looks like a window – what do you think of removing the uppers on the left and right and widening the opening? Especially since you don’t need the storage if you’re keeping the pantry room.
I love this last iteration of the possible kitchen. Feels good to me!
I just worry about not having a vent hood. I know you guys like to cook steaks inside and that can get smoky.
Will you see the range from the front door? Will that matter? How will having the range overlooking the dining room work for serving food? I do like the idea of having a window into the new living room over the sink. Lots of new ideas!
For the sake of clarity, I wish that you would rename your second living to a family room. Maybe I’m slow, but I find two rooms on either end of your kitchen, with the same name, very confusing. I do like the idea of opening up your kitchen to your new addition very practical.
You could do a long appliance garage on the fridge wall. Not just for appliances, it could hide all kinds of clutter. Or large boxes like cereal, etc.
I’m stunned as to why you want to redo the kitchen. I think this kitchen is your best and very pretty.
The new plans don’t seem to be doing a lot, what is the point? I wouldn’t want the stove on the island you would need a range hood there and that seem awkward. It seems to me you have a lot of storage space and you also built a pantry.
If it was just to have a bigger kitchen I would remove the wall to the music room. Do you really use that room?
I think Kristi has said that the cabinets on the wall of cabinets are too shallow to even hold a normal plate. There was a post ages ago where she showed pictures of what she could fit in them and it wasn’t much and wasn’t very functional. So while it looks like there should be a lot of storage there isn’t really.
One of my favorite parts of our kitchen remodel is our hood that actually vents. The difference between a “normal” kitchen vent and the one we have is night and day. A downdraft hood will never match the performance of a high quality exhaust system.
While I like the look of this lastest version, I do have a couple of concerns. One will the dishwasher, when open impede the walkway? Second is the downdraft range, I have had one many years ago and it was not very effective but hopefully they have improved, but I would urge you to investigate (which I know you will).
I have one suggestion. Build your pantry cabinets yourself. I have 2 @ 24″ wide and 4 @ 30″ wide. I’m 5’9. These cabinets are a PITA as constructed. Build yours with roll out shelves. Trying to store stuff in the fixed cabinet makes for a miserable situation. The closest I have come to making peace is to store extras of anything in the back half, then the frequently used stuff in the front half. Example: I buy boxes of larger tea bags (100 per box) 6 at a time. Less money and I know I always have some. I stack those in the back and put things like canned goods, pasta, etc in front of them. My dream would be to have roll out shelves so I can see everything and not have to dig. If I had your skills, they would be in place! That said, I love the new plan! So easy to do on an off-grade floor. A little pipe swapping and you’re done! Plbg & Electric are my wheelhouse. As long as they don’t involve ladders!
You can purchase roll outs on Amazon of every dimension. If you can’t build them do that. They are not difficult to install, just takes some time
Perhaps:
Fridge wall – have the cabinets go all the way down to the countertop, but leave them at the two different depths. It gives the illusion of space and appears less dominant. It also gives more storage as you don’t need the extra countertop space.
Sink side – the opening still looks like a window to me. Could you eliminate the two uppers on either side and make the opening wider? That would maximize the light and view to the backyard. I’m guessing that’s an exterior wall and would require a little more support. But if anyone can do it, it’s you!
Also, can you give us a furniture layout for the family room? If you have the sink countertop area extend into this room it might affect that area, as it seems from the layout you did to function as a hallway of sorts.
Can you take it a step further and just take out the wall between the kitchen sink and the new family room altogether instead of making it a window/passthrough. That feels kind of dated to me. You’d lose the two upper cabinets but if you’re keeping the pantry it’d be okay. I guess what I’m really thinking is to make it a BIG window which spans then entire length of the sink counter and goes from ceiling to counter. It would feel more included when you have people over vs anyone standing at the sink would be in their little prison room. LOL Also, if you have any small appliances you use every day (coffee maker, toaster, blender), I’d consider an appliance garage on the fridge wall in this layout.
I have had both a sink and stove in an island/peninsula that had seating on one side. Never again. I want the those areas free and clear to enable me to serve from when doing buffet style or hors d’oeuvres. I dislike having people sitting up to a counter where there is a stove or sink. Maybe you can hide all your clutter in the pantry when guests come, but it never worked for me. There always ended up with pots and pans, dirty spoons and dishes on the stove or in the sink as we moved the food to serving dishes. Also, I want a fan above the stove that removes smells, pulls up grease and steam–some people put their stove in a butler’s pantry to keep it out of view. Whatever you decide, it always looks beautiful. Your current kitchen is lovely, too bad you can’t just replace/restore the countertops–maybe you can!!!
What about having a range hood?
If you are going to have a countertop next to the fridge, why not flip the fridge wall and the range wall and keep that range away from everyone in the breakfast room?
I would have a hard time in life without my kitchen vent hood. As I have aged, the lingering smells of things like onions and garlic ruin my sleep. For me a vent hood is non-negotiable. Something to consider.
I don’t know. You would have no backsplash and no ventilation hood. That’s a no for me.Personally I like my sink in an island or peninsula in an open kitchen-I’m a clean as I go person and like to be part of the crowd when I entertain. I just redid my kitchen and used the Ikea planner but also Lowe’s has an online planner too and so I used both-they both have their limitations but were very helpful to me.
Please please no not do this. I have this and it’s terrible. The back side is this strange height. No ventilation. Spills. I will be so sad for you if you do this.
I read a lot of the comments about stovetop ventilation and the concern of smells spreading throughout the house. I’m in full agreement with those suggesting a downdraft vent. I have my cooktop in the island and use a downdraft. It’s fantastic at managing smells and splatters. The one I use has a variable speed control which works perfectly, super strong and loud at full speed but can be dialed right down to a slow quiet speed. You have time so look into the available brands and models. I’m sure you’ll find a great one.
To me having the range in the peninsula is a deal breaker. My current home came with the cooktop in the island. Even with a down draft system, it’s filthy and does not ventilate well at all. You’ve mentioned that you mostly do a low carb diet with higher fat meats to cook. I think it your other spaces will be constantly have greasy air and odors, never mind splatter on your countertops and the chairs right off the peninsula. Tricky layouts are what they are, so if, on balance, it’s the best one then it’s just something you’ll constantly have to contend with.