Climbee
2016-07-28 11:46:58
- #1
So, now here's my two cents
Pantry:
I am definitely a fan of direct access from the garage into the pantry, if possible. However, you should keep in mind that special fire protection requirements apply to the door! Otherwise, it definitely has its charm, even though it is often rated negatively here. However, this is how it is here: due to the additional door, you have almost no more space in the pantry. Beyond that, I personally would be bothered if there is no window in the pantry. I use the pantry a lot, and especially in winter, it’s like a second fridge if I tilt the window open. For example, cookies can cool down wonderfully there without interfering with kitchen activities.
Kitchen:
I consider the refrigerator in the niche, far away from the actual kitchen action, a major planning mistake. Didn't your kitchen planner say anything about that? Then I would almost consider getting a different kitchen planner. Or your criterion was: we want to walk so many kilometers while cooking that we can eat without guilt afterwards! From that perspective, the distance of the freestanding kitchen unit (I wouldn't call it an island now) to the kitchen row on the wall with a proud 1.8 m would make sense. Otherwise, no. As the kitchen is now, you will be walking yourself to death. As I said, if that is not your intention, I would plan the kitchen completely differently:
Plan the fridge into the action: either integrate it into the wall row, or extend the pantry and put the pantry exit where the fridge is now and the fridge where the door currently is (you’ll also get more division of WF, entrance hall, pantry, and WC downstairs).
Make the freestanding kitchen unit a real island that deserves that name: so away from the wall! Depth 125–130 cm, so you have space for 60 cm deep cabinets on both sides and space for pipelines in the middle. I would place the island about 1–1.5 m away from the wall, in the middle of the room (you have enough space!), thus shifting the cooking activity more to the center of the room. A fridge where the pantry door is now or even where it is now is easily accessible. Then you can also generally consider whether this wall might become a functional kitchen area and, for example, put the oven (if planned at hip/chest height) and steam cooker (if desired) there. The pantry door can then wonderfully be integrated into such a kitchen front.
Other advantages: you can plan the terrace door freely, possibly make it bigger, and someone coming in from outside does not have to walk through the whole kitchen first but can go straight into the living area and won’t disturb the kitchen crew.
I am personally a fan of the stove on the kitchen island because you can cook together so nicely. But that really comes down to taste. In any case (whether island with or without stove), I would plan a small additional sink in such a generously sized island. That makes work much easier because you don’t have to leave the work area every time for finger washing, rinsing cloths, washing vegetables, filling pots with water, etc. A small sink is sufficient there; you have the main sink on the kitchen row at the wall, and larger tasks (washing salad, cleaning pots, etc.) are done there.
WF, Entrance Hall, Pantry, WC:
I find the layout, let’s put it politely, suboptimal. You’re wasting so much space!
The entrance hall is separated from the living area by doors, so what’s the point of having an extra windbreak? Either you design the area around the stairs open to the living area (which also has its charm), or you leave it as it is, but then you don’t need an extra windbreak. I would move the garage a bit more to the north (if possible), give the pantry a window, move the entrance door to the right, where the WC is now and is basically in the middle of the room. Put the toilet on the right wall of the garage. Then the convoluted entrance area is relieved, you can dimension the pantry differently and remove the bottleneck between WF and entrance hall mentioned above. Overall, there is more space in the entrance hall/WF because the toilet is no longer in the middle. You might also consider planning the WC a bit more elongated and then plan the pantry as I suggested. I think this way you can use the space much more effectively.
Laundry in the basement:
Personally, I find that complete nonsense: bringing dirty laundry downstairs (well, you plan a chute, that goes faster), then carrying the washed laundry back upstairs to hang it outside, then back down again to iron, and finally back up again to the upper floor to put it away. Phew...
I already notice you are planning a very ambitiously sporty house.
I am lazier...
In the past, the laundry room was in the basement because it was usually damp there. With modern appliances, that’s no longer a problem, and I would definitely plan a small utility room on the upper floor with washing machine and dryer and possibly also space to set up a drying rack. You can also combine that nicely with a small second bathroom. Your children are still small but will also become teenagers, and you will notice then that a second bathroom is a blessing!
Do you want to absolutely keep the air space? There would be enough space for such a utility room there. Think about that again.
And if you really want the air space, then let it be a room as well: why separated from the upper corridor? I would then plan it as a gallery and not with a window. But that is also matter of taste.
Overall, I would give up the air space in favor of a utility room/second bathroom and rethink the room layout on the upper floor altogether.
Pantry:
I am definitely a fan of direct access from the garage into the pantry, if possible. However, you should keep in mind that special fire protection requirements apply to the door! Otherwise, it definitely has its charm, even though it is often rated negatively here. However, this is how it is here: due to the additional door, you have almost no more space in the pantry. Beyond that, I personally would be bothered if there is no window in the pantry. I use the pantry a lot, and especially in winter, it’s like a second fridge if I tilt the window open. For example, cookies can cool down wonderfully there without interfering with kitchen activities.
Kitchen:
I consider the refrigerator in the niche, far away from the actual kitchen action, a major planning mistake. Didn't your kitchen planner say anything about that? Then I would almost consider getting a different kitchen planner. Or your criterion was: we want to walk so many kilometers while cooking that we can eat without guilt afterwards! From that perspective, the distance of the freestanding kitchen unit (I wouldn't call it an island now) to the kitchen row on the wall with a proud 1.8 m would make sense. Otherwise, no. As the kitchen is now, you will be walking yourself to death. As I said, if that is not your intention, I would plan the kitchen completely differently:
Plan the fridge into the action: either integrate it into the wall row, or extend the pantry and put the pantry exit where the fridge is now and the fridge where the door currently is (you’ll also get more division of WF, entrance hall, pantry, and WC downstairs).
Make the freestanding kitchen unit a real island that deserves that name: so away from the wall! Depth 125–130 cm, so you have space for 60 cm deep cabinets on both sides and space for pipelines in the middle. I would place the island about 1–1.5 m away from the wall, in the middle of the room (you have enough space!), thus shifting the cooking activity more to the center of the room. A fridge where the pantry door is now or even where it is now is easily accessible. Then you can also generally consider whether this wall might become a functional kitchen area and, for example, put the oven (if planned at hip/chest height) and steam cooker (if desired) there. The pantry door can then wonderfully be integrated into such a kitchen front.
Other advantages: you can plan the terrace door freely, possibly make it bigger, and someone coming in from outside does not have to walk through the whole kitchen first but can go straight into the living area and won’t disturb the kitchen crew.
I am personally a fan of the stove on the kitchen island because you can cook together so nicely. But that really comes down to taste. In any case (whether island with or without stove), I would plan a small additional sink in such a generously sized island. That makes work much easier because you don’t have to leave the work area every time for finger washing, rinsing cloths, washing vegetables, filling pots with water, etc. A small sink is sufficient there; you have the main sink on the kitchen row at the wall, and larger tasks (washing salad, cleaning pots, etc.) are done there.
WF, Entrance Hall, Pantry, WC:
I find the layout, let’s put it politely, suboptimal. You’re wasting so much space!
The entrance hall is separated from the living area by doors, so what’s the point of having an extra windbreak? Either you design the area around the stairs open to the living area (which also has its charm), or you leave it as it is, but then you don’t need an extra windbreak. I would move the garage a bit more to the north (if possible), give the pantry a window, move the entrance door to the right, where the WC is now and is basically in the middle of the room. Put the toilet on the right wall of the garage. Then the convoluted entrance area is relieved, you can dimension the pantry differently and remove the bottleneck between WF and entrance hall mentioned above. Overall, there is more space in the entrance hall/WF because the toilet is no longer in the middle. You might also consider planning the WC a bit more elongated and then plan the pantry as I suggested. I think this way you can use the space much more effectively.
Laundry in the basement:
Personally, I find that complete nonsense: bringing dirty laundry downstairs (well, you plan a chute, that goes faster), then carrying the washed laundry back upstairs to hang it outside, then back down again to iron, and finally back up again to the upper floor to put it away. Phew...
I already notice you are planning a very ambitiously sporty house.
I am lazier...
In the past, the laundry room was in the basement because it was usually damp there. With modern appliances, that’s no longer a problem, and I would definitely plan a small utility room on the upper floor with washing machine and dryer and possibly also space to set up a drying rack. You can also combine that nicely with a small second bathroom. Your children are still small but will also become teenagers, and you will notice then that a second bathroom is a blessing!
Do you want to absolutely keep the air space? There would be enough space for such a utility room there. Think about that again.
And if you really want the air space, then let it be a room as well: why separated from the upper corridor? I would then plan it as a gallery and not with a window. But that is also matter of taste.
Overall, I would give up the air space in favor of a utility room/second bathroom and rethink the room layout on the upper floor altogether.