Designing the Perfect Kitchen

[Eieio]

When I designed my kitchen I broke some of the sacred rules. I want things where they were accessible to the way I cook.

I don't have a Triangle I have an octagon :grin:

If you had to design the perfect kitchen for yourself, What rules of layout would you break.

What is the one feature that you would have to have in your kitchen.

[Silvertree]

I'd have my wife in the kitchen:grin:

[DavidC]

I'd have my wife in the kitchen:grin:

I hope you realize that she doesn't even have to read that to know you wrote it.

Good Luck
Dave

[DavidC]

My kitchen would be small. A shelf for cold cereal, a dorm fridge for the milk and guest beer, (mines room temp) and a window that dispenses my favorite convenience store menu.

The wife on the other hand has an approximate 1/2 acre layout planned. Or so it seems anyway.

Good Luck
Dave

[JasonW]

Our Kitchen has 38" counter top heights. I'm 6-2 and it helps my back stay straight with higher tops. The island is the normal 36"

[KitchenSync]

:chef: <-- I vote for the private chef, myself.

I did a post on killing the work triangle a while back. If you're interested, I'll provide the link...

[Mike(VA)]

What, we're supposed to go around in circles now? :laugh3:

[KitchenSync]

What, we're supposed to go around in circles now? :laugh3:

:grin: You mean we aren't already? I'm still waiting for my Jetson kitchen and the Acme dehydrated pills...

[Strat HD]

:chef: <-- I vote for the private chef, myself.

I did a post on killing the work triangle a while back. If you're interested, I'll provide the link...

I would like to see that. Breaking the rule's, outside the box. Yeah, bring it on.
Jetson's RULE.

[SLS-Construction]

I thought the triangle idea died awhile ago, now its all about stations & flow

Now walking around 2 islands to get to the fridge - we will have an issue

Kelly - I wouldn't mind the link

[KitchenSync]

This is pretty short, but got people talking. I also caught some flack because I wasn't specific enough - smaller kitchens work best with a triangle. We had some discussion in the comments.

There will be no walking around islands to get to the refrigerator.

http://tinyurl.com/nfch9u

[Silvertree]

:chef: <-- I vote for the private chef, myself.

I did a post on killing the work triangle a while back. If you're interested, I'll provide the link...

I entered a Coty Awards contest for a kitchen I designed. I used what I call a reverse triangle with the L going backwards away from the stove and island.
2 people, a Great Dane and a half bath all in a formerly chopped up area.

The customers loved it so much they insisted I enter the Coty's.

The judges fried me over the "Sacred work triangle"

Did everything right, customer happy, Great Dane had room for her dishes, island worked, corner sink (which I usually try to avoid), all worked and they still love it 3 years later.
Happy, happy happy.
Judges said I broke the rule. Ignored the fact everything else met NKBA guidelines.
Am I bitter? Of course not *&%^#$%^&@*&)@*^&#%!

[KitchenSync]

I entered a Coty Awards contest for a kitchen I designed. I used what I call a reverse triangle with the L going backwards away from the stove and island.

Judges said I broke the rule. Ignored the fact everything else met NKBA guidelines.

Am I bitter? Of course not *&%^#$%^&@*&)@*^&#%!

Ow. I'd be bitter too.

[naptownCr]

my ideal kitchen would a professional range and separate wall oven
clean up and prep sinks, two dishwashers, drawer type each side of sink so I don't have to bend over to get a coctail glass or spork and never have to empty one for clean and one for dirty. A large floor drain with disposal built in and completely water/ hose proof with a sprinkler system to hose everything off so I never had to clean anything and a chef, waitress and bus boy to cook serve and clean up so I didn't have to.

Can anyone get that done for Tree fiddy?

[KitchenSync]

Alright, staying on topic here *cough* :angel:

When I designed my kitchen I broke some of the sacred rules. I want things where they were accessible to the way I cook.

I don't have a Triangle I have an octagon :grin:

If you had to design the perfect kitchen for yourself, What rules of layout would you break.

What is the one feature that you would have to have in your kitchen.


Well, as you can see, the work triangle and I aren't on speaking terms for the larger kitchens.

The one feature I would have in my kitchen? One? That's it?

Integrated refrigeration that looks like a pantry; not the ones that just have cabinetry panels and a big handle so they look still look like a refrigerator but the ones that look like a piece of furniture.

I know they're expensive and a horrible pain to install, but they are gorgeous.

http://tinyurl.com/n9cqfu (via KBB Online and Troy Adams)

http://tinyurl.com/l5vk5c (via Decorati)

[Eieio]

I did this one a few years back. I never liked how the panels fit after 3 or 4 attempts at getting the right ones.

I don't want to hear squat about the space there either, that is how it was designed. I mentioned it 2 times.

345

[ChrWright]

Found this today:
http://blog.howdesign.com/content/binary/idiots.jpg

[testarossa]

I'd have my wife in the kitchen:grin:

:2thumbsup: that was great.. haha

[angel]

Hello,
Nice blog i like it
i don't have any idea abut this

[LivinTheDream]

My (personal) ideal kitchen has a tight relationship between the range and sink on the perimeter walls, with a long, shallow island behind me for spreading stuff out. Lots of windows at the perimieter wall, too, with storage in drawers. A tall furniture-style hutch / pantry on the opposite side of the room. Fridge beside it, with direct access from the sink aisle.

Materials right now are painted cabinets - butter yellow perimeter and island and hutch pieces are (?) - something colorful. Periwinkle or plum. The ceiling is a walnut or sapele wood in a box-beam pattern. Warm white engineered stone counters. Hardwood floors. But the aesthetics change all the time when I find something new to love. :rolleyes3:

[naptownCr]

I did this one a few years back. I never liked how the panels fit after 3 or 4 attempts at getting the right ones.

I don't want to hear squat about the space there either, that is how it was designed. I mentioned it 2 times.

345

At least put a fookin filler in there so we can't see the unpainted and finished drywall behind.

[AdaptMy]

I love thinking about plans for remodeling my kitchen. I've got a particularly tough case, as I am 5'2" and my husband is 6'5! So, ideal for us would almost be two kitchens at two different heights. I'd like a whole lot more lower cabinetry (heck, I can barely reach the second shelf on my top cupboards without a stool) - then my husband can have any upper shelves all to himself! I'd like worksurfaces and perhaps a sink at two different heights. Also, need a higher oven - my husband burned himself pretty bad the other day having to lean all the way over to take something out.

Anyone have experience designing for this type of height-difference situation and have suggestions on how to manage it?

[KitchenSync]

It's not that rare to have couples at different heights, but it's a challenge to give advice without knowing who does what in the kitchen and how you both cook.

For example, if your husband is the only one using the oven, it can be raised to a height that's comfortable for him (between waist and shoulder and I might require full-extension racks) but if you both use the oven, raising it too high would be a danger for you.

Is there room for a working section for you, and a higher one for him? One of the challenges is to not break up the heights throughout the kitchen, but to have blocks of working space --sink and a chopping counter together, for example.

Regarding wall cabinets, that won't change in terms of you reaching the second shelf, sorry. :D (I can barely reach the dishes on the second shelf either.) Is there perhaps anywhere in the kitchen for a one wall cabinet to extend to the counter (allow for a drawer at the bottom so the doors don't sweep the coffee cup or plate off the counter) or a 60"h x 15" d pantry for dish storage/small appliances?

Sometimes it can be helpful to mental walking how you both cook a favorite meal in the existing kitchen and seeing where and how many times you bump into each other. What area is blocking you and can a sink or appliance be relocated?

Also knowing what the two sinks will be used for could be helpful in determining their sizes -- pasta or veggies? Disposals in both? -- which in turn might determine cabinet sizes.

I agree; it's fun. I remember a kitchen my mother designed for a couple similar in heights to you - the husband cooked on the cooktop and the wife baked, so it was easy -- a 2-tiered island with his/her sides, divided areas for sink prep but a common walkway to the refrigerator. Worked well.

[AdaptMy]

Some great information there! I like the idea of the 2-tiered island and also the blocks of workspace. I can imagine breaking up an area into two heights would not look good, nor fit the way you work in the kitchen.

I'm trying to come up with a plan that will handle our kitchen needs as they change over the years. I'm sure that the person doing the cooking/cleaning/prepping will change as situations change in our family and as our children get older.


Sometimes it can be helpful to mental walking how you both cook a favorite meal in the existing kitchen and seeing where and how many times you bump into each other.

I think this is a GREAT idea. We try to recommend this to our customers too, that they cook a meal (or even just boil and egg) while focusing on what parts of the task they are having trouble with. I like the idea of having both me and my husband work at the same time - we're always crashing into each other in the kitchen - it's a real bone of contention at the moment!

[Attics to Basements]

We did a kitchen in St. Paul and moved the fridge into the hallway, I opened up the whole kitchen. The customers love it and solved the problem adding an addition on.