NancyAndFred.Com

The Finished Project

This is the final layout. It allows multiple cooks to work at once; left and right of the range, at the sink or the counter behind it and at the counter on the near wall. Lots of light was a must. On the South exposure there is a 36"x36" casement to the right of the range and a 42"x48" slider just to the left of the gas fireplace. On the West side there is a 24" casement, then a 36" slider and a 48" slider, all 48" high. All the windows are of the low-E Argon type and are great at keeping the heat out in the summer and cold out in the winter. There is also a decorative octagonal window - see the picture of the West wall.

Looking to the corner by the pantry, ceramic top range to the right. We selected one with an over sized oven - that's been handy. The pantry shelves are just visible at the extreme left and the refrigerator door handles at the extreme right. The round bright spot in the ceiling is a tube skylight - those things are great. Without it, this corner would need a light on cloudy days.

Island and East

This is the island that delimits the kitchen and dining areas. It's actually wall cabinets placed on a custom built base and placed back to back with the counter containing the sink and dishwasher. The high counter top was custom made by Bob Choynowski. Also in this view at the left is the hutch, then going to the right, a tv on a swivel arm, the doorway to the hall, the microwave and a toaster oven. The door visible in the back center through the doorway is our "auxiliary pantry" which holds both non-food stuffs and extra food items.

The rose window is on the West wall and is especially beautiful with the sun pouring through in the evening. The spindled doors lead into the living room. Just visible at the top is one of the two paddle fans in the room. The window at the center is a 48"x48" slider.

The double sink is cast iron with brass fittings, the drawers to the left are used for silverware, the dishwasher is to the right. The upper counter is used to move table ware back and forth. The dishes are kept in the tall cupboards that open to the dining side, convenient for setting the table. When clearing the table, they are again placed on the high counter and from there loaded into the dishwasher. When removed from the washer, they are set on the higher counter then put in the cupboards from the dining side. Pots, pans, baking dishes etc are kept in the immediate area of the range, convenient to it and the refrigerator, and not far removed from the dishwasher. This photo was taken from the doorway into the hall and also gives a good look at the laminate flooring and the overall brightness of the room. It was taken about 10 AM on a day with a thin overcast.

We both wanted a pantry and fitting it in was one of the problems but we're very glad we stuck with it. There are probably more efficient ways to fill the space but the convenience and ease of finding things makes it worthwhile. During daylight hours, even cloudy ones, the tube skylight (shown in the top picture) provides more than enough illumination.

This small Valor gas fireplace provides supplemental heat if needed. It has three burner settings, from 7,700 BTU to 20,000 BTU. We normally use it on the lowest setting and since it has no fan, use one of the paddle fans to distribute the heat. For a better gage of the stoves size, the window between it and the curio cabinet is 42" wide.

This counter was designed to be used as a coffee bar for the two of us but we rarely use it for that purpose. It's mostly used to hold the small stereo, coffee maker and some small appliances. The cupboards are used for cook books and less used utensils.