Hello,
We have a small kitchen and need to provide the installer with connection details soon, so we are forced to start thinking about the kitchen layout. Attached is our concept – honestly, we don’t see any other arrangement. That’s why I’m asking here for advice, criticism, and maybe even alternative options.
A few details:
- The kitchen is open to the dining/living area
- The refrigerator is already in place
- The wall behind the refrigerator is extra narrow to recess it by 10cm (4 inches) and save space
- A pull-out pantry would be nice
- A built-in oven is a must
- The passage between the refrigerator and the counter is 1.00m (39 inches)
- Access from the hallway through a sliding door on the hallway side
Questions:
- Is there a more practical way to arrange the oven, cooktop, sink, and dishwasher?
- Would it be better to choose an L-shape instead of a U-shape, or is the passage between the refrigerator and the counter too narrow? The U-shape would have the advantage of allowing drawers to be accessed from outside, i.e., from the dining table side.
Preferences:
- Induction cooktop
- A carousel for pots under the cooktop
- Stone countertop (budget is the main reason this might be the first item to reconsider)
Budget: 10,000 - 12,000 €
Thanks in advance!
We have a small kitchen and need to provide the installer with connection details soon, so we are forced to start thinking about the kitchen layout. Attached is our concept – honestly, we don’t see any other arrangement. That’s why I’m asking here for advice, criticism, and maybe even alternative options.
A few details:
- The kitchen is open to the dining/living area
- The refrigerator is already in place
- The wall behind the refrigerator is extra narrow to recess it by 10cm (4 inches) and save space
- A pull-out pantry would be nice
- A built-in oven is a must
- The passage between the refrigerator and the counter is 1.00m (39 inches)
- Access from the hallway through a sliding door on the hallway side
Questions:
- Is there a more practical way to arrange the oven, cooktop, sink, and dishwasher?
- Would it be better to choose an L-shape instead of a U-shape, or is the passage between the refrigerator and the counter too narrow? The U-shape would have the advantage of allowing drawers to be accessed from outside, i.e., from the dining table side.
Preferences:
- Induction cooktop
- A carousel for pots under the cooktop
- Stone countertop (budget is the main reason this might be the first item to reconsider)
Budget: 10,000 - 12,000 €
Thanks in advance!
Hi,
And what exactly would that have achieved? Would the windows or doors just disappear? ;-)
Seriously though, you're probably right that earlier planning would have made things simpler, but lamenting that doesn’t help the original poster at all. The goal now is to make the best of the situation as it is.
@sirhc, the sliding door is probably untouchable, right? To be honest, one of my first thoughts was to paint the door or reduce its size, if necessary to a standard 78cm (31 inches) door. That would allow more space for cabinets.
Best regards,
Andreas
ypg schrieb:
The planning should have started much earlier.
And what exactly would that have achieved? Would the windows or doors just disappear? ;-)
Seriously though, you're probably right that earlier planning would have made things simpler, but lamenting that doesn’t help the original poster at all. The goal now is to make the best of the situation as it is.
@sirhc, the sliding door is probably untouchable, right? To be honest, one of my first thoughts was to paint the door or reduce its size, if necessary to a standard 78cm (31 inches) door. That would allow more space for cabinets.
Best regards,
Andreas
I could also give up on the corner cooktop. If we also remove the pull-out pantry unit, there will still be enough space for tall cabinets to the left of the cooktop (if arranged as suggested by Neige). Those cabinets are meant for cups, glasses, plates, and so on.
The drawers facing the dining table would then be for the more expensive items that are rarely used, as well as placemats. 🙂
Thank you all!
@andimann
Yes, the door cannot be moved. It leads to the hallway, stairs, pantry/storage room, and the front door. Otherwise, the kitchen would be a dead end, only accessible by going through the living and dining areas. This was rightly criticized at the very beginning of the planning. Everything is already built, including the special solution for the side-by-side fridge. I want it placed exactly there.
The drawers facing the dining table would then be for the more expensive items that are rarely used, as well as placemats. 🙂
Thank you all!
@andimann
Yes, the door cannot be moved. It leads to the hallway, stairs, pantry/storage room, and the front door. Otherwise, the kitchen would be a dead end, only accessible by going through the living and dining areas. This was rightly criticized at the very beginning of the planning. Everything is already built, including the special solution for the side-by-side fridge. I want it placed exactly there.
Display cabinets may look nice, but in my opinion, they have the drawback that if they are not deep enough, storage space is lost, and if they are deep enough, you end up spending more time rearranging items. With wide, large pull-out drawers, you can see everything at once, no extra handling is needed, and they offer a lot of storage space. Therefore, I think you can do without one or two of the upper cabinets.
I wouldn’t replace the dishwasher because, in my view, it benefits from being close to the cooktop (for example, when draining pasta). Is a side-by-side refrigerator really necessary? If so, you could consider boxing it in to create additional storage space above it.
I wouldn’t replace the dishwasher because, in my view, it benefits from being close to the cooktop (for example, when draining pasta). Is a side-by-side refrigerator really necessary? If so, you could consider boxing it in to create additional storage space above it.
Well, the side-by-side refrigerator is already there and will be taken from the apartment. It was my dream back then. It’s obviously bulky and has relatively little freezer space (because of the ice dispenser). But a second fridge/freezer combination will be installed in the basement anyway.
What do you mean by boxing it in? Building cabinets around it? That probably won’t work. The niche in the wall is designed to fit a side-by-side refrigerator up to 110 cm (43 inches) wide in the future (currently: 92 cm (36 inches)). Considering energy consumption and technological development, a refrigerator is not something you keep forever. I wouldn’t want to build around it.
So the door and the positioning of the side-by-side fridge can’t be changed, unfortunately. The question remains how to best design the L- or U-shaped layout.
The tall cabinet is removed, replaced by cabinets up to the ceiling or at wall cabinet height, where a built-in oven can also be accommodated, with a width of 100 to 120 cm (39 to 47 inches) so that the cooktop extended along the same wall still fits. That could be a solution.
What do you mean by boxing it in? Building cabinets around it? That probably won’t work. The niche in the wall is designed to fit a side-by-side refrigerator up to 110 cm (43 inches) wide in the future (currently: 92 cm (36 inches)). Considering energy consumption and technological development, a refrigerator is not something you keep forever. I wouldn’t want to build around it.
So the door and the positioning of the side-by-side fridge can’t be changed, unfortunately. The question remains how to best design the L- or U-shaped layout.
The tall cabinet is removed, replaced by cabinets up to the ceiling or at wall cabinet height, where a built-in oven can also be accommodated, with a width of 100 to 120 cm (39 to 47 inches) so that the cooktop extended along the same wall still fits. That could be a solution.
In summary, you have created several problems for yourselves:
1. The side-by-side refrigerator: in a small kitchen, such a bulky unit doesn’t really fit, but it was your choice. OK. However, its position here, in the way to the dining area, and then the fridge door opening so that you basically turn left, where there is no countertop anymore.
2. Only one option to place the tall cabinet for the oven. However, it is absolutely impractical to place the oven, even if it is at eye level, against the wall. So, a filler cabinet would be needed here.
2a. The wall of less than 3 meters (9.8 feet) that is supposed to accommodate the tall cabinets as well as the stove, which should have countertop space on both sides. Then there is also a long wall cabinet above.
3. Window position near the corner: the corner is unusable with the idea of a long wall cabinet above.
The fridge enclosure reduces the bulkiness, but doesn’t really improve the door situation (well, a little 😉)
Placing a stove at an angle is, in my eyes, awful, but if it’s OK for you... However, this will result in additional costs. You could have planned a lot better for that 😉
You can certainly build the cabinets higher, but visually this usually looks cramped in a small space. Also, what do you want to store up high if you have a pantry and a basement?
Therefore, I would stay below the 2.00-meter (6 ft 7 in) line and focus on ensuring short distances and ease of movement in the kitchen line.
My suggestion (also considering the visual aspect): place a tall cabinet of 30 (40) cm (12 (16) inches) in the corner (an apothecary cabinet is fine, but don’t be surprised if the door is hard to open), then the oven tall cabinet. I would not go all the way up, possibly 180 cm (6 ft) tall cabinets (in the photo these are 220 cm (7 ft 3 in)).
Use the remaining 120 (140) cm (47 (55) inches) for the stove and drawers on both sides.
The widths depend on the actual wall width. By omitting a corner cabinet, the installer has more flexibility to use the space efficiently. Personally, I would allocate more countertop space for drawers on either side of the stove than for the side tall cabinet, but keep symmetrical dimensions.
I would counter @Neiges’ suggestion for the sink and dishwasher placement, so the alignment matches flush with the window on the left. Place a drawer cabinet for waste under the sink (MOPL?) like on the left side of the dishwasher, creating symmetry when entering the room.
For the dining area, I would use 30/35 cm (12/14 inches) deep cabinets with doors (unlike in the photos), which is sufficient for placemats, trivets, serving dishes, etc. Both cabinet doors should open towards the front.
The shelf on the end wall is only there to adjust my furniture measurements!
If I have time, I will incorporate further corrections 🙂
1. The side-by-side refrigerator: in a small kitchen, such a bulky unit doesn’t really fit, but it was your choice. OK. However, its position here, in the way to the dining area, and then the fridge door opening so that you basically turn left, where there is no countertop anymore.
2. Only one option to place the tall cabinet for the oven. However, it is absolutely impractical to place the oven, even if it is at eye level, against the wall. So, a filler cabinet would be needed here.
2a. The wall of less than 3 meters (9.8 feet) that is supposed to accommodate the tall cabinets as well as the stove, which should have countertop space on both sides. Then there is also a long wall cabinet above.
3. Window position near the corner: the corner is unusable with the idea of a long wall cabinet above.
The fridge enclosure reduces the bulkiness, but doesn’t really improve the door situation (well, a little 😉)
Placing a stove at an angle is, in my eyes, awful, but if it’s OK for you... However, this will result in additional costs. You could have planned a lot better for that 😉
You can certainly build the cabinets higher, but visually this usually looks cramped in a small space. Also, what do you want to store up high if you have a pantry and a basement?
Therefore, I would stay below the 2.00-meter (6 ft 7 in) line and focus on ensuring short distances and ease of movement in the kitchen line.
My suggestion (also considering the visual aspect): place a tall cabinet of 30 (40) cm (12 (16) inches) in the corner (an apothecary cabinet is fine, but don’t be surprised if the door is hard to open), then the oven tall cabinet. I would not go all the way up, possibly 180 cm (6 ft) tall cabinets (in the photo these are 220 cm (7 ft 3 in)).
Use the remaining 120 (140) cm (47 (55) inches) for the stove and drawers on both sides.
The widths depend on the actual wall width. By omitting a corner cabinet, the installer has more flexibility to use the space efficiently. Personally, I would allocate more countertop space for drawers on either side of the stove than for the side tall cabinet, but keep symmetrical dimensions.
I would counter @Neiges’ suggestion for the sink and dishwasher placement, so the alignment matches flush with the window on the left. Place a drawer cabinet for waste under the sink (MOPL?) like on the left side of the dishwasher, creating symmetry when entering the room.
For the dining area, I would use 30/35 cm (12/14 inches) deep cabinets with doors (unlike in the photos), which is sufficient for placemats, trivets, serving dishes, etc. Both cabinet doors should open towards the front.
The shelf on the end wall is only there to adjust my furniture measurements!
If I have time, I will incorporate further corrections 🙂
First of all, many, many thanks, Yvonne!!!
This already looks quite close to what we had in mind!
Looking at it, I might consider leaving out the wall cabinets around the range hood and all the way to the window, and instead choose an 80cm (31.5 inches) cooktop with a suitably sized range hood.
As for the counter/peninsula, the extra 20cm (8 inches) of unused space could be removed, leaving a 120cm (47 inches) aisle between the refrigerator and the counter (not sure if that's enough space for someone to pass by if another person is standing in front of an open door). The counter itself would then be only 100cm (39 inches) wide instead of 120cm (47 inches). Instead of doors there, full-width drawers spanning the 100cm (39 inches) would be installed, which would also make it look visually wider.
Overall, I agree that the layout could feel a bit more open, and these are the adjustments I’ve come up with. However, I’m by no means skilled in these matters. 😕
This already looks quite close to what we had in mind!
Looking at it, I might consider leaving out the wall cabinets around the range hood and all the way to the window, and instead choose an 80cm (31.5 inches) cooktop with a suitably sized range hood.
As for the counter/peninsula, the extra 20cm (8 inches) of unused space could be removed, leaving a 120cm (47 inches) aisle between the refrigerator and the counter (not sure if that's enough space for someone to pass by if another person is standing in front of an open door). The counter itself would then be only 100cm (39 inches) wide instead of 120cm (47 inches). Instead of doors there, full-width drawers spanning the 100cm (39 inches) would be installed, which would also make it look visually wider.
Overall, I agree that the layout could feel a bit more open, and these are the adjustments I’ve come up with. However, I’m by no means skilled in these matters. 😕
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