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I cant really tell but in the first photo, what is on the wall behind the silver pot? I see you have a door by the stove. I do not know if I would swap the appliances. I would put the stove to the left and maybe keep the fridge where its at? Do a triangle set up. My last house had a small kitchen like this, I did not do an island or table (we had a dining room also). I wanted the kitchen to be as open as possible.
Behind the silver pot is the laundry room doorway, but he's thought about opening it up on the other side (apparently where the doorway use to be) Of course if we put the refrigerator there we'd have to figure out if we were gonna make the laundry room smaller so that way the fridge won't stick out as far? Or if in time we get one of those fridges that aren't extremely deep and then we won't have to worry about it sticking out in the room as much. The laundry room's 6 feet wide by 8 feet long. Yes the door by the stove is the back door. Yea I was worried about the fridge maybe being too big to put where the stove is currently. Yea I want the kitchen to be as open as possible too, I just wasn't sure how many people would prefer some sort of eat-in kitchen and dining, or if they'd prefer the open space.
Behind the silver pot is the laundry room doorway, but he's thought about opening it up on the other side (apparently where the doorway use to be) Of course if we put the refrigerator there we'd have to figure out if we were gonna make the laundry room smaller so that way the fridge won't stick out as far? Or if in time we get one of those fridges that aren't extremely deep and then we won't have to worry about it sticking out in the room as much. The laundry room's 6 feet wide by 8 feet long. Yes the door by the stove is the back door. Yea I was worried about the fridge maybe being too big to put where the stove is currently. Yea I want the kitchen to be as open as possible too, I just wasn't sure how many people would prefer some sort of eat-in kitchen and dining, or if they'd prefer the open space.
Making the laundry room a tad smaller so you can recess the fridge a bit is a really good idea, so is moving the door if that is an option. Small kitchens are a challenge but do bring out the creativity. Counter depth fridges are a really good option as well, just be mindful that they can be pretty expensive (I was shocked by the price difference when I was looking). I am not keen on putting large appliances by a door. Coming in with groceries might be a challenge if a fridge is right there.
Purchase some graph paper and experiment with drawing out the kitchen several different ways. Not sure where you are located but if you have an IKEA by you, they have great solutions for small kitchens. Also you can go to their website, download a program for free and its a mini CAD program for graphing out kitchens. Its pretty fun.
In terms of re sale value (which I am assuming you are concerned about regarding what others would prefer) try to make the space open and create a lay out that makes sense (the worker triangle if possible). Also try to go for standard sized appliances. A apartment sized stove screams the kitchen is small. Your kitchen is too small to be an eat-in unless there is more space off in a corner I am not seeing. Just remember you can not please everyone. Older homes were built with different lifestyles than today. If you have a good sized dining room, then your covered regarding an eating area. I have owned several homes and some of them had eat in kitchens, some had just a dining room. I liked both set ups. The dining room just felt a little more elegant on holidays (no mess in the kitchen to look at). When I sold my house that had the small kitchen, the biggest complaint I got from future buyers was that we did not have a dishwasher (I never had one before so it was not a big deal for me). We decided to leave it out of our design so I could have a drawer pack for more storage. I was shocked that it was a deal breaker for a lot of people. So I would incorporate one for sure in your design.
Is that a normal counter depth for kitchens in Australia? If not, I say put in deeper cabinets and eliminate the peninsula entirely.
I'd put the stove center on the wall where the refrigerator is currently located, and I'd move the refrigerator to the wall where the peninsula is currently located.
Making the laundry room a tad smaller so you can recess the fridge a bit is a really good idea, so is moving the door if that is an option. Small kitchens are a challenge but do bring out the creativity. Counter depth fridges are a really good option as well, just be mindful that they can be pretty expensive (I was shocked by the price difference when I was looking). I am not keen on putting large appliances by a door. Coming in with groceries might be a challenge if a fridge is right there.
Purchase some graph paper and experiment with drawing out the kitchen several different ways. Not sure where you are located but if you have an IKEA by you, they have great solutions for small kitchens. Also you can go to their website, download a program for free and its a mini CAD program for graphing out kitchens. Its pretty fun.
In terms of re sale value (which I am assuming you are concerned about regarding what others would prefer) try to make the space open and create a lay out that makes sense (the worker triangle if possible). Also try to go for standard sized appliances. A apartment sized stove screams the kitchen is small. Your kitchen is too small to be an eat-in unless there is more space off in a corner I am not seeing. Just remember you can not please everyone. Older homes were built with different lifestyles than today. If you have a good sized dining room, then your covered regarding an eating area. I have owned several homes and some of them had eat in kitchens, some had just a dining room. I liked both set ups. The dining room just felt a little more elegant on holidays (no mess in the kitchen to look at). When I sold my house that had the small kitchen, the biggest complaint I got from future buyers was that we did not have a dishwasher (I never had one before so it was not a big deal for me). We decided to leave it out of our design so I could have a drawer pack for more storage. I was shocked that it was a deal breaker for a lot of people. So I would incorporate one for sure in your design.
Thank you Yea he's wanting to put the laundry room doorway back where it use to be, on the wall opposite of where it is now. Oh ok wow I didn't know that fridges like that would cost more. Na the fridge wasn't gonna be as soon as you come in the room it'd be where the current laundry room door is which is further back. The peninsula is what's in the way. Hmm interesting I'll have to check out the IKEA website for that graphing then. Yea all those appliances in the house were already there when he bought it. Definitely going to buy new ones though, when we can afford it. One of the other replies said to extend the counter where the stove is, but I am wanting a dishwasher and where the stove is is the best spot for it.
Thank you Yea he's wanting to put the laundry room doorway back where it use to be, on the wall opposite of where it is now. Oh ok wow I didn't know that fridges like that would cost more. Na the fridge wasn't gonna be as soon as you come in the room it'd be where the current laundry room door is which is further back. The peninsula is what's in the way. Hmm interesting I'll have to check out the IKEA website for that graphing then. Yea all those appliances in the house were already there when he bought it. Definitely going to buy new ones though, when we can afford it. One of the other replies said to extend the counter where the stove is, but I am wanting a dishwasher and where the stove is is the best spot for it.
Sounds like you got a good plan already. Another poster mentioned you might live in Australia. If so, sorry my appliance advice is probably off. In the U.S. newer fridges are a lot deeper than older ones. So we had the issue of the fridge sticking out too much. The counter depth ones were pretty expensive, so we made it work with a less expensive fridge. Good luck on your kitchen reno!
My advice would be that, if you can't spend $20,000-$25,000 on a complete re-model (including new flooring, tiling etc), any minor changes you make won't add any $ value to the home. Here in Australia, the majority of home buyers either want a decent, modern kitchen or they want a fixer-upper so they can design their own dream kitchen.
If you plan to live in the home for some years, of course you should spend whatever you can afford to make the kitchen more workable for you. But if you plan to sell sooner rather than later, nothing but a complete remodel will add value.
Same goes for bathrooms.
Having said that, you can sometimes obtain new cabinets etc., very cheaply from people selling off their old kitchen cabinets (which in most cases would be more modern than the ones you have)! Check local newspaper ads for an idea of prices. Sometimes you can get them for nothing if you agree to dismantle and take them away!
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Counter depth fridges are a really good option as well, just be mindful that they can be pretty expensive (I was shocked by the price difference when I was looking). I am not keen on putting large appliances by a door. Coming in with groceries might be a challenge if a fridge is right there.
I have owned several homes and some of them had eat in kitchens, some had just a dining room. I liked both set ups. The dining room just felt a little more elegant on holidays (no mess in the kitchen to look at). When I sold my house that had the small kitchen, the biggest complaint I got from future buyers was that we did not have a dishwasher (I never had one before so it was not a big deal for me). We decided to leave it out of our design so I could have a drawer pack for more storage. I was shocked that it was a deal breaker for a lot of people. So I would incorporate one for sure in your design.
