Frozen by indecision over kitchen layout
11 years ago
We've spent ages trying to work out what
to do about our 80's style kitchen, and have finally decided to do away with
our small dining room in favour of an open plan kitchen, eating, living area, by removing a wall and moving our kitchen down into dining room. But what we can't
decide is whether to go with a u-shape (similar to existing but with walk in pantry and servery window) OR an island/galley style
overlooking rear yard (pool). One kitchen designer said our place too narrow for
island, and another said that island would look great with stacker slider doors. Most islands seem to look out onto a dining or living area,
rather than what we'd be doing. It'd be nice to have something different, since
we're forking out a bomb for kitchen reno, but only if it'll look good and be
functional. What do you think?
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (10)
Related Discussions
Kitchen, bathroom & laundry - Do they need the same colour scheme?
Comments (18)@jmm1837, My appologies firstly to the author for being off topic. One house I lived in didn't have plaster anywhere, just pressboard for walls, the stuff notice boards are made from, so we wall papered as paint soaked in by the bucket load. then lived in a caravan and now a little relocatable cottage, a glorified caravan without wheels I say but now hubby and I are building our dream home, I have no decor or design education and have simply done my best with the plan and now the build. Great advice about making the home, warm, comfortable etc...and I'm doing what I want and not following trends BUT unfortunately at times I am truly paralized by indicision, too many choices of everything from interior colours to simple door handles and when I put my head down to sleep, my mind goes into overdrive, sleeping at times only a few hours a night ha-ha Still enjoying the process but it isn't that simple to follow your suggestions!!! I'm sure as the home progresses, with less decisions to make, it will become easier....See MoreHelp! Advice needed on a major reno
Comments (41)answering your questions: change the sliding door to a bench height sliding window and use the salvaged sliding door in the western end of the dining room where the best entry position is for the deck, you MUST have a proper legal drains do not consider anything else...the drain pipe for the garage laundry can be on top of the concrete floor, behind the washing machine and through the sink cabinet and/or under built in storage and only needs a few cms not a whole floor and no stepped up area that you would see or trip over.. the laundry can't be in a separate room as there's not enough space for a separate laundry without compromising the size of the garage...a laundry cupboard 80 cm deep is enough for the washing machine (allowing for the drainage pipe) you could use the old line cupboard to store anything you want but it's not cost effective to change, the entry foyer is already as big as in many modern homes and there's generous flatpac biw space in the small study.... the family bathroom is 2380 x 2370 (ie the old study minus 1m for hall way and wall thickness and, arranged exactly as shown to allow for the wide window there should be space for a bath up to 1800 x 750, vanity about 1200 x 500 and shower space 1200 x 800 and leftover space makes the small linen cupboard with the door deliberately opening towards the shower to use the back of the door for hanging racks for towels and clothes....btw i understood your priority was maximizing separate sleeping rooms and minimising costs...my last plan has five separate sleeping rooms plus the lounge with sofa bed totalling sleeping places for at least 10 people plus the potential for bunks in the garage so you need to decide what is most important and where you're prepared to compromise...See MoreFirst time renovator – need help with my design!
Comments (50)Hi Mel, Kitchens are an integral part of any home and particularly a busy family, so much to consider. I personally think an Island clear of any sinks or utilities makes for a more workable space. It lends itself to food prep, kids homework, meals, guests perched on a bench whilst you prep. Sinks always accumulate mess so I think a sink put to the side works better. Gone are the days where you will stand at a sink hours at a time. Think about how you like to cook and use a kitchen a cooktop not far from the sink works best think straining pasta pots, vegies etc.. As for butler's pantry's I'm not a fan, why spend money on a lovely kitchen only to be cooped up in a small kitchen off to the side, very unsociable. Houses are made to be lived in and sometimes that comes with a little mess particularly in the kitchen. Don't hide away in a butlers pantry embrace your home and kitchen and all that it entails. I recently completed a kitchen with a similar colour scheme to what you are suggesting black, white and timber, I anchored the kitchen with the black Island and used white cabinets for the rest of the kitchen. Matt surfaces are on trend at the moment as opposed to gloss or semi gloss, matt finishes hide finger prints and children's hand marks better, dust will show up on darker surfaces so be mindful of this. I adore natural materials and feel that a timber floor really adds warmth. Take a look at the kitchen I recently designed for my clients, would love to hear your thoughts. Happy to assist you any way - Good luck with your renos. Thanks Collaborative Interiors...See MoreWhich kitchen layout?
Comments (24)Benchtop oven is one of those round glass ovens with the element in the lid. Cost me all of $35 and it's one of the best appliances I've ever owned. I cook everything in it and the bowl just goes in the dishwasher. Much easier than cleaning an oven. And it costs so little to run, heats quickly, and cooks superbly. Can't build it in though because you insert food through the top, be removing the lid, and then it gets pulled apart to wash the bowl after use. Accurate dimensions are a problem right now because this terrible virus thing has delayed our move into the house until end July. Very frustrating, but can't be helped. And we can't go to the house at the moment either, so I'm just working off plans as best I can. It's not ideal, and everything will have to be checked carefully when we move in, before we start any work. But I want to get going as soon as we move in so I want to have most of my plans almost confirmed. With the latest plan, I don't think I will reuse the existing cabinets after all. The kitchen is in excellent condition. I just hate the design. I think I'll sell the kitchen and start over. The cabinets seemed to work for my original plan - even had those lovely corner drawers! But I like your idea much better, Siriuskey, and the existing cabinets just don't work with that layout. I think it would be cheaper to sell the kitchen and start over. Maybe keep the oven tower with oven and m./wave in it, as they are in excellent order. Also keep the dishwasher, which probably doesn't even have to move at all....See More
11 years ago- 11 years ago
haephestus