Design Crew
Sat, 21 Feb 2015
Got a problem? Need some help? Just standing there shaking your head? Don't know what to do? You're not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you .... that's you lot ... the readers! Hop to it. I know you have just the right solution. This week's email is from Sharon.
I'm stuck. I need help with my kitchen. I just don't know what to do with my stove area. I bought the house with this kitchen as it is. There was an crappy stove in the old alcove where the original old fashioned wood or gas stove would have been with just a small cupboard and an open space. I put in a new oven and I have the cooktop to go in once I figure out what I'm doing.
That's a storage cupboard to the right of the stove area and I can't use it with this set up but I don't have anywhere else I can put my dishwasher. I need to put some sort of counter top or storage in there to hide the saucepans. And while I'm at it what do I do with that big open space in the middle of the room. I'm thinking of painting the cupboards as well.
Help me please! I'm so confused I'm just ignoring it all. P.S. As a single working mum I really can't spend much money. $1000 maybe.
Reader Comments (15)
My dear,
You have a great space, just need some love and care, and you will not need much money to organize and restyle your kitchen.:
Going on parts:
1 - in midle of the kitchen you have space for mall island for your stove and oven, and at the same time place to roder your soucepans.
2 - live the space where you have your dishwasher free moving it for the space where is your stove at this moment, its easy to do and you will free the cupboard you can not use at the moment. All that free space will be great to feed your pets.. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/a1/05/c2/a105c29fe7ad47884b448b8fac71d08e.jpg
3 - for the breakfast, that space cry out for a round table. http://decoratingfiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/BreakfastNook2.jpg
http://img.mdfyw.com/images/bleuepiece.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/breakfast-nook-decor-pd.jpg
http://img1.southernliving.timeinc.net/sites/default/files/image/2009/07/style-secrets/boothby-breakfast-nook-l.jpg
http://casadiez.elle.es/var/plain_site/storage/images/decoracion_interiores/cocinas_office/distribuir_la_cocina/ambientes_cocina_madera/cocina_03/87835-1-esl-ES/cocina_03_reference.jpg
http://decoradoras.decocasa.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/cocina-2.jpg
here some ideas:
http://www.blogdoluxo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/17Cozinha-equipada-com-bancadas-em-granito-cinza-ilha-com-fog%C3%A3o-embutido-e-coifa.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6yFxzHXcBSY/TzPogkQxnNI/AAAAAAAAANg/epDXeyZo2M4/s1600/Untitled2.jpg
http://www.filhao.com.br/produtos/imagens/2635-det-ilha-de-cozinha-itatiaia-jazz-madeira-p-cooktop-4-bocas.jpg
http://www.ligadanasdicas.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/balc%C3%A3o-para-cooktop.jpg
Start by having your cooktop installed above the oven, move the dishwasher far enough to the left so you can use the cupboard, consider removing the cupboard door so it's at least usable in the meantime. Have two deep drawers installed between the oven and dishwasher. Move the dining table to the centre of the kitchen to use as a work space, with just a chair or two for company while you cook. Buy a secondhand round table to put where the table is now. Remove that corner shelf where the shopping bags are and put a narrow piece of furniture or pot plant there. Buy a few more hooks to utilise the pot rack more, I com for a living and the more you can hang the better. Less bending. A utensil rail above the cooktop would be handy. Just a few quick fixes that will help it function better.
First of all, get ride of all that clutter! throw away everything that you haven't used in the last six months or it's ugly or broken, use the cabinets with non-glass doors to hide everything else, remove de wood rectangle with the hanging pots and that box in the corner (next to the pet's bowls). Clear the table and burn both shades.
Next, paint the walls, upper cabinets, and shelf over the sink (I'll go with white, at least the first time), remove de pantry door (maybe install a bi-fold or accordion door?) and paint the inside as well.
Move the table to the center of the room, if you are not attached to the wood chairs, sell them and get two more aluminium ones (or sell the armchair and get another one like the wood one in the corner).
Get an electrician to install some lights (one above the stove, another in the space where the table currently is), perhaps lower the one in the middle of the room? Use some easy to clean ones.
About the stove area, you could get new countertops for the entire kitchen (I don't know how expensive is where you live, I'm from another country), or get one to match the rest of them, butcher's block may be nice. You could sew a simple white curtain for the space between the oven and the dishwasher.
I would get rid of that hanging contraption with the pots as well as the broken cupboard/pet feeding area under it to the right. Then I would put up a wall and turn the area where your stove and dishwasher is into a small room/storage space. You can leave the dish washer in there, put all the stuff you're not sure about keeping or throwing there and eventually put up some storage shelves for things you use, but very seldom.
Then, put your stove and oven against that new wall, bring your table into the middle of the room. Maybe the corner of the old eating area can be the new pet feeding place?
Live with that for a while before deciding on painting, and, as Daniela said, get rid of clutter, With your new storage space that might be easier to do
The thing that strikes me first about this kitchen is how the stove cooking area is bizarrely separate from the rest of the kitchen. If you want to be technical, the stove is actually in another room! That's got to be the most inconvenient cooking arrangement I've seen in a kitchen in a long time. No wonder you feel at wits end. I think Iris had the best idea with having a kitchen island - to use all of that empty space in the middle of the kitchen - and put a stove/cooktop there. That seems like the place that the cooking area should be in. Close to your cupboards and countertops so that prepping and cooking are easy and enjoyable. Of course moving the stove to the middle of the room and putting in gas or electric lines is going to cost a lot more than $1000 dollars.
Though everyone frequenting this blog is obviously concerned with design elements, a kitchen needs to be functional as well. Before you spend $1000 on a cosmetic makeover you need to ask yourself if you are truly happy with the practical setup (or at least willing to live with it until the next time you move) otherwise you'll end up spending a lot of money and still being unhappy with the results.
That said, I think the solution you're looking for is to make the cooking area look like a cohesive part of the rest of the kitchen. Right now it looks like an aferthought. Like an added on laundryroom, especially since you've kept the rest of the kitchen relatively neat and tidy and pushed all of the 'mess' into the stove area. You're first job, clean up that mess! All those things sitting out, find a place for them and put them away. It will help you see the space better and see what you want to change. I notice that the cupboards in the kitchen are all this nice paneled dark wood, while in the stove nook the cupboards are some sort of makeshift pressboard? contraptions with no fronts or doors. That taller stand to the right of the nook has no sides or doors. I say get rid of all of that. Put in a good stove/cooktop setup. I think it would have been better if you had bought those two at the same time or at least considered how they would work together at the same time rather than buying and installing one and then leaving it to think about how the cooktop would fit in later. After you consider you're cooktop, you may decide you would prefer to change your stove.
I would also consider moving your dishwasher closer to the stove, as right now it seems to be blocking the door on the right by a few inches. That's not a good idea for either form or function. Same thing with that stand to the right of the nook. It doesn't actually fit in that corner, sticking out by an inch or two. It looks shoddily made, and if it is meant to be a storage area then why not have walls and doors so that you can store your cluttery things out of sight? I think the best solution would be to get rid of that one all together and put a nice tall plant there or something. That corner is not an ideal storage area as it is too small, too separated from other areas, and prone to clutter that blocks the already smallish entrance to the cooking nook which just emphasizes the smalless and separateness of the nook.
Once you've got practical matters under control, then you can think about the more cosmetic stuff like window treatments and wall paint.
Good luck!
So many great suggestions! I'll only add that it seems like there is plenty of storage, not sure why pots and pans and other items are piled in corners and around the stove? I would pare down- way down, and add an island for work top space/informal eating to balance everything up against the walls. If you can't move the stove and washer. make them stand out as a beautiful space on their own, and clutter-free. Much luck to you, Sharon!
I agree with the others about a kitchen island. I also think introducing some stainless steel is another option.
With the limited budget, I'm assuming that the cooking alcove / lean-to must stay where it is. If that's the case, I'd suggest mounting the oven and your already bought cook top in a stainless steel 2-frame cabinet from Ikea. I would top this with a stainless steel benchtop so that it looks like one unit. I'd leave the dishwasher separate. (Is there any way it could be traded for a stainless steel dishwasher to match?) Then I would buy a stainless steel kitchen trolley for the middle of the kitchen, which would also have the benefit of adding some storage. Alternatively, a kitchen trolley that uses a mix of wood and stainless steel would also tie in well with the rest of the kitchen.
Eg. http://351685206.r.lightningbase-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/kitchentrolley.jpg
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjAwWDgwMA==/z/KvwAAMXQrhdTW3Jo/$_75.JPG
If the existing shabby chic / country feel is really not your thing, then I would not spend any money at all, and just save up until you're ready to do something you like. A small amount of money on shelves or cabinets for any remaining wall space would give you some more storage and alleviate the clutter for now.
Many great suggestions. Due to the budget I would suggest some smaller changes then the commenters before, which will work just as great (I'm from Europe, so I'm not always sure what 1000$ can buy)
1. Paint: White white white! Bright white for the walls and cabinets - because you have kid(s) and pet(s) you might consider doing some dark colour like dark grey for the bottom cabinets. But if white paint is more affordable I think that would look really good as well. I would paint the top cabinets white either way (and the larger cabinet left to the microwave should be all white). Leave the countertop, it will look good with either colour. Also the hardware works great with both, no need or change here. I'd also leave the black base board (is that what it's called?) - all the dark and white will give you contrast but the white walls and upper cabinets with lighten everything up.
2. Lighting: The most important I think. Dont worry about having to spend on too fancy stuff. But as far as I can see there is only one ceiling light in the main room. Definitely one for the dining table and then a couple for tasks (especially near the stove).
3. Cleaning up obviously. I agree with getting rid of the thing in the corner. Also the pot rag thing on the ceiling doesn't help the light situation, though i generally like those and yours is a nice one!
4. Dining table: I don't think there is a need for a new table, the one you have is nice and the chairs work as well, except for the one with the polstery. If you need more seating and are a little bit handy, I'd rather make a simple bench for on side and then have the other three chairs on the other sides.
5. Floors: I wouldn't do a kitchen island. It's too expensive if you want something nice, probably hard to find something that matches the rest, but most of all because of the layout and the kid(s) and pet(s) I think it might be in the way when moving around. I would work with rugs. Although I get, that they don't always make sense in the kitchen, I would definitely find one in a simple, maybe natural (not neutral, just not something to crazy) colour for the dining area.
The tiles are totally fine, but because of the size a large rug might make it cozier in the general kitchen area, too. Just find a good size, not too small. You could even put a similiar runner next to the oven to bring both parts together a little bit.
6: Stove thing: I agree, hide your pots, move the dishwasher closer to the oven. Get a some sort of unit where you can put both in. It is separate but you cannot change that and I wouldn't worry about it too much, I have seen weirder kitchen layouts. Paint that door white too.
7: Open shelving: You could also add some small open shelves above the sink or in that corner where the
To summarize: Invest in paint, lightning, rugs, a simple unit for the oven - it seems to me to be possible with 1000$.
Don't worry about the layout, window dressing (it'll only make the windows seem even smaller - as long as you have enough privacy without shades) or buying a lot of new stuff, I think you have all you need and can do a lot with just fixing it up!
Here are some links I suggest for the changes I would make:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/before-amp-after-a-bright-budgetfriendly-diy-kitchen-makeover-under-1500-204824
http://manhattan-nest.com/?s=kitchen
I'm really excited about the result, if we are lucky enough to see it. I think it's got so much potential!
You have TONS of unused space, then zones of pure clutter...
1. Paint the cabinets white
2. Take out (tiny, unusable, probably unused) cabinets under kitchen window and donate them to Habitat for Humanity
3. New stove and cooktop go where microwave is
4. Empty all of the furniture out of the room you have as a breakfast room and relocate family eating to inside kitchen
5. Repurpose former breakfast room as mudroom/ plant room. Just make it a lovely, open space
6. New eating area butts into are where old stove is. Rip everything in there out.
7. Dishwasher relocates to cabinet wall on left of kitchen, near new stove
8. Get rid of the storagey thing that is to the right of the potrack (with bags held in it?)
9. Potrack can stay and lends much-needed height BUT should be for (largely decorative) attractive, matching or coordinating cookware arranged attractively. Three or four copper saucepans would be good here, and a hanging bunch of lavender or something. NOT TOO MUCH. A few well-chosen things hanging. Clean when needed, do not neglect. This is a great opportunity for a great visual with impact. NO SOUVENIRS OR TCHOTCHKES.
10. Edit corner cabinet fiercely. It's collecting junk.
11. Get organized according to your own habits: Live for a few days simply putting like things together, out on the counter. Think where you would like similar objects to live. Then group accordingly.
Amen to the solution from "p". I just started to write almost the same thing and realized half way that it is already posted.
Why on earth are those under the window cabinets lower then the rest of the kitchen? O.k. probably because of the window, but custom made kitchen could avoid this ugly solution.
And yes, get rid of the tons of clutter, nobody can have a nice, cozy place with that much stuff.
Remove everything from the top of the upper cabinets and maybe move the stove to the place of those strange, low cabinets in front of the window.
Or maybe put the sink there and the stove in the corner where the sink is now.
Dining area goes in the middle of the room and an old dining area is a mudroom.
Place to leave shoes, dirt and cold before you reach the heart of your home.
So I would start with the right corner where the sink is and put there dishwasher, stove and sink next to each other, it is practical, logical and cohesive. This way you have everything you need near you.
If you plan to stay in this house for many years, then maybe spare yourself of spending 1000 here and there on something what won't bring you anywhere in the long term and decide first how you want your kitchen to look like and go step by step in this direction, Maybe invest in to a good stove this year and next year in something else etc.
And sorry but no open shelving for you and for sure not additional one since you tend to colelct clutter.
Some ideas
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/98/2d/43/982d438aeb6171e00a662bdfee27d74c.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c8/7e/c7/c87ec71606219783bc39d4a405732c8c.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/58/e3/c1/58e3c12043a1d27980a1dd5c556a3633.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e0/71/1d/e0711d4d86f8c76e7267b3ea975baf34.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/7e/af/0f/7eaf0f0ad696675ab032e9555ecf47e5.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/1e/f2/fe/1ef2fe72c087a7819b4766646e42d50d.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/69/d5/34/69d5343ad7b6e12a2f91b851ef91e6e9.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/76/ef/77/76ef77278389ff9d850ad0cbb0ed06ec.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/7a/6a/13/7a6a13d7cb7cb27b1f667c0c35134b27.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/3c/86/46/3c864690bd899b17c8fe20e22e3a2ce1.jpg
I think P's suggestions are the best.
- Putting the stove and oven underneath the microwave oven creates the perfect triangle - fridge- stove-sink which you need in a functioning kitchen. Seeing that there are already elelctrical wires this should cut down the installation costs of the oven and stove considerably.
My adding to P's advice:
- I would paint the lower cabinets in a darker colour this works better with pets and kids. Kim kitchen is a beautiful example!
- you can use the use the alcove as a small office and/or added storage place. One ceiling hight shallow cupboard where the stove is know and cupboard/shallow office area next to it, this way you can use the existing pantry door without any problems. You can use flatpack furniture to lower the cost.
- the little cabinet under the window, you could just paint the cabinet and the countertop in the same colour as the rest of the lower cupboards, this way it will blend in rather than being an odd thing. I wouldn't get rid of it, it's an excellent spot for growing fresh herbs and you'd loose good storage place.
- invest in more lights
here's an excellent idea for your alcove:
http://www.desiretoinspire.net/blog/2015/2/20/readers-home-jennifer-and-hans-amsterdam-apartment.html
I have been thinking about your challenge and first, you are lucky to have plenty of space and cupboards. It is just not logically designed. Since the budget is limited, let's see what can be done for FREE: remove all from cupboards, shelves. Choose what is really useful ; determine a place for everything ; then put back what you have chosen and put it away where it logically goes.
For now, I would put my money in solving the stove-oven problem. Bring them into the kitchen. I would choose under micro wave. Pots and pans in lower cabinets. When the oven is removed from its actual position, I would put shelves for storage. Then proceeding toward the small broken shelf (where bags are), I would put a narrow unit where you can put cookbooks; put cork on exterior surface for kids drawings, etc. and at bottom, animal food station.
Now for dining nook: I see a round table, a bench under smaller window, and chairs - except upholstered one. A (cheap) pendant light. If it was for me, I would make this space a separate cosy nook by choosing a happy colour and use cheap garden-patio furniture (even cheaper if bought used).
I am certain that once everytgthing is in its logical and proper space, you will enjoy it so much more.
I saw this post this weekend and thought what a lovely space it is aside from the things that need a bit of help. I just saw this kitchen that Emily Henderson did and immediately thought of this post. http://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/spanish-california-home-the-kitchen/ Paint on the cabinets and a good wall stencil would take you a long ways towards that look. I don't know if you have them where you are but we have Habitat ReStores in our area that sells surplus/donated building supplies for a reduced cost. If you do have something like that you could find a spare cabinet or two to make your stove area look more like it belongs or if it proves to be affordable an island with the stove built in is a great idea and then the area could just be filled with cabinets for extra storage. Ikea is also great for more affordable cabinets and counters. I can also see benches being used for a built in look for your dining corner. Best of luck finding all you need within your budget! It can be done. :)
you may perhaps look at Ikea ideas for the island, where they are already ready to use your cooktop and oven, and with 300 or so, you will be able to make the island, moving your cooking to the kitchen and living that window area for your pets and space, because rooms need space to be free.
but I will suggest you to see this renovation page http://www.yellowbrickhome.com/, where they turn around a dresser to a kitchen island and with some help it is possible to use your cook top and oven, for something similar.
Are just a few ideas, and I believe that you need an island and a breakfast nook, I'm not so sure about a mood room, but, you better than anyone else, know what you need.
About painting the kitchen, well, I like wood, and always think that painting wood is a crime, but tastes are tasted, and you will decide about that, but if that kitchen was mine, I will leave the painting for somewhere in time after resolving the practicability problems of cooking and living your kitchen with all your family (animals included).