ᐅ Kitchen Planning for Renovation: Question About Window and Appliances

Mal Bauen schrieb:

So far, our kitchen has been designed more with functionality in mind than aesthetics.

Well, you can have both. For example, with the mix of the shelf and the dishwasher, you could make the shelf 60cm (24 inches) deep and the same height as the dishwasher! Right now, it looks mismatched. Who planned this? A professional planner pays attention to these details—especially in an open kitchen layout.
Window seat: who is it supposed to please? The cook who never wants to leave the kitchen? The person cooking who wants to sit and watch the pasta? Or the kids who then turn the kitchen into a play area?

Mal Bauen schrieb:

The side-by-side refrigerator might not be the most attractive, but it is conveniently accessible from both kitchen and dining area.

A side-by-side, refrigerator, or French door fridge can also be designed as a focal point. However, I imagine that in a household with children, that door will be opened often, potentially blocking the walkway. That might be annoying…

Bertram100 schrieb:

It helps to ask yourself what exactly you expect from the window sill by the reading area?
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You don’t have that much space to put down a coffee machine or food processor.

The window seat was mainly added as a fun feature, especially for the kids. And maybe for the adults to enjoy nature on Sunday mornings with a coffee. But it’s definitely more of a (beloved) nice-to-have than a must-have.
As a surface for the coffee machine, we could (exceptionally) use the island, right next to the column (the column would then have integrated power outlets). Alternatively, it could go above the dishwasher. Besides that, we still need space for a kettle and a soda maker (to the right of the sink), and possibly a food processor (which would then be on the left side of the kitchen run).

xMisterDx schrieb:

What makes me a bit puzzled, now that I’m looking closer… you’re spending 23,000 euros on a kitchen… and you have just one oven.

Does that mean, on the other hand, that 23,000 euros for this kitchen is too expensive? I’m a bit lacking a feel for the price. Everywhere you hear that kitchens, in particular, have become so much more expensive lately...
A second oven is not a topic for us right now; our cooking habits work quite well with one appliance. If that should ever change, I will at least have a separate electrical connection installed. The microwave is planned above the oven. It could be placed on the countertop instead, and then a second oven installed if we want that upgrade in the future.

xMisterDx schrieb:

The dishwasher is raised, but at least 2 meters (6.5 feet) from any cabinet where the dishes need to go.
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I’m generally in favor of having the dishwasher next to or under the draining area of the sink, because you can easily sweep crumbs in there.

We plan to keep plates, cutlery, and pots in the kitchen island, which would be quite accessible from the dishwasher. It was also important to us to have it close to the sink and the dining area (so that if you bring something from the table or terrace, it can go straight into the dishwasher). We sweep crumbs directly into the (tall) pull-out trash bin next to the sink right under the countertop.

xMisterDx schrieb:

Have you considered separating the “counter” for the bar stools with a slanted countertop (“pultplatte”)?

We actually find a slanted countertop visually appealing. What has spoken against it so far was mainly the desire for a large flat surface, in case we’re doing large-scale Christmas baking. One could also use the dining table for that, but that is farther away and lower. We will reconsider this.

ypg schrieb:

Who planned this? A professional planner pays attention – especially with an open kitchen.

I have to defend the kitchen planner here. We “messed up” their original plan quite a bit. Attached is the original design with much more symmetry but also way too many upper cabinets at an inconvenient height (neither of us is tall) and a very low window. Based on that, we removed or lowered the upper cabinets, made the window larger, moved the oven down (to allow the microwave above), and the dishwasher up. We made the space above the dishwasher a countertop to provide more spots for the coffee machine, plants, and decorations.
We like the suggestion to make the shelf on the right the same height as the dishwasher.

The initial design looks visually great.
Have you ever taken your modification requests to the kitchen planner? I believe a professional could redesign it to suit your needs without losing sight of the symmetry.

kati1337 schrieb:

The initial design looks great visually.

Yes, I also like it at first glance. Especially the cake on the table. 😀

I quickly found two photos with a narrow window in the same position as yours. This is roughly how it could look.

I agree with @kati1337 and @Bertram100, the original design is great! Unfortunately, the entire effect of the kitchen is lost with your changes; it looks somewhat unfinished and randomly put together.
If you don’t need or want so many upper cabinets, I would suggest talking to the kitchen planner to see if they have another idea to connect the two sides on the right and left of the window. What I like about the original plan is that the recessed area creates a harmonious look.

Mal Bauen schrieb:

We have "messed up" our plan like this.

I thought so. Often, as in this case, you can see the design by amateurs.
By the way, we also have a lowered strip of lighting, although unfortunately not as long as the photo shown earlier. Above it fit very well shallow wall cabinets, which can also be easily used at 160cm (5 ft 3 in) height (I am 165cm (5 ft 5 in)).

Mal Bauen schrieb:

The window seat was added mainly as a gimmick for the children.

Well, you should expect that they will end up taking over the kitchen for themselves.

Personally, I don’t think more than two different heights (including the countertop) are practical.