Worktop or cupboard space?

[Suomynona]

We're trying to design the kitchen in our 60's renovation house (for rental).

The kitchen will be L shaped with a breakfast bar. We could potentially have a whole bank of cupboards, eye level oven and fridge freezer on one wall, or we could utilise a portion of this for more worktop.

Which do people think is more important - cupboard space or worktop space?

Thanks.

[whiskyowl]

How large is the area that isn't the wall you are thinking of covering in cupboards?

Do you really need a breakfast bar? In practice, they're often a bit of a waste of space.

You could potentially do a half-way house, with a run of higher cupboards either side of a lower area with worktop on the wall?

[Suomynona]

I meant u shaped, not L!

[Suomynona]

Here's the basic layout. The wall opposite the window / sink could be all full height cupboards (maybe including oven) or a mixture of both.

[Suomynona]

We also plan to have more wall cupboards by the cooker hood.

[SierraFerrara]

Counter space.
What do plan to keep in all those cupboards?
Agree with Whiskeyowl about the breakfast bar. We don't have one but I've never seen one used. The stools you need for them aren't comfortable for a start.

[SierraFerrara]

Do you need a breakfast bar and dining table? Especially next to each other.
The breaksfast bar will end up being used as a countertop so why not put cupboards under it?

[whiskyowl]

Nice space!

I'm not the best at these things but some thoughts:

You have a breakfast bar right next to a table - you literally can't use both sets of seats at once because there isn't space, yet it doesn't look like there is really space for 4 people to sit at the table at once either. Plus the table is in the way of the doors so you can't use those. Can you not put a dining table elsewhere in another room instead or does it have to be in here?

[Suomynona]

Thanks. The breakfast bar will have cupboards underneath - there will be a small overhang to allow seating.

There isn't another room where the main dining table could go. This is just the designers plan - in reality the table wouldn't be placed right in front of the French doors.

The reason we're keen on a breakfast bar is that the layout is very similar to the house we actually live in, and it works pretty well for us. I find the bar is actually the main work area when I'm preparing food etc. Without this I think there would be too little workspace?

My Fiancé is very fixed on having a corner pantry cupboard hence we're trying to work around that (I like the idea but am not as fixed on it if it makes the rest of the design difficult).

[whiskyowl]

But if it's primarily workspace, why not lose the seats underneath the breakfast bar, and maximise the storage instead, and just call it worktop?

I can't actually see where your table is going to fit elsewhere in the room, other than in front of the French doors, unless you're going to reduce the size to a 2 seater??

I think part of the issue is that the entry door is diagonally opposite a window - I have the same problem in my design for my utility room, and it does reduce the amount of viable cupboard space you can fit in. I might be tempted to put a shallow cupboard/shelves between window and door to maximise storage space.

[Suomynona]

There doesn't have to be seats at the 'bar' so perhaps me describing it as a breakfast bar rather than worktop space is misleading.

If we didn't have this 'bar' I'm struggling to see how we would fit enough worktop space.

I've never installed a new kitchen before so new to all this.

[NotMeNoNo]

I think it's trying to fit too much into a small room. I would lose the peninsula and the huge corner cupboard. More worktop on the wall with the hob. Fridge, larder and oven stack on the LH wall. Then people will have room for a table.

When you are renting (assuming unfurnished) you don't know what size table people have so leave some flexibility.

[wowfudge]

I think the layout on the diagram looks fine, but it's tight with a breakfast bar and a dining table. I'd scrap either the overhang or the whole peninsula, especially if you are having more wall units. That would give a bigger usable space for a dining table and mean the tenants could seat more people if they wanted.

[SilverSpot]

Keep the bar - it is good worktop space nad defines the 'kitchen' from 'diner'.

Where will microwave, kettle and toaster go? Those take up quite a bit of work top space.

I would keep the full height cupboards - nice to have everything tucked away, food, packets, cat food etc.

[Believeitornot]

I would get rid of the seating at the worktop and just have worktop.

Also are those doors to the garden by the dining table?

[SilverSpot]

Think about washing machine, tumble dryer (or will you have a W/D) and a DW.

[randomthoughts]

What are the dimensions of the room? Would there be scope for an island in the middle of the breakfast bar went. We’re just adding a peninsula to our kitchen instead of the small table, I like the idea of having a wider work space accessible from both sides, but I don’t think you’d get this advantage with where the table is.

[Suomynona]

@SilverSpot the microwave will be built in above the oven, and we may fit hot water tap so no need for a kettlle, but I do take your point. The washing machine will be a washer dryer and will be built in under the bar. Dishwasher will be to the right of the sink.

@Believeitornot Yes the French doors lead to the garden.

I am now worried that the peninsula / bar will make the dining area too narrow. The dining area would be 180cm wide (width of French doors). Personally I'm worried that the corner larder is too big for this size of room but my Fiance is very keen on including this. If we did away with that we could probably create more worktop space.

[user1469117700]

i would lose the corner larder and put the extra worktop by the hob.
Thats where it will be used most and will also open the room up not being so top heavy

[Bluntness100]

I’m not sure why folks are saying lose the seating. It already has cupboard underneath it, all that’s required is she makes the top a little larger with some over hang and voila it is both a breakfast bar and worksurface and has cupboards"

[PickAChew]

That would be fine if there was 8' or more in which to fit and walk past a table but there's only 6', bluntness.

[Believeitornot]

Lose the seating because it’s a squeeze between the stools and dining table.

It kind of defeats the point if the room is crammed with lots of seating which people cannot use - that’s not very sociable.

Also with the doors to the garden it makes even less sense to me.

I would look to having a nice bench seating type dining arrangement with no bar seating.

Also the corner larder looks silly. It’ll take up floor space especially near the oven.

Sometimes you need to design to the space you have not the space you want!!

[Believeitornot]

In fact, after further reflection, I would not have the corner larder at al, move the oven to the same wall as the corner larder and run the worktop along to the left of the job a bit further. Then have tall cupboards instead of the corner larder and a bit of random worktop.

[averylongtimeago]

This almost identical to a kitchen design I had at my old house, except the door into the kitchen was where the corner pantry is on yours.
I really really liked that kitchen, so much so my new one is very similar. I think if you're the breakfast bar narrower so there's no over hang, it should give enough space for the table.
I'm not sure about the huge corner cupboard either. I would have one of those pull out metal things instead. I will try to find a link, but they mean no hidden corners you can't reach.

I like the ""bar" arrangement as two people can use it one at each side.

[averylongtimeago]

www.howdens.com/kitchen-collection/kitchen-accessories/storage-solutions/full-height-pull-swing-larder/

This is the sort of thing. Other places sell them, some have bigger/fancier ones, you can get narrower ones too.
Very useful, no more stuff lost at the back of high shelves.

[averylongtimeago]

I would have all the full height cupboards along one wall, and a big u shape of worktop.