Having lived in this kitchen for a couple of years, I know what is working for me and what isn't. We moved to this house from a much larger home with storage galore, so naturally, not everything fits. Most of my cake decorating supplies had to be stored away in the garage. While I'd love to get those back inside, that probably won't happen in this home. Realistically, I'd love to not feel like everything is "crammed" in.
If I were to expand this kitchen, now would be the time. Unfortunately, our kitchen is "landlocked" so to speak. Behind the stovetop wall is a small dining room which we actually use. It also has a large window, so not much would be gained there. Behind the refrigerator wall is our living room. Nothing to be gained there either unless we wanted to open it up, but I don't want to loose the valuable storage that wall creates. Plus, we're open enough in the direction looking out over the peninsula to another living space. Believe it or not, I think there is such a thing as a space being "too open".
The easiest way to expand would be by the peninsula (I'd love to at least have seating there), but that is our door that opens to the back yard. It could theoretically be moved, but on the other side of that is our electrical panel. Sigh... Pushing into the backyard is just more than we want to spend. So, I'm left with the existing footprint to work with. The upshot is we don't have to spend money on floors! With careful design, the cabinets should fall in exactly the same places. This means custom cabinets or creative fillers and careful attention to the toe kicks. (Those who know me know what I'll pick.) It also means I anticipate some problems with the cabinets going in. Anytime I start a project, I'm constantly trying to predict and mitigate all the issues that may come up in order to minimize them!
I've accepted that the kitchen can't be expanded. However, with some creativity, there are ways to maximize this space and gain storage. One way is to go up. We have vaulted ceilings so I can go higher and store items that aren't used often can be stored up high. Another way is with a lot of creative organization within the cabinets. Every space needs to be maximized and accessible. There are a lot of kitchen accessories out there to help solve organizational problems, but not all are made for these size cabinets and challenges. I anticipate some will look cool and nice but some will just be "practical". For inside cabinets, I'm ok with just practical. Of course all of this organization will increase cost, but this is one area I think the expense will be worth it to me. Just like my clients, I'll have to pick and choose where I want to put our money. The hardest part is knowing everything that is out there and narrowing it down!
Two of my favorites are knife drawers and magic corners! Here are some pics of those. You can click on the images to look them up.
Since one of the goals of tracking this remodel with my blog is to give a realistic view of what goes into a remodel, I should mention that I started working on the CAD designs for the cabinets last spring, so about 6 months ago. It took me a few iterations and a few weeks to do the CAD work. Then another week going over each piece of wood with the cabinet company. The first step is to get a good working design before any finishes are picked out. Ordering and having the cabinets built takes the longest, so that has to be completed first. Then, as you are waiting on cabinets, you can start picking out and ordering things like the faucet, sink, hardware, countertops, lighting, plumbing, and organization items (although there should already be a list going because you need to make sure everything fits inside the cabinets). If you are replacing appliances, those need to be chosen before ordering the cabinets as they influence the design. In our case, we are keeping the appliances we have since we replaced them when we moved in.
Up next: The cabinet design, organizational products, and selecting a cabinet maker!
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