How to turn this eat-in kitchen into functional space

[aimeech87]

Hi, 
Hi,

First-time poster and renovator here. Would love some guidance on how we could potentially revamp this kitchen, and if you can see any other possible alternatives to other kitchen layouts? We're looking to actually remove the wall of where fridge/stove sits so we can make it a more open plan between the lounge and kitchen. But I can't seem to figure where to move the stove/fridge. Normally I'd think we could just put it up against the other wall, but the entry to the laundry room is there. We do have an eat-in space within the kitchen and I thought we could move parts of the kitchen there, but it's a bit awkward having parts of the kitchen so separated. Would love to hear your thoughts. We'd also be open to shrinking the size of the laundry, but just wanted to note to the right of the sink in the laundry room is the hot water tank and in the right hand corner of that room is where the washing machine goes. 

Thanks! 

[Mathy]

Hi @aimeech87 and welcome

As you’re discovering, removing walls creates some other problems (speaking from experience!). What about budget? Moving stoves can end up being expensive. Looking at the layout, I’d find it difficult to re-arrange that kitchen and maintain the all important ‘work triangle’.

I’ll page @redracer01 - he’s pretty handy with this sort of thing, cheers Deb

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @aimeech87. It's fantastic to have you join us and many thanks for sharing your plans.

Here's an option that you might like to consider. If you were to move the laundry doorway, you could place your refrigerator where it was. You could have your cooking on the island. However, I believe it would be better served as a standalone breakfast bar.

I look forward to following your project and seeing what other helpful advice our member can come up with.

Mitchell

[redracer01]

Hello @aimeech87 

I see you've decided to remove the wall between the kitchen and the living room. I totally agree with your plan! It promotes an open plan to your living space and makes the room seem much bigger. I would like to take your plan and take one more step. Lets turn your laundry into a butler pantry/laundry room combo. This particular design gives you a few advantages. You can have a massive pantry at the back along with a broom cupboard and extra storage above the laundry. There's room for both washer and dryer or turn the dryer spot in to another cabinet. It opens up the space without sacrificing usability.

Now I'm aware that some of our readers would suggest that we should either put the sink or cook top on the island. It is possible but, we must take in to account that because of the layout the island is now the main eating table and that every bit of space must be set aside for eating! My favorite part of your layout is the servery window. It's the perfect shortcut for getting anything from the pantry to the front of the kitchen! My only other suggestion is to move the hot water cylinder outside of the house to allow full use of the space. Please enjoy the drawings and if you have any questions please post it here on Workshop. Good luck and stay safe.

Cheers,

Red

[MitchellMc]

Fantastic rendering @redracer01! I really like your design as it utilises a whole heap of dead space I ended up with. Not only have you included an amazing kitchen, but the laundry is now functional as well.

Many thanks for putting that together for us, I trust @aimeech87 will be excited to see what you've come up with.

Mitchell

[aimeech87]

Oh wow! There's some really good suggestions here! I particularly really like your use of space @redracer01. It is unfortunately a unit, so we won't be able to move the hot water tank outside. Based on your design, I think it could still work to keep the hot water tank where it is, and we'd just be without one extra cupboard? Thank you so much for your insights!