Should I remove this wall, or will it make the floor plan too open? (how much, sofas)
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In our new remodel, I will be putting my pot rack back into use. I hate having to "un-nest" my pots and pans in order to use them. Of course, I use a whole lot of cast iron and it can be pretty heavy.
I eliminated the "unnesting" problem by covering the wall at the landing of my basement stairs with pegboard. (The door to the basement is in my kitchen.)
All of my pots, pans and skillets hang individually on their own hooks. They are out of sight but easy to access.
I would take that wall down in a heartbeat - there is nothing attractive about it - open it all up and redo the whole ceiling....save up and have someone come and do it for you or learn how to do it yourself...in the end, you'll be happier.
I eliminated the "unnesting" problem by covering the wall at the landing of my basement stairs with pegboard. (The door to the basement is in my kitchen.)
All of my pots, pans and skillets hang individually on their own hooks. They are out of sight but easy to access.
I'm considering some pegboard & hooks for some of my utensils, but the darn cast iron stuff is far too heavy for pegboard. I don't mind nesting my assortment of stew pots, but my cast iron I like to keep hanging. I love, love, love the idea of pegboard panels on some of the ends of a few cabinets, so believe me....I WILL be going with that idea. LOL
I am a very "at my fingertips/within reach" sort of cook. We are currently changing our kitchen, enlarging it from a whopping, but extremely functional and roomy 13'9" x 12'2" space, to a 13'9' x 23' 6" space. We were fortunate enough to have a full wall which was dedicated to floor to ceiling storage as well as the fridge & hot/cold water dispenser and the kitchen had a "backward G" layout. Again, extremely functional, even at such a small size.
After the fire, we've made the decision to take over the neighboring room, having acquired a lovely 30" double-wall oven and cooktop to replace our destroyed range. The new layout will not only enable us to have a dine-in kitchen, a floor-to-ceiling corner pantry, but also have a 12'9" x 6' (L-shaped) work area which is solely dedicated to "baking' we do around here.
Although not without its drawbacks, I have found homestyler.com to be a pretty darn good online designing tool.....just in case someone other than me hasn't used it yet. LOL
If this were my home I would keep the wall. I would enlarge the island so it actually is useful, add some seating on the end of the island, maybe round the end so you can have a lot of seating and minimal floor space taken up so it would be sort of this shape o=== (if you understand that ).
I like the openness of the room even with the wall, your kitchen is still "hidden" from the main house, but you can still interact with people in the living room.
If this were my home I would keep the wall. I would enlarge the island so it actually is useful, add some seating on the end of the island, maybe round the end so you can have a lot of seating and minimal floor space taken up so it would be sort of this shape o=== (if you understand that ).
I like the openness of the room even with the wall, your kitchen is still "hidden" from the main house, but you can still interact with people in the living room.
I agree...that wall, as it is, is completely non-utilized space. I don't think the wall should go, just the puny little catch-all bar that's tacked to it.
Based on the photo provided...
I suspect that if that wall could be eliminated (practically) the previous remodel would have done so.
(wiring, duct work, load bearing aspects etc)
I dislike completely open kitchens.
I dislike pass thrus, they seem so dated.
I dislike islands in small kitchens.
If it were me and I had the budget I'd get rid of the island and put some counters into the area where the bar stools are. Move the bar stools to the other side and use columns or upper cabinets for a look that's more open but still defined. Something along this general idea. http://_1373.JPG
Kitchen | Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/claytonhomes/4581941380/ - broken link) http:///Kitchen.jpg http://kitchen02.jpg
Thanks for all the great insights and suggestions everyone. I've shared this thread with my wife and we've now got some things to think about and discuss. Unfortunately, the presence of the door to the breezeway/garage complicates things, as some of you have pointed out.
I did temporarily remove the bar and bar stools a few minutes ago, so we at least got to see what it looks like without it. We both agreed it was a welcome change.
If anyone else has any further thoughts or advice, please pass it on. The builder won't be here to begin the other remodeling work until at least mid-November, so we've got some time to think about it.
...As for the wall, the entire span of the house is covered by trusses, so no walls are load-bearing.
Oh, contraire-
Just because it's a truss roof design doesn't mean it was designed to span the entire depth or width of the house. Hardly ever, is that the case- especially when they're 2X4 trusses- 24" o/c. Which, if I were a betting man you have(?)
The only way I would proceed would be with a structural engineer assessing the situation.
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