Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Dec 20, 2008 6:26 am We have recently moved into a 1930's apartment which has a narrow galley kitchen which opens onto a small entrance foyer at one end, and a door that opens onto a back balcony at the rear.
It also has numerous concrete beams and columns which were used to construct the building. The kitchen has not been changed for over 30 years so we plan to gut it and start again, but keeping more-or-less the existing layout with the counter along one wall extending to the sink (see image below). The current base cabinets are 450mm deep beneath the counter and there are no cabinets on the other side. We plan to put 600mm deep high cabinets (2400mm) on the other side with a built in oven, microwave, fridge/freezer and pantry. We could fit 600mm deep cabinets both sides by moving the entrance 50mm but this would only give a passage of around 1070mm between the counter and high cabinets. If we use drawers and cupboard without handles, would this gap be wide enough or should we stick with shallow cabinets/counter?[/img] Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Narrow galley kitchen 2Dec 20, 2008 7:50 am From memory, I think a 1m gap is OK. The worst part is when you want to open cupboards and keep moving around. You will have to be neat cooks. Also, it will be a one-person-in-the-kitchen-at-a-time kinda place.
I didn't study your layout too much, but my advice would be not to overcrowd the space trying to put a regular sized kitchen into a smaller spot. We have just finished updating our kitchen and ended up stealing a bit of the deck to make it a bit bigger but, the best thing we did was to strip the kitchen of EVERYTHING and only put back exactly what we use all the time. There are 3 garbage bags full of glasses and plastics downstairs waiting to go to charity as well as saucepans and a frypan etc. Everything is in a place and not piled up in cupboards and it is liberating. Re: Narrow galley kitchen 3Dec 20, 2008 9:36 am I think the space seems quite narrow with all the cupboards and appliances on both side. If you need to stick to this plan, you may want to use wide opening angle hinges on doors to give you more room to move around when the doors are open. And a side opening oven may help too. Also check with the fridge depth, many fridges are deeper than 600mm.
So where's the sink by the way? And is the size 3500mm x 2270mm? Just curious. Re: Narrow galley kitchen 4Dec 20, 2008 11:27 am Thanks for the suggestions and ideas.
Yes the kitchen is only 2270 x 3350 (see photos here) it is unchanged since this was "done" in the 1970s! Complete with chipboard cupboards! I've now put the sink back which I accidentally removed - it's at the far end of the kitchen. The Fridge/Freezer is fully integrated from Miele (KFN 9755 iDE - OEM version of Liebherr) and is 550 deep to allow for cabinet front. There is a pull-out pantry unit to the left of the oven and a small shallow (another pillar in the corner) utility cupboard next to the fridge by the entrance (there isn't a door but the Ikea planner doesn't have a gap). It's already a one person at a time workspace even as it is now and we've already downsized from a five bed house with 2 kitchens with 3 garage sales, car boot sale and eBay and I chucked out as much as I could while my partner wasn't looking! As it's an art-deco block we're looking at a "Jazz-age" kitchen with black units and a silver granite counter/splashback with white walls/ceiling. LED edge underlighting for counter edge and halogens under wall cabinets. Silver plinth. Miele black/s.steel appliances. Black/white tiled floor. ps We're not getting the kitchen from Ikea - I just used their planner. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Narrow galley kitchen 8Dec 20, 2008 11:41 am 1070 is ok...just! ideally you would have 1200 to be comfortable
usually the widest door is around 600 and drawers 450-500 deep so as paddy said it will have to be a one-person-in-the-kitchen-at-a-time kinda place. if you intend on using a flatpack system use this check list -HMR grade particle board construction -blum or hettich hinges as they are guaranteed for a lifetime! -solidbacks are especially important if you have an older house as moisture is a problem. Also its the best way for anchoring the cabinet to the wall. -good customer service after purchase if something happens to go wrong This instantly crosses off certain companies!!! Kitchens are like finger prints, no two are ever the same!! SmartPack did the kitchens for Channel 9's Home Made TV Show Re: Narrow galley kitchen 9Dec 20, 2008 11:50 am from the images, the layout is pretty good apart from the drawers below the sink, by placing a cupboard instead it will save you a few dollars and also cleaning products are fairly tall so make sure your atomizers, bleach and washing up liquid will fit in depth of the drawer. Also make sure these items are secured as the constant pull and push motion of the drawer does topple them over. They will be as happy to sit on a shelf:)
Other than that, nice! I love tall units together as you have done and cooking opposite, bravo Kitchens are like finger prints, no two are ever the same!! SmartPack did the kitchens for Channel 9's Home Made TV Show Re: Narrow galley kitchen 10Dec 20, 2008 11:54 am also watch out for black cupboard doors, they are a pain in the *** to clean! we have them at home and have regretted the decision since. If its black poly doors or vac form doors with a semi or high gloss finish you should be okay but definitely dont go black matt, dreadful to look at whan a little dirty, shows everything! Kitchens are like finger prints, no two are ever the same!! SmartPack did the kitchens for Channel 9's Home Made TV Show Re: Narrow galley kitchen 11Dec 20, 2008 1:14 pm Now it makes more sense. I'm just thinking that the sink is fairly close to the door and maybe blocking the entrance. Can you put the sink on same side as the cooktop without any plumbing issue or you prefer an L shaped bench? Personally i prefer just a single line bench, but if you want the L shape then you can think about having a shallower bench on the short side and put the sink on the long side, so it won't block up the entrance that much. Just a suggestion. Re: Narrow galley kitchen 12Dec 20, 2008 2:11 pm Just a couple of other thoughts...
Have you left a big enough floor space between the corner cupboard and the short bench? It looks pretty tight there. Also, we have learned that it isn't ideal to put the oven or stove next to your favourite piece of preparation bench space. Too hot! Re: Narrow galley kitchen 13Dec 20, 2008 4:34 pm Here's a version with narrow base units beneath the counter-top which are about as deep as they are now (these are 370 deep according to Ikea but if you add a piece of extra counter top as I did in the corner, it has to be 440 deep - allowance for back?).
This means the passage is now about 1250 wide which is about what it is now - or it would be if we didn't have a big 700 deep fridge freezer that will go when we reno. You might spot that there is now no cooktop - mainly cos Ikky don't have a cupboard with one only 370 deep but I have a solution! - Highlander (a proud Australian company) produce the HT3CN/L 3-burner gas cooktop which is 405 deep with a 378 cutout. OK it only has 3 burners but one is a Wok and they have a good reputation. I tried moving the cooktop down towards the sink but it would mean that if someone was at the sink (it's now a 1.5 person kitchen!) they would be very close to the person cooking which might be a disaster. I did move the sink nearer the corner of the L (swapped with the dishwasher) but I think that might make washing up difficult and will probably swap back. That corner is a fudge now since Ikky don't have a 370<->600 corner and so it'll need a custom solution - although I'd like to keep the look and lines of the drawers rather than have a cupboard so the Blum Corner Drawer might work. All pipes enter/exit on the back wall next to the balcony door near the sink (currently boxed in) so we have to have the L piece. That door isn't used much (it's mainly a fire escape) so we're not too bothered about blocking it as long as it meets fire regs. I'm looking a high gloss finish as I hope it will look very glam with the lights. We prefer drawers to cupboards since my SO has bad knees (going in for a replacement one on 5th Jan) and finds it difficult to access things on the lower shelf - Hettich do a nice line in drawer organisers to prevent things falling over. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Narrow galley kitchen 15Dec 20, 2008 4:43 pm I think your splashback height is a bit low for over the sink area - especially with that corner wall unit coming out over the edge of the sink.
It might be worth putting together a mockup (say out of cardboard) of the actual dimensions and clearances you will end up with...or maybe just draw up a good scale elevation and work out your viewing and working acess angles. Cheers, Earl Re: Narrow galley kitchen 16Dec 20, 2008 5:48 pm Hi Earl - Good catch!
The splashback height is a "feature" of the Ikea planner - there's no way to set the Z axis of any component, including wall cabinets. The current splashback is 600 high the whole way round and I plan to keep it the same in the new kitchen. This will mean the tops of the tall cabs and the wall cabs opposite won't line up but since they have different height concrete beams running above them, it doesn't really matter. Attached is a photo showing the lovely kitchen as it was in 1980 - and it's the same now! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Narrow galley kitchen 17Dec 20, 2008 8:27 pm what a classic design of the 80's!
i'm just thinking around the cooktop, it may be good to have deeper bench for things like platters and big pots and pans. And do you really want a wall oven? i have to say it's much easier to use than an underbench oven but sometimes for a small space an underbench oven may be easier to be incorporated in the design. i'm thinking putting all the "deep" things onto one side: dishwasher, sink, oven and cooktop and have narrower benches for the rest, like in the pics attached, to open up the space. you still can have a tall pantry but just shallower. but the problems with this design is: 1, the fridge is too close to the entrance, you might need to move the door away from the fridge and make the door open outward; 2. you can't have the Miele built in microwave. you'll need to have a shallower microwave to be built into the shallower side, brands like gaggenau, neff, teka and ikea whirlpool have them; and 3. the oven has to be underbench! almost forget to mention, the shallower bench next to the sink will hopefully hide the plumbing. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Narrow galley kitchen 18Dec 20, 2008 10:04 pm Interesting solution - although I agree about the fridge. One item I forgot to include is yet another pillar in the corner on the right of the entrance - it's 350 x 350mm. That makes it very difficult to have a line of shallow units on the "tall side".
There's actually no door at the main entrance - it's just a square arch (w 800 x h 202 mm) - but Ikky doesn't have an arch As mentioned previously my SO has bad knees and so it's much easier to access the oven when built into a cabinet rather than having to bend over. I think we'd have enough room for big platters in the storage beneath the oven (it's not a huge apartment and we're unlikely to have that many guests for a huge party so we got rid of most of the large platters at our garage sales). Here's another version with a higher splashback and shorter wall cabs. It also includes the shallow broom cabinet on the right of the entrance. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Thanks again for this information. If you do hear anything different, would be great to know 4 8288 dimensions on your original plan are inconsistent and with accurate dimensions (including site plan, upstairs and down) i could make a proper scale drawing with furniture… 3 7552 So it looks like we finally have some movement on site! Definitely later than expected, but I'll take any progress at this point. I'll drop by over the weekend to get… 5 28493 |