Awkward kitchen.
HU-477105008
3 years ago
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dreamer
3 years agoKate
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Help - renovating awkward and outdated kitchen
Comments (19)Wow! Overwhelmed with all the responses and some great ideas put forward :) I should have probably stated in my first post that I am trying to keep it to a pretty small budget (was thinking of even going down the Ikea route for the cabinetry etc and installing myself). This is because I have spent my life savings on a $810,000AUD house (so don't want to spend more that 15k on renovating I am only 30 years old :)) I do realise I am going to have to spend thousands to get the flooring sorted. Good to hear that you guys think it will be possible to get the wood to match. I am very particular about these things so was thinking not to do it. Responses below in the order they were posted :) Chanop thanks for your help - I think changing the shape of the kitchen to an L or C might have been a good idea when originally designing it but with the middle island already plumbed and with electrics with 2 dishwashers (I will most likely remove one) I think ill just have to stick with it considering my low budget. Is there something wrong with have rangehoods recirculate? Just thought it would be easier as I could do it myself if it wasn't vented outside. I definitely want to get more drawers than cupboards for the lower cabinets - good idea. Was thinking of moving the microwave into the pantry as it has power and we don't use the microwave often anyway. Mrjudsonjames I agree with you on not changing the shape - I really like your idea on moving the sink to the island and i think I will definitely have space if i remove one of the dishwashers that I don't need. Yeah fridge size is definitely an issue with the current space - hadn't thought of storing more food that doesn't need to be refrigerated in a refrigerator - interesting. Fridge wont fit under stairs unfortunately would have been handy - however i plan on having more storage under the stairs (not sure how to execute this yet). Bec - Yep definitely good idea with the sink - am definitely going to try to do get that done :) I'm not really sure what you mean with the half height windows - have you seen an example somewhere you could post? Yep white all the way in this instance - it all feels way too dark at the moment. sstop - not sure whether the wall behind the fridge is load bearing or not might need to get that checked out. However, removing might be a project for the future as I don't have a huge amount of money to spend. Good idea - maybe i will look to see what I would fetch for the freestanding cooker on eBay (it RRPs for around 7K) not sure. I hadn't thought about staggering the joints and this will definitely help - thanks. LouieT - Yeah the layout is a bit of a disappointment - but the terrace house was originally built in the year 1886 originally so definitely going to be some quirks. Yeah I agree on not moving the plumbing going to cost too much. I'm not sure about adding a return as it will enclose the kitchen even more with the bench still there. I want it to have more flow than it currently does. I love the idea of a pendant light! I will definitely have to get one of those over the island - great idea!! dohraime - Yeah as I said to LouiT don't like the idea of removing the island seems like a waste of plumbing and electricity i want to try to make it work even if it's not perfect. Yeah unfortunately the cabinets are of an odd height. Definitely getting new cabinetry to replace them. I am already concerned about not having enough storage so losing those top cabinets to open shelving scares me a little. bissym - WOWWEEE! Your plan really excited me - not sure why when the place was renovated 10 years ago they didn't do it that way would have been WAY better. I am definitely keeping this in mind for phase 2 of my renovations. Not sure how much it would cost to knock down walls etc will get a quote at some point. Now my main focus and problem area - is the kitchen and your plan doesn't effect that area really. Will definitely be ripping of the big curved granite benchtop on the kitchen island as soon as i move in. OK so I hope I didn't forget anyone - and I definitely have got some fantastic ideas from you guys. So my main take home points appear to be currently just trying to sort out the island and fit a sink in it, changing the cabinetry to accommodate a larger fridge, getting floorboards to match and putting up some dangly lights....See MoreSelf opening/closing kitchen cupboards
Comments (23)The main difference between the two choices operationally are: Push catches on handle-less doors and drawers require pushing to open and pushing to close, whilst cupboards with handles (with soft close mechanism), you pull to open and nudge to close and they retract automatically. Push catches win the appearance prize, whilst I think handles with soft close on drawers and doors win the operational prize as they are a little easier to use. A few issues on both sides: Handles are better to grip on big/heavy drawers and doors than knobs. Don't choose handles that have a shaft set in than allows you to catch aprons or clothes on them. A push catch is particularly great for a bin drawer giving you two hands free to carry and dump the rubbish, however push catch drawers often inadvertently open when you lean against them such as near the sink. You also need to push it closed and you may have dirty hands leaving marks on the front of the door. Push catches on drawers need to be pushed in from the middle. People often say their push catches are faulty. It's because they have pushed the drawer in from one side. This causes one of the spring mechanisms (one on each side in the runner) to become disengaged. It is easy to fix by taking out the drawer and sliding in again. For overall appearance, the trend is to have handle-less doors on modern minimalist kitchens. Whatever you choose, don't get little knobs or grips like the one in the pic you posted. These are OK for less trafficked areas, but you will find them very annoyingly difficult to use in a kitchen!...See MoreHelp with small, awkward dining space
Comments (24)Wow, thank you so much everyone for all your brilliant suggestions. We own the place and found a way to remove the bars. Knocking down the wall between kitchen and dining is unfortunately not an option. Combining all your suggestions, will: 1. Go for white walls 2. Look into the built-in bench 3. Have a white or glass oval table with less chairs (no arm ones) 3. Change the wall lighting (and a pendant light?) 4. Mirror across dining area 5. Large artwork on the wall above the bench Will post the finished look here after...See MoreAwkward small kitchen with no windows ... help!
Comments (18)KASSY M idea would be great if you could get the Body Corporate to agree, there's a possibility that Christians apartment is "mirrored" with the next door's entrance beside theirs, which they might also like. This would allow the kitchen to run up to the old entrance with a longer island. My idea for getting extra light into the kitchen during daylight hours is to do what an Italian Architect did and put a highlight window on bed 3 wall (with suitable glass and blind in bedroom) A Japandi ( Scandi/Japanese) style kitchen with barn door ( my rail should be between the door and wall but you will get the idea, Cabinets a mixture of Black and white, timber benchtops?, The end wall is Pantries with 1m fridge space, The 800 x 1600 Island can be configured with draws. The splash back of clear mirror to reflect light, keeping the concrete ceiling and getting a lighting specialist to do the lighting, some will do this at no cost if you purchase the products from them...See MoreHU-477105008
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