Kitchen Modifications (As Half Of Our Addition)

Proper after I completed writing yesterday’s submit about my probability assembly with the mission supervisor who oversaw our garage-to-studio conversion within the House Depot car parking zone, I bought a telephone name from one of many three contractors that I had known 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 knowledge that I wish to you should definitely inform him, and so on.

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, the whole lot from leaving it simply as it’s to making a cased opening on the wall between the kitchen and the place the longer term household/media room can be.

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

I believe the final time I shared about my ideas about this wall and the way it will 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 extensive open to so many totally different rooms of the home. It cuts down on beneficial storage areas, however it will additionally eradicate any privateness within the household/media room as a result of there can be a straight line of sight from the road, by the entrance lounge, by the kitchen, and into the household room. In the course of the day, that’s not an issue. However at evening, if I’m in there watching TV, I’d actually favor 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 attempting to concentrate. First, I’ve been attempting to concentrate to how we actually use our house, and the way the brand new household/media room would possibly change issues. And second, I’ve tried to concentrate and be looking out for an concept that may 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 individuals. As soon as now we have this new room, I’ve little doubt we’ll meet in there as an alternative of the entrance lounge for the reason that new room can be larger 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 not directly.

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

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

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

So what about that privateness I wished? Nicely, I’m considering that I may add some pocket doorways (half-doors, actually) behind the cupboards on the kitchen facet and re-create the same 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 wished a while to ruminate on this plan with out the confusion of quite a lot of exterior enter. However the extra I give it some thought, the extra I adore it!

Right here’s a extremely horrible mock up of what this type 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 easy methods to mock up these pocket doorways that may give privateness at evening. So that you’ll have to make use of your creativeness there. 😀

UPDATE: A reader who’s far more gifted 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’d appear to be with glass-front cupboards, and the fitting with solid-front cupboards. I adore it each methods, in order that can be a troublesome resolution.

Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and beautify 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.