Kitchen layout - any thoughts on this?

[BlueC]

We're designing a kitchen and it is driving me crazy so thought I'd see if anyone here can offer any guidance. Seriously if I have to look at another F&B colour chart, worktop, or kitchen units I think I might explode!!

We think we have the layout pretty much figured out which in itself has been painful. Can anyone see any problems with what we've got in mind?

The image below shows what we're thinking of. The doorway opens in to the room between L and M. There is a tall sash window behind E, and there is a very large 3 part bay window at the bottom of the drawing (not shown). The top of the drawing has a chimney breast that we have opened up. The ceilings are very high with picture rail and very large profile and decorative cornice. The floor is real wood (pitch pine) which we will strip, sand and finish.

There are no wall units in the plan but we have dresser units above G, K and L framing the opened up chimney breast (2 each side). Units M, N, and O are tall appliance housings.

The layout has enough space at the front in the bay window for a table and 4 chairs, although we do have another more formal dining room for bigger gatherings.

We've tried to keep in mind the working triangles as best we could, but we also had certain things we wanted to do like keeping the sink under the side window. And some things through necessity like keeping the plumbing on the outside wall. We also didn't want under-counter appliances as we're both quite tall and find them a pain.

Anyone any thoughts on this? Is the island too big? Is the room too cluttered? Any problems we haven't considered? Would welcome your views.

THANKS!
Chris

(Is this the right forum to post this in?!)

Kitchen layout

kitchen-units.jpg (42.98 KiB) Viewed 4062 times

[wine~o]

My first thought is that the oven between the fridge and freezer is wrong. The oven will warm both of them and as a result you'll be looking at a far less efficient use of 'Lecky.

2nd from a practical point of view..better to have the hob and oven closer together.

I'd swap the oven position from position "N" to position "K"

Move the Freezer to "N" then whatever was at "K" to "O"

[BlueC]

Hi wine~o

Good point about the oven that did enter my mind too. Unfortunately the door to the room opens into the space in front of units K and L so we can't really put an oven or fridge there. We figured you'd go from the oven to the island, and hob to island, so everything centres around the island really.

Could maybe swap the oven and fridge around so the oven only has one side next to another appliance, but I feel that might spoil the symmetry of that 3-piece unit?

[royaloakcarpentry]

You would be better to welcome your wifes views lol.


I would point out though, that F&B is extortionately overpriced considering it is absolutely 5hite compared to other brands that cost half as much, are more durable, apply better and take less coats to obtain a better finish.


Go in the painting forum and ask the question..........putting snobbery aside, what do the decorators who have used F&B think of it? I would be especially interested to hear from those who have used it since the ranges have become available in water based only.

Here is my reply.......fcking load of overpriced 5hit.
I can speak on behalf of all our decorators......see above lol.

Go to Johnstones decorating centre and get them to mix the colour up for you. It will virtually be an exact match in Johnstones and cheaper.

[BlueC]

We're not actually using F&B paint, but the kitchen company will custom paint their range in any F&B colour (I doubt they actually use F&B paint!).

[wine~o]

Hi wine~o

Good point about the oven that did enter my mind too. Unfortunately the door to the room opens into the space in front of units K and L so we can't really put an oven or fridge there. We figured you'd go from the oven to the island, and hob to island, so everything centres around the island really.

Could maybe swap the oven and fridge around so the oven only has one side next to another appliance, but I feel that might spoil the symmetry of that 3-piece unit?

Got you...didn't notice the door....

Would it be possible to locate the oven to the left of the hob ??

The symmetry of the fridge freezer units could still be ok with a central larder unit.fridge one side, freezer the other..


Oh and ignore Royal......he only comes on here to prove how superior he is...

[Colour Republic]

Haven't you just fitted a new kitchen? New one already!!!

Nothing really wrong with the design or lay-out (personally I wouldn't worry too much about the oven postion with regards to the F/F, vent it right and it won't make your appliances work too hard.)

However it is hard to make an informed opinion without sizes (although some are fairly obvious), and also what you plan in keeping in each cupboard, integrated items too like waste bins etc.

To make this design work the best it can do you would be well advised to pick a supplier who offers factory depth changes to cabinets (rather than cutting them up yourself on site) as some of them would need to be reduced and also some could be extended

Main question would be what clearance have you got all around the island? minimum should be 1m but you should aim for 1.2m+

[BlueC]

Would it be possible to locate the oven to the left of the hob ??

The symmetry of the fridge freezer units could still be ok with a central larder unit.fridge one side, freezer the other..

Larder between the fridge and freezer would be great actually, I love those larder units. However, I don't think there is anywhere else the oven could go unless we went with an undercounter or range, neither of which we're keen on but its worth a bit of thought.

Oven wouldn't really work next to the hob as they are dresser units and think it is very important to keep the symmetry around the chimney breast.

Haven't you just fitted a new kitchen? New one already!!!

Ha, we did one a couple of years ago. Then we had an architect look at the whole remodelling and she has convinced us it is in the wrong part of the flat, so here we go again!

Nothing really wrong with the design or lay-out (personally I wouldn't worry too much about the oven postion with regards to the F/F, vent it right and it won't make your appliances work too hard.)

Ok I hadn't even considered vents but it's obviously a very good idea so I will add them in. Thanks!

However it is hard to make an informed opinion without sizes (although some are fairly obvious), and also what you plan in keeping in each cupboard, integrated items too like waste bins etc.

Good point, I will post a pic with dimensions too. We had a long boring discussion about exactly what would go in each cupboard, I could post the results of that too!

To make this design work the best it can do you would be well advised to pick a supplier who offers factory depth changes to cabinets (rather than cutting them up yourself on site) as some of them would need to be reduced and also some could be extended

Main question would be what clearance have you got all around the island? minimum should be 1m but you should aim for 1.2m+

Yes we are trying for 1m minimum around the island. I need to re-measure it because I think we have let the width of the island creep a bit to accommodate the units we wanted and we may have to reconsider that.

Our supplier can make custom width/depth units so we'll be making use of that. They can do everything, at a price!

[Inky Pete]

From a working point of view and speaking as someone who once upon a time trained as a chef, your layout is probably about as bad as it could be!

You say you've considered the sink/hob/fridge triangle, but then you've placed them all on opposite sides of the room with a bloody great island blocking the direct path between them. The separation between hob and oven and between sink and oven is also far too great - you can't possibly keep an eye on something browning under the oven grill whilst working at the hob, and anything you take out of the oven will have to be carried all the way round the kitchen if it needs draining off at the sink.

I know you say you don't like under the counter ovens, but have you tried lifting a Turkey or a heavy roast out of an oven at chest height and putting it down on a conventional height worktop without spilling scalding hot fat all over yourself? Please try it with a roasting tin full of water before spending money on a high level oven - I guarantee you'll get wet!

Personally, I'd ditch the high level ovens and put in side by side under counter units beneath the hob. If go for ovens with doors hinged at the sides rather than the bottom you'll find them much easier because you're not leaning over the door to access the oven. Then I'd forget about a tall larder fridge way over the far side of the kitchen and but a pair of under counter fridges at 'Q' - handy for the sink and the worktops around it for preparing vegetables. This means running power to the island, but you're going to want power there anyway - trust me.

Leave the freezer more or less where it is and make up for the loss of cupboard space nearer the sink and under the hob by putting a tall larder unit either side of it.

[wine~o]

100% with you there Inky..

something that looks good on paper doesn't necessarily work in the real world.

To the OP, start with How am I going to use this kitchen...and work backwards...If for instance you are only going to use a micro-wave for ready meals..then you might need 3 or 4 of them..

If you regularly throw dinner parties for 12... then the layout will need to be rather different.....

[BlueC]

Thanks Inky, I do understand fully the importance of the working triangles and distance between key points but we also have other immovable factors that we need to accommodate, such as the chimney breast, window positions, door positions, cornicing etc.

As well as being practical we also need to make the room look and feel good as it will be a social space and not just a purely functional kitchen. In this respect it can't be compared to the layout we would choose for a commercial kitchen.

We decided right at the start to list out the things we couldn't compromise on, and the things we could. Under-counter fridges and freezers were two we refused to move on as we both despise them. We also wanted to keep the sink under the side window. We're not married to the idea of eye-line oven units but we do like the idea of being able to put a combi-microwave as the top oven and another oven beneath, which saves having an unsightly microwave on the worktop. Interesting what you said about the side opening under-counter ovens, we hadn't considered that.

You've given me some food for thought. I do like the idea of a tall larder unit, but we won't budge on the under-counter refridgeration! And you're right we definitely want power to the island.

wine~o we honestly have given a LOT of thought to how we will use the room!

[Inky Pete]

If you're absolutely wedded to the idea of a tall fridge then how about putting it at "A". Handy for the sink and the worktop in between for prep, and also directly across from the freezer so you can easily transfer stuff from freezer to fridge to defrost.

Consider two separate fridges one above the other, then you can have them set to different temperatures to keep meats and vegetables at their storage temperatures.

Also have a think about how the kitchen will look when viewed from outside through the bay window. If you just finish the two runs and the island with blank end panels will it look a bit plain from there? Maybe a wine rack or something at the window end of the island to break it up visually?