Okay, our last project,painting the house, exceeded expectations. This year’s project will be a new roof to top that great paint job.
But I’d like to remodel my kitchen. Not a BIG remodel - I don’t have the money for that. But trying to reconfigure my kitchen in a more logical and usable way. My kitchen wasn’t originally a kitchen. Like many antebellum houses, the kitchen was at first a separate building detached from the house. That made sense because if your kitchen caught on fire, you didn’t want it to burn down the whole house, and because Southern summers are already brutally hot - no reason to heat up your living space with wood-burning cooking stoves or fireplaces.
In 1961 my house was already over 100 years old when they installed indoor plumbing and electricity. The granddaughter of the lady who lived and died here (at age 99, still living on her own) remembers when they moved the kitchen further back behind the house to become a shed. They moved it on rollers, pulled by mule. And inside the moving kitchen was Granny, cooking dinner (lunch) for the hands. Thus my kitchen was born. It’s a good-sized room, about 14 X 12. But it has 5 doors, 1 window and a fireplace. That doesn’t leave much wall space for cupboards and counter tops. This shows the layout of the kitchen, with the light grey the things that aren’t easily moved (doors and fireplaces) I presently have very little cupboard space, with my baking pans in the bottom of myhoosier, my cooking pans mostly in or under the oven, my dishes in the hutch, and my food in the pantry. The pantry is very small and holds my canned goods, my largest stand mixer and a tote that holds 50 lbs of dogfood. The possum belly worktable holds paper towels, canning equipment, etc.
I need to be able to add more counter tops and more storage. I need a better flow. Any suggestions?
TL;DR version - click on the link, look at my kitchen layout and make suggestions.
gigi - I’d replace the cupboards and the hutch. I really like the hoosier and the possum belly. Maybe replace the hutch with a bigger upright cabinet. I was thinking about moving the refrigerator over to where the hoosier is now, putting hte hoosier where the hutch is and making that corner cabinets, maybe tall cabinets.
I’m willing to listen to suggestions. The hoosier was a housewarming gift from my mother, who has since died. The possum belly I got at an auction and just like.
Not to dis Dopers - because there is always great advice here - but if you have a particularly challenging and unique remodel need like this, the people over at gardenweb are awesome. They’ve seen everything, and have great ideas. I didn’t post there when I was doing my whole-house remodel, but I searched the hell out of their archives.
I actually need to put together some diagrams and post over there about my master bath - it’s the one part I haven’t done yet, and I’m not quite sure what to do. Thanks for reminding me!
Yes yes and yes, because this will make the sink-fridge-stove triangle so much more efficient. I was also thinking in terms of the worktable in the middle. You could gain a lot of counter space and under-counter storage by putting in an island with cabinets and drawers under. But you may be very attached to the worktable you have there!
Few things: budget? What’s the foundation? I ask because, is moving plumbing and the like an option? I’m having trouble visualizing a fridge that is 3’ deep and 2’ wide, what’s going on there? can we get a couple pics?
I also second the gardenweb suggestion. Those people are obsessive geniuses.
How large is your pantry? Utilizing it from floor to ceiling would be the first move IMO.
By the same token, when you replace the cupboards and the hutch, replace them with floor to ceiling units. The stuff that you don’t use often (think platters for the holidays, vases, etc) goes in the top (and a designated slot somewhere close for a folding step stool) and the things you use most in easier reach.
Take a gander at slide outs for your lower cabinets too. It will make a lot of space much more usable if you’re able to just slide out your baking sheets and everyday platters.
Renee - Very small budget (roof this year) - that’s why the sink is on the immovable list. All the plumbing runs along the back of the house. There’s very little crawlspace. replumbing would be a pretty big deal. The layout shows 1 block per sq ft. The fridge is about 3’ X 3’, plus room to open the doors.
Missred - If I do all tall units, won’t I lose what little counter top space I have? The pantry is maybe 3’ deep by 2’ wide with low ceiling because the stairs go up. Right now I have a 5-shelve bookcase in there for shelving.
Are there windows anywhere that need to be kept clear? As far as counterspace, again the island could be where you gain some area. Once you have a nice sink-fridge-stove triangle near it, it could be fine to use it for all countertop work.
OK, I see. I wasn’t equating the worktable with the possum belly, not sure why! One thing you could do is have a bigger top built to put over the possum belly without changing it. I am dreaming of folks at a breakfast bar with their backs being warmed by that fireplace.
Actually, I was thinking tall as in the upper cabinets going to the ceiling. Sorry for the lack of clarity.
One very small kitchen that I had years ago had this feature and I absolutely loved it. It has the added benefit of not having dust problems on the tops.
missred - My kitchen ceilings are almost 10’ tall. I could go up to 8’ and not bother about the dust. Or I could do 10’, but that would have to be custom, I think.
gigi - I wonder if the possum belly could be transformed without changing its soul.
I’m stumped on moving the fridge because if the layout is to scale, it will block the stove if it moves where the hoosier is. And I agree about the possum belly; is there anywhere else in your house where it could work (I am still fixated on a big storage unit under an island countertop :o)? Another thing to consider would be installing your microwave (or a microwave/hood combo) over your stove. That plus moving the hoosier would open up that side for countertop and cabinets.
gigi - Looking at it, I could just barely open the oven door, however, if I rotated the stove 90 degrees and put it on that wall (where the hoosier is now) next to the refrigerator, that would work. And I’m actually thinking that making the opposite wall, where the refrigerator is now, into a floor-to-ceiling wall of cabinets. In the middle section of the cabinets I could put pullout shelves that would give me workspace when I need it and push in when I didn’t. I could put electrical outlets behind the shelves for things like mixers. Still in the idea development stage. Or possibly drawers on the bottom 1/3 and cabinets on the top. Drawers are actually more convenient than one might think.
Just a suggestion for more cabinet space. Someone earlier mentioned a center island. The island can have cabinets underneath it. To get even more cabinet space, hang cabinets from the ceiling above the island. With 10 foot ceilings, you can easily hang 30" or 36" high cabinets from the ceiling. Based on your druthers and lifestyle, you could also hang pot hangers or glass hangers from the bottom of the ceiling cabinets.
If you go this way, you should also make some allowances for lights either attached to the cabinet bottoms or flush with them, so that the island doesn’t seem dark.
Have fun!
