Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Knock the wall down! 13 x9 in an open concept space is plenty of space. Do a large double island with seating on the other side. In your dining room, add some cabinetry that matches your kitchen cabinets ( not up to the ceiling).

You will have more natural light in the space. More storage. Better flow.

People won’t hang out in the kitchen to be part if whatever is going on if they can just sit at the other side of the island. When our kitchen was closed it drove me nuts. Everyone including the dogs came into the kitchen.

It really increases your seating and serving options if you entertain. I use the island to place foods out for appetizers or if it’s buffet style or extra seating for kids.

Open concept can be very inappropriate for period homes.
Also, who wants to look at their dirty dishes all the time.
I think this kitchen idea is very zeitgeist and may go the way of the little old lady pink tiled bathroom.
Plus, you get more storage space with walls.

OP, maybe recobsider your upper cabs and hike up your countertop appliances there - microwave, toaster oven take up lots of space. Will require some electrical work too. The Europeans have their dryer racks built into the upper cab right over the sink so water drips straight into it.

Anonymous wrote:There is a Facebook page called “kitchen remodeling” or kitchen remodeling ideas”. People post their plans and commenters troubleshoot, you can try that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
"Does anyone like figuring out floor plans? This is a puzzle I've been trying to solve for six years and I've got nothing."

Yes. You need to hire an architect.

Would an architect take on a small job like this? Would it be worth it? I honestly haven't hired one before so I don't know.

Anonymous wrote:Check out Aidan Design—this is exactly what they do.

Anonymous wrote:I am excellent at this. Post the floorplan

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone like figuring out floor plans? This is a puzzle I've been trying to solve for six years and I've got nothing.

The kitchen is 13 x 9 and the layout is such that you have to do breathing exercises to avoid losing your sh*t if more than one person is in there. The counters next to the kitchen entrance are about 2.5 feet apart, so only one regular-sized person can enter or exit at a time. Between the appliance layout and my husband's preference for keeping appliances and a dish drying rack out on the counter, there is no great counter space for food prep. I'm usually shuttling between two 24-inch spaces. Actually, no, I'm usually doing uber eats.

It's a closed floor plan so I could theoretically knock out the wall between the kitchen and the dining room (not load-bearing). There are two problems with this: 1) The freestanding range and the fridge are on that wall and due to window and exterior door placement I don't think there is another place to move them, so removing that wall wouldn't actually give us more cabinet or counter space and 2) I suck at keeping the kitchen clean and it's nice to not have to look at it when we are hanging out in our cute dining room.

I suppose I could just move the wall a few feet into the dining room but it seems like we'd be paying a lot of money for maybe three more feet of floor space, especially since that's the wall where the oven vent is. Expanding the footprint of the house isn't possible. Two of the walls of the kitchen are exterior and the last is load-bearing and contains HVAC stuff.

It is definitely due for an upgrade. I think it was last renovated in the late 90s? Golden oak cabinets that are kind of falling apart, laminate countertops (the material has definitely grown on me but they're old and the style leaves much to be desired), a weird vinyl floor that matches the gold oak cabinets ( ) etc. I am leaning toward just doing a budget renovation leaving the fixtures where they are, but it seems weird to spend a bunch of money without improving the worst thing about the kitchen: the layout.

Thoughts?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Knock the wall down! 13 x9 in an open concept space is plenty of space. Do a large double island with seating on the other side. In your dining room, add some cabinetry that matches your kitchen cabinets ( not up to the ceiling).

You will have more natural light in the space. More storage. Better flow.

People won’t hang out in the kitchen to be part if whatever is going on if they can just sit at the other side of the island. When our kitchen was closed it drove me nuts. Everyone including the dogs came into the kitchen.

It really increases your seating and serving options if you entertain. I use the island to place foods out for appetizers or if it’s buffet style or extra seating for kids.

Open concept can be very inappropriate for period homes.
Also, who wants to look at their dirty dishes all the time.
I think this kitchen idea is very zeitgeist and may go the way of the little old lady pink tiled bathroom.
Plus, you get more storage space with walls.

OP, maybe recobsider your upper cabs and hike up your countertop appliances there - microwave, toaster oven take up lots of space. Will require some electrical work too. The Europeans have their dryer racks built into the upper cab right over the sink so water drips straight into it.

Anonymous wrote:Knock the wall down! 13 x9 in an open concept space is plenty of space. Do a large double island with seating on the other side. In your dining room, add some cabinetry that matches your kitchen cabinets ( not up to the ceiling).

You will have more natural light in the space. More storage. Better flow.

People won’t hang out in the kitchen to be part if whatever is going on if they can just sit at the other side of the island. When our kitchen was closed it drove me nuts. Everyone including the dogs came into the kitchen.

It really increases your seating and serving options if you entertain. I use the island to place foods out for appetizers or if it’s buffet style or extra seating for kids.