Kitchen work triangle - I can't get it to work

[FlingonTheValiant]

I'm trying to plan the kitchen for the house we're buying and I can't seem to get a work triangle sorted.

I'll try to describe the kitchen, and would love to hear suggestions please!

The kitchen is a decent size rectangle, with the two short walls being the front and back walls of the house (house is one room deep). If you stood at the front the long wall on the left goes to the sitting room and the long wall on the right is to hallway and stairs.

The front wall has a big window dead centre, that comes down too low to put anything under it.

The sitting room door (left) is very near the front, so the left long wall has a nice long run for cabinets, down to the back wall.

The hallway door is about half way. Between that and the back wall is basically unusable as the staircase comes along the wall and makes that side below a decent height. Plus on right side of the back wall is the back door.

So the space is basically an L-shape, plus the stretch of wall from the hallway door to the front.

Thanks if you're still reading!

The water is all plumbed along the back wall, and we were hoping not to move it. So sink and dishwasher along the back.

I then wanted to have a nice run of base unit with drawers along the long wall, with an induction hob, until the last few at the end with built in double oven and tall larder unit.

The problem is where to put the fridge. I don't want an integrated one, they're too small, so it'll be freestanding. In which case I'd quite like an American F/F jobbie. But the only place I can think to put it is between the hallway door and the front wall, i.e. the opposite end of the kitchen to the sink. So definitely not a triangle.

Can anyone see another way to arrange it all?

Thanks very much.

[FlingonTheValiant]

Photos on profile

[GrendelsMum]

Can I just say that I think the bathroom tiles look wonderful - they're so retro that they look very stylish.

[bronze]

I like them too

as for the kitchen I would get yourself ona floorplanner and start trying

[lalalonglegs]

If you put a floorplan up it might make it easier - I am very confused reading your description.

[FlingonTheValiant]

ROFL, thanks, but that bathroom will be the first thing out the door! I might keep the tiles and incorporate them on a smaller scale though, I do love their awfulness!

Is there a floorplan other than the ikea one? I'm on a mac, so I can't use it.

I'll try to hunt for one now.

Not sure if this is a better description, but it's a rectangle with doors on 3 walls, and a big window on the fourth.

The best layout will be L-shaped, with the wet area on the the short side.

[GrendelsMum]

I'm serious about the tiles (though I agree there are a lot of them!) - might be worth trying to sell the ones you don't keep.

[FlingonTheValiant]

Good point about selling them, that sort of retro is popular.

I'm trying to upload a planner now, which shows the shape and the current units - all going, they're there for reference.

The brown lines are doors, and the yellow are windows.

The wall on the right, between the two doors (opposite units) is too low for fridge, larders, worktops etc. So basically dead space.

[GrendelsMum]

Does that glass door open into your garden? If so, could you put french windows in that back wall and have the kitchen units along the side wall, plus an island near the back wall?

[FlingonTheValiant]

Yes it opens on to the garden.

Do you mean french doors more centred in the back wall? And then cabinets on both side walls, or just the one on the left?

I was planning units on the left side wall and was thinking that I might put a long thinnish island in anyway.

I hadn't thought of french doors actually. I think that would look good.

[noddyholder]

God I love the bathroom!

[GrendelsMum]

Yes, I thought French windows centred in the back wall, perhaps with another full-length window to either side, with units all down the left side wall, and an island set back from the french windows. And then a table somewhere.

[northerngirl41]

I'd be tempted to put fridge/cooker together and move the "island" into the room a bit more - sure you lose space, but you gain a workable kitchen. You could knock a unit off the end of the island if you felt it then intruded too much into the room?

[FlingonTheValiant]

Thanks for all the ideas!

New pic on profile.

I thought I'd better upload a plan of what I was originally thinking and attempting to describe in my OP. That way you can see what I mean about the fridge.

The island I'd like to be able to use as a breakfast bar, so I thought we'd have a recessed top. As there's not much space I thought I'd use drawer base units that are 37cm deep, rather than the usual 60, so that it's not too big.

We don't need a table in there necessarily, there's a separate dining room, which has tons of storage space, so I might keep the rarely used china etc in there.

Thanks again!

[FlingonTheValiant]

Northerngirl, sorry I just realised you meant the island in the plan, not GrendelsMum's theoretical island.

The whole of that kitchen is being ripped out anyway, so not a problem to move that kitchen.

The problem is that I cook a lot, and mainly from scratch, so I really want a decent amount of worktop space.

We're not touching the floor so we can't really run water or electricity out to the island. So I'm not keen on having too many high things in my unit run. Which is why I'd like the fridge elsewhere.

[FlingonTheValiant]

^ "so not a problem to move that kitchen " island, sorry!

What do people think about having the hob in the corner? Like the current owners have? I was anti it to start with, but the corner never serves a decent purpose anyway, so maybe it's not a bad idea.

[CarGirl]

Could you have a tall fridge next to where you are planning to have the oven and move the oven up a bit. I think you could live with the freezer further way? I think you need to compromise on something to have your triangle or it'll drive you mad!

You could put tall pull out larder/storage cupboardsd where you were thinking of putting your fridge/freezer and keep all your non-regular use stuff there. You usually access your fridge multiple times per day whereas you may only get your can of beans and chopped tomatoes out once IYSWIM.

[GrendelsMum]

I love the description of my 'theoretical island'.

I think that the work triangle isn't a must have - we have a galley kitchen and we just go up and down the kitchen a lot - works for us.

[FlingonTheValiant]

CarGirl - yes, good idea, I could put the larder cupboard/s and freezer on the far side and try to fit the fridge in with the main bit.

Can the fridge go next to the built-in oven or do they have to be separate? (I have a feeling that's a really stupid question).

In that case, it still wouldn't quite be a triangle, but it would be closer together.

CarGirl would you have an integrated fridge in that case?

Erm, yes, GrendelsMum, I'm not 100% certain that "theoretical" was the word I wanted, but I think it's a good description :o

[CarGirl]

You could get freestanding if you wanted - put it at the end of the run, move the oven along one towards the sink?

I've only ever had undercounter fridges and even with our new kitchen to be will need to stick with one due to severe lack of worktop space!

[FlingonTheValiant]

Under the counter would be better, I really don't want to lose worktops, but they're not very big and I would like lots of space.

I think that for the price of an American style I could probably get an under the counter fridge with essentials, a classic one-on-top-of-the-other fridge/freezer for the far side of the room (perhaps next to a larder unit) AND a separate smaller freezer for the garage for extra storage.

Which means two things:

1 - I can have lots of storage, with a more workable layout.

2 - American fridge/freezers are ridiculously expensive!

[CarGirl]

I have considered 2 under counter fridges but unfortunately my kitchen is just too small and I've managed all this time with just the one!

[GrendelsMum]

We have an under the counter fridge, a large freezer and an old fashioned larder, where all the veg live. The fridge only has the food for the next three days in,and everything else goes in either the freezer or the larder.

DH's parents have both an under the counter fridge and a large fridge in a utility room - problem is you can never remember what's been put where, so you end up going to the large fridge every time anyway.

However, it's worth thinking about your options.

[JustKeepSwimming]

We have a tall F/F thingie (here when we moved in) and it has a water/ice dispenser so it needs a pipe run through the back of the cupboards to the back of the F/F. It is only a small & flexible pipe but worth remembering about.

So would you have nothing at the top right/back right? Do the stairs really make it totally unusable?

[FlingonTheValiant]

The problem with the back right is that it's very low, although it could have an under the counter size fridge, but it's also not very deep, so I think even a little fridge would be too big.

Although, at the moment they have a fridge that has the door in the kitchen, and the back is through the wall under the stairs - it looks very 70s, but I guess it's a possibility if it makes space.

There is also currently a little door there which opens through under the stairs (the stairs go up in a helical fashion) and is used for storing hoover, mop etc, so I'll probably keep that to use for cleaning things.

GrendelsMum that's a good point, perhaps I could keep a little whiteboard with a contents list :o

[pointydog]

You do not need a triangle. It's all a bit of a myth.