Kitchen Adjustments (As Half Of Our Addition)

Proper after I completed writing yesterday’s put up about my probability assembly with the challenge supervisor who oversaw our garage-to-studio conversion within the Residence Depot car parking zone, I received a telephone name from one of many three contractors that I had referred to as earlier within the week about our addition. I’ll be assembly with him this morning. So naturally, whereas I used to be working within the studio yesterday (and making some actually encouraging progress that I’ll share on Monday), my thoughts was spinning with the totally different concepts I’ve had for the addition, the data that I wish to make sure to inform him, and so forth.

One factor that I nearly forgot about is the kitchen. I’ve weighed a number of totally different choices for the kitchen over time that I’ve been considering and planning for this addition, every thing from leaving it simply as it’s to making a cased opening on the wall between the kitchen and the place the long run household/media room will likely be.

The wall in query is that this wall of cupboards. The brand new household/media room will likely be simply on the opposite aspect of this wall. (Sorry, that is an older image.)

I feel the final time I shared about my ideas about this wall and the way it could be affected by the addition, I had envisioned one thing like this actually unhealthy mock up I did final December. 😀

However since sharing that, so many individuals have cautioned me about having the kitchen so huge open to so many totally different rooms of the home. It cuts down on beneficial storage areas, however it could additionally remove any privateness within the household/media room as a result of there could be a straight line of sight from the road, by the entrance front room, by the kitchen, and into the household room. Through the day, that’s not an issue. However at evening, if I’m in there watching TV, I’d actually choose some privateness. (I by no means shut the blinds on our home windows, and I don’t plan on beginning that sooner or later.)

So I’ve been making an attempt to concentrate. First, I’ve been making an attempt to concentrate to how we actually use our house, and the way the brand new household/media room may change issues. And second, I’ve tried to concentrate and be looking out for an concept that might meet all of these (new) wants.

We host a gaggle from our church each Wednesday evening, and that group has been as much as about 17 folks. As soon as we have now this new room, I’ve little question we’ll meet in there as an alternative of the entrance front room for the reason that new room will likely be greater and (hopefully) extra snug. And we eat a meal collectively each time we collect, so the kitchen may be very a lot part of that gathering. Due to that, I actually would love for the kitchen and the brand new household room to be open to one another ultimately.

So I’ve been looking out for an concept that may (1) permit the kitchen and household room to be open to one another, (2) permit me to maintain as a lot storage as doable within the kitchen, and (3) permit for privateness at evening.

Properly, a couple of months in the past, I got here throughout what I imagine to be the proper resolution. I occurred upon this stunning design from Wilcon, Inc.

After all, that may be a passthrough from a kitchen to a eating room, and mine could be from the kitchen to a household/media room. However what struck me (and what I had by no means even thought-about earlier than) was placing storage on either side! A great deal of household rooms have built-in storage, so I couldn’t solely make the most of all the width of decrease cupboard area on the kitchen aspect, in addition to have two floor-to-ceiling peak cupboards on every finish of that wall within the kitchen aspect, however I might additionally add storage on the bottom (i.e., the household room aspect).

So what about that privateness I needed? Properly, I’m pondering that I might add some pocket doorways (half-doors, actually) behind the cupboards on the kitchen aspect and re-create an identical look that I’ve within the music room, which is true subsequent door to the kitchen.

Besides as an alternative of getting full-length doorways and a walkthrough like within the music room, the kitchen would have half-length pocket doorways (pocket window?) and a passthrough with a full width of decrease cupboards beneath.

In order of proper now, that’s the plan. And it’s been the plan for a couple of months now. I didn’t wish to share it earlier as a result of (1) the addition wasn’t actually on our radar on the time, and (2) I needed a while to ruminate on this plan with out the confusion of a whole lot of outdoors enter. However the extra I give it some thought, the extra I like it!

Right here’s a extremely horrible mock up of what this sort of passthrough would appear to be on the again wall of our kitchen…

After all, no kitchen cupboards of mine would ever be white. And I don’t have the slightest clue about learn how to mock up these pocket doorways that might give privateness at evening. So that you’ll have to make use of your creativeness there. 😀

UPDATE: A reader who’s far more proficient than I’m at doing mock ups despatched me this. It’s just about precisely what I had in thoughts! (Thanks, Chris!!) The left exhibits what it would appear to be with glass-front cupboards, and the appropriate with solid-front cupboards. I like it each methods, in order that will likely be a troublesome choice.

Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and adorn 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 the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You possibly can be taught extra about me right here.