Solidifying the Kitchen Plan

 David was home yesterday having a rare days rest, as he is dying unwell with the 'man flu'. It gave us the opportunity to have a lengthy discussion about our kitchen plans in an attempt to firm up the design. 

Which we did. Yay! 

This has meant a few tweaks to the last kitchen post and the ordering of a freestanding range.

The sink will now be sited in the island (I really wanted it on the rear wall) as the flow and function will be improved. Practicality took precedence over aesthetics!

This decision now being considered as definite, we started to seriously consider our cooking options, particularly in relation to that awful 'B' word; budget. We decided to leave the Miele wall mounted oven in the laundry / kitchenette as it will be practical there when entertaining on the lower level. 

The Barazza Abey Lab cooktop (which has been residing on the wish-list forever) has been permanently struck off. *sob. In it's place, we reasoned that for similar outlay, we can buy a 900mm Freestanding Range.

Say hello to our new baby. It hasn't got the one and a half ovens that I would have liked (had a St George one twenty years ago and loved it!) but it has a Tepenyaki plate to soothe the disappointment. It's made by Smeg, a brand I've had no personal experience with, but it looks good and was within budget...

One of the main reasons I was so enamoured with the LAB cooktop was because all components sat totally flush within the benchtop. David thinks he will be able to place the range lower than the benchtop height (planned to be higher than standard), to achieve the same or similar visual effect. Hooray!

my poor rendering of changes and decisions!

Another MAJOR conclusion to our day was to alter the proposed back bench surface material. We had stainless steel in our last house and never really considered anything else for here (we both LOVED it!) but, with the sink re-located, we can still have a seam free surface without custom Stainless steel. Black stone (Composite or Granite) will probably look better with the black joinery (laminate, veneer or two-pac?) and be kinder on the hip pocket. Decision made. Pinterest image of the look we're after below:

The microwave will now be located underbench. Probably on the left hand side of the rear run of joinery. I'm looking into the price of a small combi oven; convection / microwave / grill to augment the big range. It would probably get more use unless we were entertaining!

We did some research into the shallow pantry / office space door options too and after initially considering a sliding mechanism have decided on bi-fold doors for this. They look soooo much better closed and wont impede on the walkway as much as I feared. Mine will be handle-less though with a simple pull or shadow recess to open. Like these:

What isn't resolved in the pictures above is easy corner access so I will have a push-catch, secret panel to open the cupboard space in the corner. Look closely in the image below to see what I'm planning!

Kitchen designed by Minosa Design

Neat, eh? !

There's still two major quandaries.
What splashback material to choose and whether I'll stick to my guns about the dark finish.
EVERYONE is trying to talk me out of it, to go instead the safe white route!
Eeeek!

Stay tuned!

x KL

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 You are very welcome and encouraged to comment, I love receiving feedback!

kitchen thoughts

With the timber floor commitment made HERE, (delivery and installation still to be arranged) my thoughts are onto the next possible project... frustratingly, money for building supplies is not our enemy ATM, but time is. 

Paying someone else to do what David can, when time allows, is money ill spent. So, patience it is.

With this in mind, my thoughts have returned to the kitchen.

I nutted out the plan eons ago and the beautiful B, from B is Building a House, who has sadly evaporated from the blogosphere (please email sweetie if you're still reading!) generously drew some 3D plans to assist in visualisation.

 The design is mostly the same so now I'm on to tweaks and all important details!

These are my current thoughts....

 I am thinking about placing the cook top and sink in-line on the back wall and eliminating the microwave / oven stack. These can be located under counter instead.

I'm currently using an in-line arrangement in our temporary kitchen (the downstairs laundry) and it works well. I'll miss the convenience of a wall mounted oven but this will streamline the back wall. The prominent island will also become devoid of any dish cleaning clutter. The back wall will be topped in stainless steel (LOVED this in our last place) as a heavy duty and practical work surface. I like the idea of a thin edge profile.

I'd like the overhead cupboards to be constructed as long, low units that lift upwards as these images show. I like the horizontal line emphasised, tying into horizontal elements in the house facade.
 I don't want handles.

The Island, being free of the sink, would be a single, large serving area. I'm still holding onto the Cararra or Calacutta dream for this; 20 mm thick and flush with the cabinetry below. (Plain white Ceasarstone is the default option) As it will be 1200 deep, I can have cupboards or drawers on both sides. The outer side, visible from the dining room can be more decorative....maybe something like these:

Again, repeating the horizontal shadow line I 'm fond of.
On the right hand side will be the pantry and home office set up but shallower than originally planned. 450 mm should be adequate.
 I like the concepts in the images below but am not sure how to make the doors work ? Davey will not entertain the use of pocket door either!

Material wise, I would love the rear and right hand side joinery to be constructed with Matt lacquered, quarter sawn, black-stained oak al la my god; Mr Natale but am anticipating this to be out of our budget. Without finding a black-ish textured laminate that's similar, then 5% gloss Dulux Domino 2-pac  polyurethane it will be. The island and fridge joinery will be 5% gloss Dulux Natural White 2-pac too.

Counter tops: Stainless steel rear, Marble Island (fingers crossed)
Floors: Matt Oak.

Appliance wise, I'm in a quandary. I have already bought a sink, Miele dishwasher and oven and integrated Ilve range hood. The oven has been temporarily installed in the laundry but having looked at the price of my preferred cook top, (Barazza Lab, below left) I think I'll leave the oven downstairs and buy a 900 wide Ilve freestanding instead. ? We already have a fridge in situ, so a microwave is the only other appliance needed.

I've posted about the proposed kitchen quite a few times and it has morphed considerably. It can't be installed until the timber floor is laid (which we're waiting to do after the bathrooms and decks are tiled!) so we're still awhile off. I wonder how much of this post will change?
I think I'm starting to lock down all the details though in prep for a green light! Changes are easier done here than regrets when it's built!

 
x KL 

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You are very welcome and encouraged to comment, I love receiving feedback!

if a picture paints a thousand words...

..here is a forty-thousand word essay on 'what we've been doing'!

x KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. 

You are very welcome and encouraged to comment, I love receiving feedback!

'twas not meant to be... *sob*

 After much internal debating and long drawn out discussions with friends and Davey, we decided that the Carrara Marble bench top I found and shared with you HERE, was a go-er IF, upon inspection, we liked its markings / colouration. 

A mini - crane was organised to lift it from it's slumber and .... O.M.G. 

 It broke.

 In two places!

 To consider this as viable, I had to mentally 'get my head round' the concept of a smaller island.

 I did. 

I needed to accept the positioning of the sinks, in the island. 

I had.

Re-designing the front and sides of the island to accommodate this bench top was most challenging.

I succeeded to the point of considering the modified design as advantageous.

 

 And it broke.

 In two places!

And the colour, pattern and honed finish were perfect.

BUT....I didn't cry. (Probably shock...) 

Some things are just not meant to be and after our huge loss last week...

...it's all O.K and in perspective.

x KL

 Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment, I love receiving feedback!

HOUSE PLANS

I am so humbled by the number of comments I received regarding my proposed kitchen. Thank you so much everyone! What a fabulous untapped resource you all are!!!

I've realised that asking for advice when I've only given you half the information is a bit stupid though. Duh!

So to make things a bit more transparent in the future, here's some more deets:

  

 

The house is spread over three levels (we currently live on the ground floor only) and the kitchen is located on the top. The drawings aren't flashy; I did them...but luckily that didn't bother Council! The individual room layout details have changed significantly from those above too!

There are some limited views to the south over Copacabana Beach from the top level and glorious views to the north over the ocean and the coast from Winnie Bay to Norah Head light house. These are seen from the ground floor too. 

As we slowly complete each area we have added or subtracted details.

Many are budget related, others are structural. The vast majority are practical or aesthetic!

For example:

The sliding stacker doors were deleted from the playroom (original plan above) and a single door added for deck access. That west facing wall of glass would have created a hot box! It made furnishing the room easier too.

 I posted pics of the finished playroom HERE an eternity ago!

I also swapped the internal cavity doors to the playroom for a square opening. This gave me more wall space for art (which is in short supply) and saved moolah too!

David decided to add Solar hot water to the house and it's location on the roof required greater structural support. I decided I didn't want to walk up the stairs and see the kitchen floor crud side on, nor did I want to see cooking from the formal lounge so screening this created the additional roof support and screening in one swoop. And more wall space for art!

Sooooo....the kitchen area now looks like this; the fridge is plumbed and in situ (though can be pushed further back) and the whole area waiting for joinery (currently filled with stored 'stuff', like the dishwasher, out of warranty now, in that big carton!)

The rear kitchen wall with 'splasback' window

LHS of kitchen where fridge is 'hidden'!

View from proposed kitchen island over dining room and David and his 'temporary' office!

I hope this post clarifies the direction we are heading at a snail's pace!

I might post a quick series of room plans showing the changes we've made and pop the latest and most up-to-date plans / progress in a separate 'Current Project' list on the right sidebar. It'll make an easy reference for me too!!! LOL!

x KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment. I love receiving feedback! I also love watching a new pretty picture box added to my followers - would love you to join me so I can get to know you too!

More Kitchen Decisions....

I have these wonderful 3D renderings of our proposed kitchen to share thanks to B, from B is Building a House. She so patiently drew them for me even after we discovered (several times) that the measurements I was supplying her were incorrect. Oooops!

It has been a fascinating experience. I'm pretty good as 'visualising' a space but to see it drawn accurately and to scale is something else! The kitchen window is smaller than I perceived it to be, as is the open appliance area. David dislikes my 'hidden' desk area and the island is significantly shorter in length. Eeeek!

The up stand idea has been definitely eliminated, however the sink location is still undecided.

And I'm being strongly swayed towards providing some at-island seating thanks to your wonderful suggestions and feedback.

So much more to still consider!

Thank you again B for your generous time in compiling these illustrations for us!

x KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment. I love receiving feedback! I also love watching a new pretty picture box added to my followers - would love you to join me so I can get to know you too!

Kitchen Island Debate. Yes or No?

After the near purchase at Grand Designs posted HERE,  I've been mentally debating with myself about my realistic kitchen island options.

Option 1: Standard island with or without sink

Option 2: Screened island with sink

The Floorplan:

The Kitchen will be located in a 7000 x 3000 mm space

The Facts:

There is a 3400 mm 'splashback' (ADDENDUM: 4000 mm! Oops!) window where the 'Sink ?' and 'Cooktop' are marked on plan. The sink position is flexible. Currently we've got plumbing to the island area but David can have it relocated to be in line with the cook top on the back bench relatively easily. But then, do I move the dishwasher back too or leave it in the island? The cook top can be where marked on plan or centred if the sink stays in island. I do not want stools in front of the island.

The only dinning area in our home will be directly in front of this island and I don't want guests seeing dirty dishes stacked here so the style of island will determine the sink location. I've been weighing in favour of the upstand for awhile now, eliminating the need for the plumbing relocation but the photos above, found recently on Ideas To Steal have me re-thinking.

The photos above are of a bar in Helsinki and for the first time, I think I've found pictures so similar to my vision but have illustrated what I don't want. Interesting. The photo's below illustrate the two possible choices for the island (though mine won't be as long as these)

Have you got a sink in an island? 

What are your thoughts about screened islands?

Can a sink and dishwasher be on opposite sides of a galley?
Any input, ideas and suggestions will be gratefully received!

x KL

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment. I love receiving feedback! I also love watching a new pretty picture box added to my followers - would love you to join me so I can get to know you too!