A few weeks in the past, I shared what I’d do with the breakfast room (after we construct our addition) if I may do no matter I wished with no constraints. You can read about that here, however the very brief model is that I’d double the dimensions of my kitchen, increasing it into the breakfast room and shifting the sink in entrance of the home windows within the breakfast room.
There’s in all probability no manner that may ever occur, however as I’ve been interested by how I need to use this house as soon as now we have our addition completed, I believe I could have give you a method to maximize this house with out doing a significant ground plan shift.
Let me again up and clarify a number of issues.
First, the entire thought of adjusting something in my kitchen took place some time again as a result of I desperately need to eliminate my concrete counter tops. They’ve lengthy outlived their welcome (I’m so bored with combating stains), and I need quartz counter tops a lot that I dream about them.
However I’ll be actually sincere with you right here. I don’t see any manner that these concrete counter tops may be eliminated with out destroying the cupboards. It’s not like they had been poured elsewhere, after which moved into place like every other strong floor and easily glued all the way down to the cupboards.
No, these aren’t glued down. The concrete board was screwed into the cupboards, then the sting kinds had been screwed on, after which the concrete was poured in place. You can read all about that process here.
So it’s not like I can simply unscrew one thing and transfer the counter tops out. No, these screws are buried beneath concrete. I can’t even think about that they are often eliminated with out destroying the cupboards.
With that realization, I’ve resolved myself to the truth that if I ever need to get new counter tops, it’s going to in all probability contain getting new cupboards as nicely. Whereas it’s a bummer, I’m not too unhappy about that, both. The cupboards I’ve are low-cost (it was all we may afford a decade in the past), and a few of them are so slim that they gained’t even maintain a dinner plate. I’ve made essentially the most of them, and I’ve had enjoyable including my very own group to those plain inventory cupboards, however I gained’t cry about eliminating them.
So the entire thought of redoing the kitchen is one thing I resolved myself to a very long time in the past. That’s why I’ve felt the liberty to mess around with concepts like including a passthrough from the kitchen to the brand new household room, which might require all new cupboards, new counter tops, and so on. Since this stuff appear inevitable, I could as nicely dream about precisely how I need it to look and performance.
So I began off with the concept of a full opening between the 2 rooms…
After which that developed into this concept with a passthrough between the 2 rooms with “pocket home windows” in order that the rooms may be closed to one another when the passthrough isn’t wanted. A reader did this wonderful mockup for me.
Anyway, our kitchen could be very small. It seems to be and feels open because of the cased openings I added to the kitchen, however the precise room is one thing like 9.5′ x 14′. The cupboards and drawers which can be really within the kitchen maintain issues like pots and pans, skillets, spices, cooking utensils, cooking oils, cups and consuming glasses, plates and bowls, consuming utensils, plastic wrap and foil, and so on.
Do you discover what’s lacking from that checklist? FOOD! Now you would possibly assume that the meals goes in our pantry, proper? Unsuitable. The pantry does maintain our upright freezer, the place I retailer meat and Cooper’s meals. However the remainder of the storage is crammed with issues that I don’t need to eliminate, however I don’t use usually sufficient to maintain within the precise kitchen — meals dehydrator, juicer, Immediate Pot, meat grinder, air fryer, giant soup pots, baking pans, and on, and on. However there’s no meals in there.
So the place do I retailer the dry meals, canned meals, and so on? Proper right here in these cupboards on the breakfast room aspect of the peninsula.
To say that it’s not handy can be an understatement. It’s a really small space again there behind the chairs, so when Matt is definitely sitting in his chair and reclining whereas I’m cooking, it may be an actual ache.
I’ve determined that I’m not going to maintain this as a sitting room. I need to flip it again right into a breakfast room, however even with a desk and chairs there as a substitute of recliners, it’s simply not handy to have our meals pantry in that space.
However I’ve come to understand that I don’t want an entire kitchen enlargement with main reworking like shifting water traces to the room with the concrete slab basis, which might additionally require messing up quite a lot of the hardwood ground. All that I would like is a extra environment friendly space for a meals pantry.
So now my thought is that I can take away the cupboards on the again of the peninsula and create an precise bar with bar stools there. I believe that space will match 4 barstools. After which I can add cupboards right here to make use of as a meals pantry. That may be a lot extra handy!
I really like these areas on both aspect of the walk-in pantry, with the lovable lights, the colourful paintings, and the bench. However these benches are by no means used, so proper now, that is simply wasted house.
And if I’ve wasted house sitting proper subsequent to a kitchen the place I don’t have sufficient storage, it might make a lot extra sense so as to add a pantry right here!
And I wouldn’t simply do it on one aspect. Y’all learn about my want for symmetry, so if I add a pantry on one aspect of the walk-in pantry, then I’d need to have the identical on the opposite aspect.
So the present walk-in pantry (which now not has these French doorways as a result of I used those here) can be flanked with cupboards.
They’d be the identical cupboards I exploit within the kitchen, painted the identical colour because the kitchen cupboards, so it might simply appear to be a continuation of the kitchen. No structural modifications wanted.
And there’s additionally the potential for including the identical decrease cupboards to this wall as nicely. As of proper now, I wouldn’t need to change the cabinets or TV. Since these are above countertop peak, I believe they will keep. I really like the colour they add.
As a lot as I’d miss the colour that the paintings, pillows, and credenza add to the present sitting room…
I simply hold envisioning what it might appear to be to show this entire space into an eat-in kitchen with a great deal of helpful pantry storage, and with cabinetry persevering with into the present sitting room to create the look of an enormous kitchen with out really spending the 1000’s of {dollars} it might take to alter the format fully. I can envision the cupboards flanking the present walk-in pantry, and I believe it might look nice!
I’m fairly enthusiastic about this concept. It feels much more peaceable to me than doing one other large transform that may require tearing up the flooring and the concrete basis. And whereas I’d love to have the ability to stand at my sink and look out of these home windows, I additionally actually like that my present sink faces the TV, and can, sooner or later, face the small breakfast desk and chairs. That manner if somebody is sitting there, I can simply converse with them as a substitute of getting my again to them like I’d if my sink was on the home windows.
So these are my newest ideas. I completely love considering by the varied plans and potentialities, and dreaming about learn how to use these areas. And it might take me a number of extra tries earlier than I land on the right kitchen plan, however as of this second, that is my favourite thought thus far.
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I transform and embellish the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.
