Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Jan 06, 2013 11:37 am Hi everyone, I was wondering if you could help on an ‘issue’ that DH and I can’t decide/agree on.... We haven’t decided on a house design yet (or a definite builder) but we need help with kitchen layout. DH does not like big open plan kitchen, meals/dining/living with everything being in one big room... After looking at 1000’s of floor plans and visited 100’s of display homes this seems to be the ‘norm’. I don’t want a separate kitchen because then I would feel ‘cut off’ from the world but I also don’t want any guests in the living area seeing a mess in the kitchen ...- I’m not really that messy and we don’t have many guests... We have asked the builder of one of our favourite designs to make changes to their design and they say that it isn’t a problem. The design is below – what we are looking at doing is moving the alfresco further over to be in line with the family room then open up the back (kitchen) wall and add a room off the kitchen which would then be the meals/dining area, a sliding door would then be added on to access the alfresco. Easily done... Now we have the island facing the family room with a ‘separate’ meals area.... DH doesn’t like island benches!!!!! Do we add a small bench on the meals area side of the island with an opening to the meals area, therefore creating an L shaped bench or do we join up the benches to the wall benches and have a U shaped kitchen????? Or do we stick with the ‘floating’ island!!! Hope you understand what I mean... Your advice and thoughts would be greatly appreciated.... Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 2Jan 06, 2013 11:48 am Your DH is making it hard to design a living area that works and flows. He doesnt like open plan and doesnt like island units, what does he like? Make sure the meals area you are talking about adding doesnt become small and pokey. Personally I think island units are great if you have the room for them. I would always have stone waterfalls on the island though! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 3Jan 06, 2013 11:55 am I don't know about having a separate dining area. How would you access it? through the kitchen?? Based on just looking at floorplan how about making the kitchen window not full length but something that can sit above a bench. Add a bench all the way along there and put sink on there. So you can look out window whilst doing the dishes. This then leaves the island bare and lots prep space. You'd then have move the island down to create walking space. Ive pretty much based this on our new kitchen layout as I love it Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 4Jan 06, 2013 12:19 pm What about something as simple as putting one or two dividing feature walls to take away the open plan feeling. Something like what the RED lines represent below. They could even have feature cut outs in them so you are getting the both of best worlds. The BLUE represents where the access areas would be. All rooms still accesible from both sides. This is how you could utilise the existing rooms without tacking on an extra meals room. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ If you are worried about the mess your guests could see I think you would be better off having a "preparation room" off the back of the kitchen rather than a separate meals area if you would go to trouble of putting in another room. Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 5Jan 06, 2013 2:23 pm Could add a scullery off your kitchen. Have a sink and all that in there and shut away your dirty dishes haha. That's what I plan do when we entertain. Close the door and hide away the mess haha Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 6Jan 07, 2013 12:58 pm CuttingEdgeKitchens Your DH is making it hard to design a living area that works and flows. He doesnt like open plan and doesnt like island units, what does he like? Make sure the meals area you are talking about adding doesnt become small and pokey. Personally I think island units are great if you have the room for them. I would always have stone waterfalls on the island though! Hi CEK What does he like? Well me, hopefully... we have been together for a very, very long time... Everyone has personal tastes and that is just something that he doesn't like... We are really trying to make it 'user friendly' and seeing he is the cook in the house, he has to feel 'comfortable' cooking... The dining/meals area will by about 3.5 x 4.5 so not too small and if we have big dinner parties we can always move the table into the family area... Certainly agree about the waterfall edges... love them... Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 7Jan 07, 2013 1:04 pm LeanneR I don't know about having a separate dining area. How would you access it? through the kitchen?? Based on just looking at floorplan how about making the kitchen window not full length but something that can sit above a bench. Add a bench all the way along there and put sink on there. So you can look out window whilst doing the dishes. This then leaves the island bare and lots prep space. You'd then have move the island down to create walking space. Ive pretty much based this on our new kitchen layout as I love it Hi Leanne, I checked out your kitchen design, love it.... love the idea of looking out the window doing the dishes, infact that is my preferred kitchen but the back wall is facing west and it would be very hot. The walk in pantry is at the bottom of the design (I cut it off, sorry) agree about putting the dirty dishes there, perhaps we shouldn't be lazy and just wash them up straight away or put them in the dishwasher.... Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 8Jan 07, 2013 1:09 pm hsvboy11 What about something as simple as putting one or two dividing feature walls to take away the open plan feeling. Something like what the RED lines represent below. They could even have feature cut outs in them so you are getting the both of best worlds. The BLUE represents where the access areas would be. All rooms still accesible from both sides. This is how you could utilise the existing rooms without tacking on an extra meals room. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ If you are worried about the mess your guests could see I think you would be better off having a "preparation room" off the back of the kitchen rather than a separate meals area if you would go to trouble of putting in another room. Hi hsvboy11... I did suggest partitions... no go.... We will be having a walk in pantry so we can prepare in there but don't think I like the idea of being stuck in a small room cutting up carrotts... (I really wish I could work out how to make changes to plans on the computer e.g. red & blue lines... changes floorplans like other people etc. ) Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 9Jan 07, 2013 1:24 pm Thanks everyone for your helpful comments. I have tried many different softwares to draw plans but I am hopeless. So it is whiteout, pen and ruler... Hopefully this will show the kitchen bench designs we are thinking of. Because the back wall faces west, we may have two long narrow windows in the dining area and a larger window on the kitchen bench wall... still working out windows for the family area. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ L design bench Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ U design bench Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 10Jan 07, 2013 5:43 pm Hey i dont know if it will help you at all but i spent last night using http://designer3d.com.au/planner/UI/Pag ... edDesign=1 to make a kitchen to get an idea of how things would look for us. Its not a floor plan, but if you have the dimensions for all your stuff you just pop them in and it makes things for you (its time consuming but i love that kind of thing so i had fun). Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 11Jan 07, 2013 7:50 pm you could have cnrless stacker doors meal dining and meals area Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 12Jan 07, 2013 9:12 pm Use paint - so select the area to be edited on the plan and save as jpg or something then open it in paint and you can edit to your hearts content. It's not fancy but worked well for me when trying to redesign our kitchen. I personally think both designs will be awkward particularly for trying to take food over to the meals area. Also if the kitchen window was west facing won't that just mean that now you've added the meals on that side that it will get really hot? Can you not leave the meals side of the kitchen bench open and join the island up on the other side? So basically flip the u shaped one? I know we all don't like our guests seeing mess but unless you are going to have a prep room or scullery to chuck the dishes in you don't really have many options, particularly seeing as your DH doesn't like partition walls (yet also doesnt like open plan?) and you don't want to be prepping in a small enclosed room. I think you have a job ahead of you - good luck. Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 14Jan 16, 2013 9:54 pm ^^ That looks like it would be perfect for both your needs/wants. My build thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=65324&p=1032514#p1032514 Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 16Jan 17, 2013 11:06 am Hi Gogo, Zalira,and AKB Have looked into these, just not sure.... I am quite vertically challenged (the old 5ft) so just have this thought of being a bit like dicky knee (if you don't know who I am referring to check out Hey Hey It's Saturday). Anyway I think I have convinced DH that a U shape would be fine... cupboards along the outside wall with the stove in the middle, bench looking over the dining/meals area with sink in the middle and the other bench that faces the living area just bench, nothing on it, white stone... Amazing when you try and find a photo of what you want you can't find it... found this one but it's not quite right... the bench that is facing the living will be the bench facing the dining area and the one facing the living will be just bench... hope you understand..... found a floorplan that shows what I mean.. Photo of kitchen Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Floorplan of kitchen (ignore sizes) Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This is only for the kitchen for the design/builder that we are thinking of (we are also thinking of 2 or 3 others and therefore different kitchens ) Plus and this is a big PLUS it's only if DH agrees.... Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 17Jan 17, 2013 11:08 am ^^^ I think that lookds good just making sure enough space to walk into meal area etc Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 18Jan 17, 2013 11:17 am Thanks Leanne, agree about the space to walk through... no sense convincing him open plan if it is not 'open' enough to walk through... Re: Kitchen Layout Help!!! 20Jan 17, 2013 12:17 pm I like the U Shape that way you can be facing either the meals area of the living room <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=62083">viewtopic.php?t=62083</a><!-- l --> You never have a fridge against wall as you’ve drawn. 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