2008-01-24

Kitchen plans using Ikea Home Planner

Way back in September of 2006, I started playing with kitchen designs and dreaming of how to take this house to the next level. Progress has been slow, as expected, but my thoughts are now turning back to kitchen design. I've read a few books on kitchen design, made a few essential changes, lived with my virtual kitchen for a while, and thought things through long and hard. I think the current best home plan calls for the following new elements:

  • Conversion of former interior hall space and linen closet into a powder room. The loss of storage is worth adding a second bathroom.
  • A second kitchen sink to improve efficiency. I need the kitchen wall space provided by the new powder room to put in the second sink.
  • I'll need an island element for best efficiency, provided in the pictures shown here by a cart.
  • I'll also want deeper counters than the standard 24". Perhaps 30"
So here's where my current thinking has led me:



Each grid line is spaced about 18" apart in the plan view.



  • Glass fronted upper shelves are on the left side both views. Solid fronted shelves are on the right upper and all lower cabinets.
  • There's no upper shelves above item 12 (dishwasher) because I can't find the right width in Ikea Planner.
  • My sis-in-law (Ikea master) tells me that I don't have the spacers right on the shelving, but for purposes of illustration I think this effort is ok.
  • Juli thinks that I ought to populate the living room with representative furniture to see if I can live with it. I think it'll be just fine, since I no longer have to devote the perimeter of the room to a walkway and I can dual purpose the kitchen table and the space it sits in. Both of those improve the efficiency with which I can use a space that will be the same size as my current living room space.
  • I plan to make my counters wider than shown here. Shown are 24" deep cabinets with the same width countertop. I'll make my own countertop that's up to 30" deep. Since the cabinets I plan to use are only 24" deep, I'll have to move them out from the wall. This might allow room for the second sink drain.

3 comments:

  1. I think Juli is right to suggest some time living with the new furniture arrangement. Specifically, having the table at an angle like that would drive me crazy, and it looks hard to wedge oneself into the corner seat on the far side.

    Out of curiosity, is there room for a permanent island fixture, with barstools on either side?

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  2. Thanks for the comment, Maribeth.

    It's a small living room as it stands now, but the design I present here doesn't shrink the space that I currently have. With the current layout, I leave space for a pathway from the front door and then along the wall that currently divides kitchen from living room, so I feel that the efficiency with which I use the space can only increase. Wall space will decrease, but I feel that is a minor confounding issue.

    I don't think there's room for a permanent island, but Ikea sells a table that attaches to a wall and folds down when not in use. I've considered that on the fridge wall, to be used with a smaller table.

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  3. Stop by Rustic Pine Furniture in NRB at Artesia and Green. They make cabinets and furniture to order (not just in pine). They are surprisingly affordable and used by many people in my neighborhood.

    They might be able to make the 30" deep base cabinets you need as well as odd width top cabinets.

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