Kitchen Design Help
Hi, we have an existing kitchen needing improving without complete overhaul as very limited budget.
We are open to shifting things around, though mainly trying to keep most of the cabinetry to save $$
Our current thoughts are- Paint the overhead cabinetry or covering them with a panel to make them more of a feature and to avoid an all white kitchen and add interest.
-Bulkhead the range hood which is not connected at present.
- make the island bench bigger so central to the space (add extra bit to the existing cabinet, new island bench top. We did install lighting fixtures at ceiling ready to hang pendant lights to be central over a bigger island bench top)
We are considering moving the bin to where the cooking and preparing food bench takes place which is between the sink and the stove top. So get rid of the under bench corner cupboard (which is a wasted space for us) and install a skinny tray cupboard instead.
The fridge-thought of making a floor to ceiling cupboard insert so looks built in, make cupboard at top.
The pantry is another task but want to focus on the kitchen as this is something that you see from every room as it is in the middle of the house. So want to give it more impact.
The fish tank is temporary, we need to do something interesting or extend kitchen on that wall. Or put shelving etc.
Many Thanks.
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Kitchen design help
Comments (19)I definitely agree that once you live in a home for a few months you will have a good idea of what works and what doesn't. Assuming that the large room with the floorboards is the living space and the room with the slate is the family room, would it work if you knocked out the wall between the kitchen and the family room, rather than just having a pass-through? You could then leave the fireplace wall alone and put a bank of fridge, pantry and wall oven(s) on the kitchen side. You can have a large return (peninsular) between the side walls. This way you have a very open view into the family room where your children will probably spend a lot of time and you get to keep the fireplace or some version of it. If the rooms will not be used in this way, you would be better to remove the fireplace and the wall - but only if you can find another wall in the kitchen to relocate the fridge, etc. From a design perspective, while the kitchen is dated the timber can be painted and new knobs or handles added. You can have the benchtop resurfaced and a new splashback possibly installed over the existing one. However new kitchens would have more drawers than doors. If there was detailing on these it is more commonly a very simple Shaker profile that suits the very popular Hamptons style. Otherwise they are plain with shadowline or push to open. My advice would be to live with it for a while and then as soon as your budget allows get a new kitchen as part of the bigger renovation....See MoreKitchen Design Help
Comments (11)Hi Leanne, there are other options to the lazy susan style carousel to make the best use of the corner cupboards, such as this fitting in this photo whihc makes better use of the space. It looks like you must do lots of entertaining with such a large kitchen. My primary concern is the size of your kitchen work triangle. The kitchen work triangle is a concept used to determine efficient kitchen layouts. The primary tasks in a home kitchen are carried out between the cook top, the sink and the refrigerator. These three points and the imaginary lines between them, make up what kitchen experts call the work triangle. Your kitchen (and many commercial kitchens) has a very large, and inefficient kitchen work triangle. Which means that you will be doing a lot more walking in preparing a simple meal. I would be redesigning the kitchen so that the fridge, cooktop and sink are located closer together, so that you don't need to constantly walk around the central island bench. If it was my kitchen I would probably learn how to cook while wearing roller skates! Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls....See MoreKitchen design help needed
Comments (30)Hi Erin-hem, It maybe too late for changes if you have seen your kitchen designer but I would like to through you a couple of ideas for consideration. In my opinion, the sink area is always the messiest area of the kitchen. Why don't you put that on your new extended outside wall and even include a window for extra light if possible. Put the dishwasher on the left end of that pop out too so it doesn't create an unusable corner on the right side. Then build a 1200mm long wall, 600mm deep into the dining space so you can have a return unit from beside the dishwasher that connects with the island bench. This changes it from a true island bench but gives you the untidy part of the kitchen hidden but not closed off. The wall doesn't need to be full height but needs to be higher than the bench. It can be a joinery item rather than a builders item to match the joinery finishes. Behind the 1200 long wall/screen can be all your tea, coffee etc and your appliances on the bench so usable all the time but not seen from the dining and living area. It also hides the sink from view from the living area. Below bench level in this 1200 section you could actually have drawers for cutlery and crockery that go two way so you can load them from the dishwasher and take them out from the dining room side to lay the table. No need for a pantry with such a long back bench which could have loads of drawers as suggested by someone else. Keep the fridge nearest the stairs so everyone can access it and not come right into the kitchen. If you are a real foodie and love cooking for friends and family, put the hobb on the now free island side. If not, leave it where it is and the 'island bench' is now just a layout and work area and sit at bench. If you have the space, make the gap between the stairs and the bench ample. Say 1300mm wide at least. Cheers, Christine....See Morekitchen design help needed
Comments (7)When it comes to designing your dream kitchen, there are so many decisions to be made. From budget, size, style and of course the kitchen layout. So we’ve come up with our Top Tips for your Kitchen Layout to help you along the way and take the stress out of one of these decisions! We’ll help you to get the most out of your existing kitchen, guide you through a design from scratch, and also give you some ideas if you’re in the planning stage of your kitchen renovation. TOP TIPS FOR YOUR KITCHEN LAYOUT When it comes to designing your dream kitchen, there are so many decisions to be made. From budget, size, style and of course the kitchen layout. So we’ve come up with our Top Tips for your Kitchen Layout to help you along the way and take the stress out of one of these decisions! We’ll help you to get the most out of your existing kitchen, guide you through a design from scratch, and also give you some ideas if you’re in the planning stage of your kitchen renovation. Best Laid Plans If you’re the cook in your home, you’ll understand how important the kitchen layout is. Not only do you need to consider this at the very beginning of your build or reno, you also need to be realistic about the things that will affect the layout. Unfortunately, planning the perfect kitchen isn’t just a matter of choosing the perfect coloured cabinetry, or your dream marble benchtop…so much of the functionality hinges on your kitchen layout. Follow our Top Tips for your Kitchen Layout, and we’ll get you on the way to a practical, functional (and gorgeous) kitchen in no time! Small Packages That’s what they say right, good things come in small packages? Well, the same thing can be said about a small or compact kitchen. If you’re renovating your current kitchen and don’t have the budget or space to expand it, then you’ve got to be creative here. Start with the current kitchen layout, are you moving plumbing and the sink? Are you leaving the cooktop and oven in it’s current position? When your current space is functional and you are happy with the existing kitchen layout, it’s purely about cosmetics. This kind of update or reno will save you money in the long run by leaving the key pieces where they are. So just enjoy the process of choosing new cabinetry, tiles, cupboard handles and maybe new appliances, kitchen sink and tapware. Voila! Too easy! In some ways, having a smaller space can lead to greater functionality. Because you have to consider carefully where every single element will be placed within the space, so it can lead to innovative ideas. Take cabinetry for example. Gone are the days where it was just under bench cabinetry – even in the smallest of kitchens, you can create so much storage. Try corner cupboards with hinged doors, pull-out full height pantries, oversized pot drawers, plate drawers…the list goes on!...See More
last yearThank you. I will measure the room and send through new photos later today. Your idea sounds good except the room to the right of the fridge is a vacant room ready as a walk in pantry, so if we don't use this as the pantry it will be an empty space. The flooring doesn't go under the island but can move this around as have plenty of spare boards and can add if needed.
Sorry, it would have been helpful to show a photo of the vacant room where the pantry currently is.
Thanks again.
last yearKeep the WIP
By keeping and working with the original benchtop will save money that's why having tall units at both ends covers not having to make changes to that. Rplacing the fridge with a tall unit with MW shelf and using some of the island benchtop will also help to match things. Keep the corner cupboard for things you don't often use.. The fridge built in with what ever size pantry at the other end gives better access to the fridge plus keeping the pantry for food storage and easy access when cooking. The island can be rearranged plus adding a trash drawer on the sink end.
The additional cabinets may be a different colour or timber/Black etc.if you can't match them, I would use a Bunnings timber laminate benchtop for the new island as they are great and very affordable
Your ducting could be a problem because of the lovely ceiling but I would suggest a Soffit across the top of the fridge/Pantry and cooktop to exterior wall so the ducking could exit via the eaves or wall. Just a tall plinth could also be used to disguise the ducting. The panel beside the fridge would only be the same height of the wall cabinets, plus the Soffit to cover the size of the ducting.
- last year
If you’re on a tight budget I wouldn’t be doing anything to the existing cabinetry, other than turning the island around and extending the top as suggested above. Both ikea and Bunnings have DIY bench tops that would suit. The WIP will give you the option of decluttering your bench tops. Once you finish the backsplash and the range hood ductwork a declutter and some styling is all you really need. I would add a freestanding storage option to where the fish tank is. Secondhand dressers etc can be found on Facebook etc and refinished.
last year
last year
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