Small entry to kitchen-fridge or something different?
Can anyone give me advice on putting a french door counter depth refrigerator at a small entry (28") from living room to kitchen. The living room was recently remodeled with extensive decorative paint so do not want to enlarge the doorway since we have functioned with it so many years.
Dilemma; if entering through living room having a wall with a deep pantry door (other side of wall is stairs to basement) to the right and the above mentioned fridge with cabinet skin to the left, will it feel too cramped? Anyone have ideas?
Comments (24)
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Comments (6)Boy, it sure looks like the refrigerator doors open on the wrong side--can you get the developer to swap it out or change the door swing?--must be a mistake. I would find that really annoying, especially in such a small workspace. I really see a movable island parallel to the cabinets in this space with storage underneath and maybe a hanging pot rack with lights and maybe some shelving above, possibly with some stools for casual dining. Do you have room for something like that? A freestanding stainless metal full- or counter-height shelf on casters adjacent to the sink could be really helpful. You could put some simple white dishpans or bins on it as a temporary holding place for dirty dishes while you are cooking, and use the rest for overflow for big pots or pantry items. The L counter with the curved sink might be a little awkward, but sure beats not having some usable counter space. If that is all you are adding, then perhaps a cart with a shelf that flips up for extra prep or dining space would work for you. I would pay the money to get decent lighting. I think I see a thin range hood over the cooktop. If this is European, there should be wiring and a plug for the range hood, so I wouldn't think it would be too expensive to run some wire for lights Doesn't the range hood already have lights. BTW?...See MoreHow to position my round table?
Comments (8)Hi 4eva zx, It's not optimum if you don't want to build a bespoke TV wall/console where I've placed the TV here (suggest that you get something where you can swivel the TV towards the sofa, or slightly extend that wall so the TV can be directly in front of the sofa), but in terms of spatial efficiency, your round table would be better placed like so: This is so that it's near the kitchen and you can use it for meals for more than two people. This placement will also allow you to make this family heirloom a visual focal point and conversation piece for your home. If you ever need to use a bigger table for gatherings with more people, you can simply put a rectangular top onto the round table and seat 6-8 people – the placement provides for space that allows this. Find a good ID or decorator who will work towards incorporating this family heirloom in your new home, and you'll be able to enjoy it for years to come. Hope this helps!...See MoreKathleen Fisher
6 years agoKathleen Fisher
6 years agoWould a smaller angled cabinet/counter idea between small opening and fridge work? Would appreciate input since I'm not a designer, and would like to get opinions prior to driving my designer crazy :D
Kathleen Fisher
6 years agoKathleen Fisher
6 years ago
sheloveslayouts
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
lisa_a
6 years agoI'm puzzled by why you think the decorative painting will be impacted if you widen the kitchen entry. Is it a mural so you'll lose part of the scene? Will a few additional inches make that much difference?
Carefully done, widening the entry shouldn't damage the decorative painting. We widened the hall and DR entries into our kitchen when we remodeled; the molding covered up the rough edges, leaving the rest of the wall intact.
If, however, I'm missing a key detail here, I think you can leave the entry as is but reduce the feeling of crowding the entry by shifting your fridge 3" closer to the range, reducing the drawer base from 36" to 33". That will also make the fridge side of the U line up with the sink side of the U.
The other change I recommend is swapping out base cabinets for drawer bases, except for the corner Susans, that is. Drawers provide much more functional storage.
I'd also square off the upper cabinets on each side. IMO, corner cabinets make a space feel smaller; they intrude into the space more.
You show 3 seats at the peninsula but at 67" and against a wall, it's undersized for 3 seats (minimum of 24" width per person). 3 kids will be fine, 3 adults will be very cozy, 2 adults will fit comfortably.
Incorporating my suggestions and some of what others suggested above:
As suggested above, add windows on each side of the range.
This, of course, will depend on whether you'll have enough storage elsewhere so you can reduce upper cabinet capacity. Tally your items, determine how much storage you need and go from there.
I used blue tape on my counters to determine drawer sizes.
Planning:
Result:
The above drawer is a drawer-within-a-drawer. The top section:
These things used to be on 2 rolls-out trays behind one cabinet door. Drawers allowed me to double my storage cabinet in the same size cabinet.
Kathleen Fisher thanked lisa_alisa_a
6 years agoKathleen Fisher
6 years agolisa_a
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoYou're welcome!
As you consider your storage and what you'll store in the corner Susan, consider whether they can be stored just as easily in drawers and possibly even more efficiently. And then eliminate the corner storage in favor of wider drawers.
You'll need to pay attention to clearances on the runs perpendicular to the range so that the drawers don't hit the range (ranges sit deeper than counters, some more than others). You may need to increase spacers from 3" to 4", possibly a little more, depending on your range.
I considered putting a blind corner cabinet (BCC) on the run adjacent to my sink counter but I opted to ignore the corner storage and go with a drawer base in its place instead. I move the casserole storage intended for the BCC to my island instead and gained the drawer space I really needed here.
If I'd gone with a BCC, I wouldn't have had the top right drawer.
Or the middle right drawer (with room to spare).
Or this bottom drawer:
It was the right decision for me. But only you will know whether a similar decision is right for you. Think it through carefully. Try a few different options. Pick the best one of the lot.
Good luck!
Kathleen Fisher thanked lisa_aKathleen Fisher
6 years agoKathleen Fisher
5 years ago
As requested Steven! I am so pleased that I was able to get an open concept in my small house. I have more room in my kitchen then ever before, including workable floor space! Counter depth fridge was key for that and having the slide in range with hood opens up the feel. I also cut down on sizes for base cabinet sizes to create a larger walk way. The pantry wall and dry bar and icing on the cake for that spacious look and feel. Let me know if you want to see some before pictures!
RedRyder
5 years ago
felizlady
5 years agoKathleen Fisher
5 years ago
lisa_a