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smholdsworth

Seeking advice on floor plan layout for kitchen, dine, study & lounge

6 years ago


Good afternoon to all.


This is my first time posting here. I am hoping that some of you may be able to assist me in the best possible layout for my open plan space which houses the following:

Kitchen, Dining Area, Loungeroom, Study Nook, freestanding fireplace and stairwell.


Some background information:

My home is located in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Built in the early 1990's, it is located on the site of an old factory building. It is two storey, reverse living, with garage, bedroom, bathroom on the ground level and one large open plan room on the first floor which opens out to a lovely north facing balcony. It is light and sunny inside, the first floor has a cathedral ceiling of approx. 35 degrees internally with chunky exposed timber beams and steel tie rods. The floor to ridge beam height is around 4 metres. Most of the wall on the eastern side has not been clad internally. This wall is a wall of exposed old red bricks.


I have attached a couple of floorplans and elevations. These designs were drawn up last year. I am still not 100% happy with the layout as I am finding it far too busy. I feel that I cannot escape the kitchen. It is always there right in my face reminding me of the cooking and cleaning etc that one does.


Also, the stairwell wall has a massive hand painted street art mural which was painted back in the early 2000's. The mural is huge, covering both the ground and first floor walls. I haven't attached a photo, however can do.


Thanking everyone in advance. I am really looking forward to your comments. Please let me know if you require any further information at any time.


Sharon

















Comments (35)

  • 6 years ago

    wow great space and lots of possibilities. there will be great suggestions on here but my first thoughts are that I don't really like your island placed parallel to the angled wall. I would place it parallel to the back wall and probably make it more substantial. I would probably also install banquette seating where the shelves are at the top of the stores or else convert that into some kind of walk in pantry.

    SHARON thanked C P
  • 6 years ago

    Oh I just read your island is on castors. But anyway I wouldn't be trying to follow the angle so much on that side. And do you really want a table against the wall? I'd be trying to being that out.

    SHARON thanked C P
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  • 6 years ago

    how many people will be living in the house, what do you need in the kitchen eg would you use a dining table or a breakafast bar or both, is there any existing plumbing that can't be changed and where is it and your floorplan is missing some dimensions please add the missing numbers to this rough plan


    SHARON thanked oklouise
  • 6 years ago

    Hi Oklouise. Thanks for your message. My partner and I only living in our home. I personally think that our current dining table is too large and would consider perhaps a circular table which could be extended into an oval for example. Yes, we do use the dining table a lot, I would also like a breakfast bar if possible. I am also open to re configuring the stairs and elongating the landing. The existing plumbing runs along the eastern wall, totally happy to move this. Please find missing dimensions below: A: 2400mm, B: 5170mm, C: 1600mm, D: (landing is 930mm), E: 5260mm. Let me know if any other dimensions are required. One last note is that I have recently purchased a 900mm wide cooktop and rangehood, my existing 600mm Miele is shown on drawings. Thanks once again. Sharon

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    While you have a wonderful looking space, it has some awkward angles and isn't really that large. It looks like you are trying to fit in a suburban house-sized kitchen into an inner-city apartment. I don't think you have the space for the luxury of a breakfast bar. You need to look at apartment kitchens and use those as inspiration, they are quite different to suburban kitchens, especially in the transition zone between cooking and eating.


    Also re-evaluate your current furniture as it looks very chunky and is poorly proportioned for the size of the space. As it is always going to be an open-plan cooking/living area you need to pay extra attention to air-flow and range hoods that exhaust air out of your apartment (NOT the recirculating type rangehood) so you will need to allow for proper ducting and roof penetration.



    Venice Micro Apartment · More Info


    Venice Micro Apartment · More Info

    In this apartment kitchen a lot of the appliances and fittings are slightly smaller than normal and everything is smoothly integrated. A lot of design thinking and care goes into the details of a kitchen like this.


    Best of luck with your research,


    Dr Retro

    of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits.

  • 6 years ago

    if the stairs are not in a fixed position they can only be changed by also changing the downstairs floorplan..do you have a plan of the existing downstairs and what parts of the existing building are already fixed including any plumbing, walls and windows?

  • 6 years ago

    Hello again. The stairs are in a fixed position, however I am open to the idea of a straight staircase exit on the first level, removing the winders. This would bring you out in the study area, as opposed to straight into the living area. The existing plumbing is located on the eastern wall, however happy to move it. In terms of windows, I have one facing south as per the plan and bifold doors to the north which open out to the balcony. Thanks for your help.

  • 6 years ago

    wow Fitzroy inner Melbourne, two things are you able to use Bi fold windows on the verandah so that could be used as part of the internal space during MEB's cold and wet weather, the BBQ becomes a ducted outdoor kitchen.

    Also need to consider a powder room on the living level for yours and guests comfort.


    This by Melbourne Zen Architects

    SHARON thanked siriuskey
  • 6 years ago

    Hello Siriuskey,

    Thank you for your comments and photos, I am very appreciative. I do like your thinking re an outdoor cooking area. Unfortunately however the bi fold doors separate the living from the balcony. We do have a BBQ on the balcony which we use do use. Also, we have an automated awning which extends to just over the brick balustrade.

  • 6 years ago

    What I was suggesting is if you are allowed to basically fill in the balcony and use extra bi fold windows to do this with, indoor/outdoor room

  • 6 years ago

    my suggestions include simpler built ins around the outside walls and leaves the brick wall exposed for more flexible furniture arrangements for the big sofa and dining suite although there should be space for some tall shallow bookshelves or sofa table..the TV and heater are built into a rail height storage wall along the stairwell and there's a curved island counter to allow for stools with knee space and more comfortable circulation space and there's a study nook and pantry buffet on either end of the kitchen cabinets


  • 6 years ago

    Wow! Thank you Siriuskey. This layout looks great. I do like the stairs ending in a straight run as opposed to the winder situation that we currently have. It makes a huge difference to the living area with the addition of the extra one metre in length. This layout is certainly more simplified, I like it!

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    That was done at 3am this morning when I was finding it hard to sleep, the following has more correct detailing showing cabinet sizes, you can adjust these to suit, so much easier when sitting down with someone and making changes on the run. The desk could be made up of sit up to and tall shallow storage, depending what your needs are.

    Less is more within a 1 bedroom home to help open it up.


  • 6 years ago

    This is awesome! Thank you so much.

    I agree to with your less is more comment. In fact, this house was once a two bedroom home with the second bedroom being upstairs where the kitchen is. Much better with the larger open plan space.


  • 6 years ago

    Whats the ground floor like and would love to see the street art wall

    SHARON thanked siriuskey
  • 6 years ago

    Good morning Siriuskey. I will send through the floor plan and photos of the lower area shortly. With regards to the kitchen, what are your thoughts on a turning your kitchen layout around to be positioned on the southern wall? My partner wants to run a heat transfer system to recirculate the warm air from upstairs into the bedroom below. The duct is quite large as it is insulated and will need to be positioned into a stud wall which will come off the wall by around 300mm. We can enclose the split system unit within this with an automatic door. I found this picture on line of a kitchen with a cathedral type ceiling. We have a window in the southern wall which is 1800w x

    1600h. Thanks once again. Regards, Sharon


  • 6 years ago

    because of the style of your building have you considered suspending the ducting from the ceiling so that it's exposed?

  • 6 years ago

    Placement of the kitchen, you need to consider what you look at from the stairs

  • 6 years ago

    Hi siriuskey. Thanks for your messages. I definitely do not want any more objects on display in our home, therefore the open ducting is not an option. We already have chunky timber beams and steel rods exposed, plus a couple of hanging lights which is too much. With regards to the stairs, perhaps they could stay in the same position, although the extra 1 metre in the living space is a bonus!

  • 6 years ago

    The following example, I'am no aircon expert so would advise contacting one to see what they come up with, but you can certainly box it in, but expert advise is needed first.



  • 6 years ago

    Great helpful design work there by @siriuskey


    I am however unsure how @SHARON will achieve her goals from the OP, namely:


    "I feel that I cannot escape the kitchen. It is always there right in my face reminding me of the cooking and cleaning etc that one does. "


    I don't see any way of 'escaping' the kitchen in that space.


    SHARON thanked Devillan
  • 6 years ago

    @Devillan. I refer to your comment.... I don't see any way of 'escaping' the kitchen in that space.

    Do you have any suggestions at all?

    Thank you.

  • 6 years ago

    You could break up the space again by adding a partition wall


    SHARON thanked siriuskey
  • 6 years ago

    Great idea! Thank you.

    You are still not keen on the kitchen running along the southern wall?

  • 6 years ago

    Could the ducting be run along the wall above the cabinets with Gyprock to match the ceiling

  • 6 years ago

    Because of the window you lose that wall space for cabinets?, or are you suggesting an L shape

    SHARON thanked siriuskey
  • 6 years ago

    Hi siriuskey. I could have an L shape, or just a straight line to the south similar to your straight line to the east.

    I am thinking of the entire wall having different shaped cupboard doors similar to the photo that I sent yesterday of the blue kitchen. Not all doors would open, some would be faux doors. The height from floorboards to the ridgebeam is 4000mm. With regards to the duct, it runs from the ridge down along the left hand top of the ceiling and then through a vertical box in the south east corner.

  • 6 years ago

    Seems a waste of money for doors that won't open. You need some imagination to understand the following, the dark blue above the kitchen cabinets on the eastern wall represents the covered duct and that it would run down behind the cabinet in the R/H corner which ever way the cabinets faces and would allow for a 300 deep full height cabinet space.? Don't worry about placement of appliances door shapes colour etc, you just have to imagine that the ceiling would slope up from the blue casing.


    SHARON thanked siriuskey
  • 6 years ago

    Wow! This looks amazing. Thank you. I have actually just moved my sofa in from the wall and it works really well. Thanks once again for your great suggestions. Cheers, Sharon

  • 6 years ago

    I mentioned earlier to think about dropping the wall next to the stairs to hip or slightly higher height to allow for the TV, as this would further open up the top floor and perhaps show the street art, ie the framed print.

    I know that you don't want anything else hanging from the ceiling but because of the ceiling height you will need a reverse hanging fan to bring all the warm air down into the room that will sit up there if you don't. The heater is because you had one shown in your posted floor plan, this is one of the fires available on my 1997 CAD program, that's the colour it comes in but can be changed within the program cheers


    SHARON thanked siriuskey
  • 6 years ago

    Awesome, thank you!

  • 6 years ago

    @siriuskey what software program are you using?

    Huge effort you're going to for SHARON, very awesome of you!

    I like your partial wall idea to achieve the goal mentioned above. But, feel it may detract from the flow of the space. That said, how else do you hide the kitchen? Put it behind a feature door type system? Budget?

    Hmmmm.

    Watching this with interest to see what SHARON ends up with... ????

  • 6 years ago

    very old 1997 and not available any longer, I'am sure you will find something more modern to suit your needs

  • 6 years ago

    Sharon, your wonderful home is a loft space and will work best as one room, just think back to the bedroom you have just removed would you like to go back to that. Embrace the character of the building, two people can't be that messy, or can they!