Would you check out my kitchen layout please?

becs

The biggest issue for the bamboo for us was the dog, despite being assured that unless we had a 20 stone rotweiller or such then the floor would not scratch. We have an 11kg collie and it's scratched massively. I don't mind and don't notice, to my mind our hose is a home and the scratches are part and parcel of it's character. It is brilliant with water though, we also have it in our bedroom and the bathroom, unfortunately I have one of those husbands who seem to think a bathmat is there to be walked over before soaking the rest of the floor! No problems with it at all, it's been down 3 years now.
I think the kitchen also feels wider because we have no wall cupboards and gave kept all the full height units together on the wall opposite the window.

Gentleness

Ok - done some revamping and see what you think of these - no huge changes really, just some balancing up of lines and trying to add some colour to give a better impression. I'm not going to be using bright orange though!


Bear in mind I will have utensils hanging from the wall around the hob/hood which will balance up the weight of the wall cupboards visually.



The wall panels on the right represent my whiteboard.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Is that 2 layers of cupboards above the work surface between your cooker & fridge?

Gentleness

Yep - the kitchen is 2.85m high so there is space for them. Ok, I'd need a step ladder, but I'd avoid a lot of dust!

andrew-b

Where you going to store the stepladder?!

Have you considered a bigger/another garden shed for your junk instead? Just a thought!

ChefBungle

Ok, so here's my tuppence worth.... and this very much depends on your skill at cooking.....

I would advise having all the cooking functions close to each other, esp the hob and the oven. Just conscious that with young child(ren) under your feet in the kitchen you probably don't want to be going from one side of kitchen to the other with a hot pan/tray, etc. I would also say the amount of prep area you have for cooking is frustratingly small.

As one of the previous posters mentioned, would it be possible to have a small breakfast bar area at the end of the counter top beside the cooker? Not only would this give you more prep area, it would also create a natural barrier between the kitchen and dining area. You could also arrange the storage under this area in such a way that one side faces out to the dining area, thereby giving you storage space for table mats, Sunday-best crockery+cutlery.

Hope it all goes well!

Chef

ChefBungle

Also, I can't see a visible dishwasher? Personal preference obviously, but you've definitely got room to fit one in.

Gentleness

Thanks Chef! I was considering one of those kitchen trolleys beside the oven/larder unit to provide a bit of extra worktop when needed. Standing in the kitchen now, it doesn't feel as though something permanently sticking out would work. I love cooking but it tends to be hearty rather than skilled. And I do quite a lot of baking. One of my bugbears at the moment is that it is hard to multitask cooking dinner and baking in the same area - I only have 2 x 60cm stretches for food prep at the moment and one is in the way of the sink & kettle. I thought having separate but close areas would help with this. Now I get an 80cm extra deep chopping area between the sink/waste system and hob, and a 180cm stretch for baking or more complicated things.

There's no dishwasher. Dh and I are both pretty unusual in that we like washing up and don't like the squeakiness of things washed in a dishwasher. We were obviously made for each other!

suisidevw

Interesting thread this with plenty of good ideas!

No dishwasher and like washing up! You must both be mad

andrew-b

How about this...
windowwall: boiler in cupboard worktop with microwave on and unit under, oven tower, hob, a run of worktop with more wall units above (will look a bit more balanced IMHO plus you get your baking space) but blocking up the existing window - followed by kitchen sink with new window in new position (could reuse existing frame to save on costs) and then another bit of worktop with unit under (your drinks making area and area for dirty dishes). You then get the hob and oven near each other on the outside wall. Downside is you have to make a structural change and shift the window along but it makes for a much better design IMHO.

otherwall: starting from the hall door corner (current #14 unit) either Andy's Cupboard (TM) or a larder unit or two. Fridge/freezer, Worktop space, worktop space worktop space with wall units over (single height but taller - don't limit yourself to Ikea only - finished with pelmet as on other side)..then carry on along with your "mail sort" area on the end which better flows into the dining area - could also double as a breakfast bar.

This design meets the golden triangle and i think ticks most of your boxes...you could still add the extra row of units above if you insist (i still strongly disagree with it though and don't like it! Lofts or sheds are better for rarely used junk). One thing i thought that you do need to consider with the extra row of wall units is how tight will it be to the ceiling - you will likely find the ceiling undulates and that your cupboard doors might not open. To keep things balanced the height of the larder unit will dictate the height of the first row of wall units.

Whilst this design requires structural changes with inserting a lintel for the moved window personally i think it's worth the expense.

Anyway take it or leave it...you've been given tons of good advice by others here that i would advise you take on board though!