Does this look odd to you? (kitchen) DH thinks so.

[jamaisjedors]

Photo on profile.

Awkward kitchen. We need to free up the door to the basement to get to the washing machine/freezer.

This is our Plan C (from an online kitchen designer who knows her stuff).

DH doesn't like it. Does it look odd to you?

And the floor is reclaimed tiles and can't be lifted for underfloor heating.

DH won't move the radiator - doesn't mean it can't be removed. Who is in charge of this kitchen anyway? OP or OP's DH?

The OP has stated that removal of the radiator is not going to happen. And if you remove it, what heating are you planning on having given underfloor heating is not possible?

I assume the OPs DH is allowed to have a say on how the kitchen in his home is planned?

Not sure how you remove a radiator without moving it anyway. Using magic perhaps?

Ah, we're in France. Your kitchen can be as odd as you like in that case!

To remove a radiator you just take out the radiator and join the two pipes together.

No, sorry but men have not one iota of a clue how to design kitchens. At least very rarely, if they are maybe Jamie Oliver they have.

Could you replace the window with french windows and then lose the outside door? You get rid of an obstacle and gain a nice feature.

Well, we both are horse ! We both live here and we both work full-time so both use the kitchen fairly equally (well I do a lot of the cooking but DH does the jam-making and endless blanching and freezing of vegetables from the garden).

Our motivations for changing the kitchen are

a) free up access to the basement door - currently awkward.

b) revamp sink area which is currently cramped and the laminate is peeling

c) bring the hob and sink closer together (currently at opposite ends).

The radiator could perhaps be moved but there is no way we will be ripping up the reclaimed floor which we love to put in laminate in the kitchen and underfloor heating is too much building work for us.

yy to plinth heating. We have this, it's fab and way easier than underfloor heating.

@daisy

The house is up a flight of steps so the back door has to stay where it is, it leads down to the patio.

not really here

Hmm. How often does he make jam?

I think your kitchen needs to function for the day to day reality, not the seasonal exceptions - and therefore you need to decide how you are going to use it.

We recently redesigned a cottage kitchen and laid laminate over the floor because it's easier to keep clean and brightens up the room. The original tiles are untouched. They were lovely, but cold and quick to get grubby.
If you have an undercounter fridge you could fit that, the dishwasher, the cooker and a carefully placed sink and hob all along the one wall.
Also, go for 3 drawer units (as per IKEA) as you get different depths and can store more. Cupboards lose things too easily.

That way you have space in the other corner for shallow units for other storage. The table can double up as worktop if needed.

I think I'd lose the little return-y corners so you have a straight run at full depth. Those little cupboards don't contribute more storage than they block at the corner.

Then move the sink and cooker further apart. So from L to R: Dishwasher (draining board above), sink with sliding cutting board on top, prep area (drawers below), cooker, about 40cm to the R of the cooker.

Would the table be better as a bar with stools (maybe 50% dropleaf) so you also have a prep area? Then the wall unit above can continue down to the worktop so no head-banging risk.

My DH has an aversion to perching due to his parents who had an awful, tiny breakfast bar with stools far too high. Spend money getting really good bar chairs! he can pretend he's gone to the local for breakfast.

Agree with you about the radiator OP. They are a pain to move, we have 2 in our kitchen and although they take up a lot of wall space I want my kitchen to be warm so they are staying. We were also not going to rip up our oak flooring to put in under floor heating.

So folks, leave off the OPs rads

When I have the dimensions I like insert an immovable radiator

I have fixed things in my kitchen too; so I do understand (mine are DH decreed too)

I think if you get rid of the tall fridge freezer and tall larder cupboard next to it, then it will look a lot nicer.

Would it be possible to have an under-counter fridge and then an under-counter cupboard next to it? I see that the current tall cupboard is a thin one, I assume to create enough room to get to the basement door - so could you put a full depth under-counter fridge, then a thin undercounter cupboard and taper the worktop from full depth over fridge to half-depth by the door? So the end of the counter is at an angle?

Or maybe have an open end cupboard, full depth but only 300 wide? Some of the open shelf cupboards finish at an angle, so that might be possible to do, with the counter following the line?

That's helpful KirstyJC.

We thought about the fridge yesterday when we received the plan, and I suggested fridge drawers or under counter but DH is (relatively) tall and doesn't want to crouch down to get into the fridge.

I will look at whether a cupboard the same depth as the fridge could work -especially with a tapered side.

Katymac, the dimensions are 3670 for the window wall and 2740 for the side walls.

But the sink wall has a pipe boxed in in the corner, so the length of it is reduced by 355.

The radiator is 810.

The basement doorway is 835 and the other doorway 920.

You are very brave to think about tackling it. If you really want I can pm you the plan with all the measurements on it but I don't want to ask too much.

fossil yes that's pretty much what I thought for the line up for the sink area thank you.

It's the other side of the room that is the worry - I think the fridge is the issue really.

My original suggestion was to put the fridge in the corner then some 40cm depth work top next to it. But that worktop would have to hold the microwave, kettle and toaster as the designer pointed out.

I don't think there is too much wrong with the basic layout, it's the styling that looks odd.

The main issue is that there are lots of different heights and depths going on. The kitchen will look a lot neater if these are streamlined - so, eg bring down the height of the tall cupboard to match the fridge, or put a small cupboard above the fridge so as to match the height.

I wouldn't mix white and brown units - just pick one colour and the room will look much bigger and less cluttered.

I also would go for shallow wall cabinets instead of open shelves (less cluttered looking), except maybe above the radiator. In fact open shelves would look better there than a wall cabinet, which looks a bit odd with no base units.

I wouldn't sacrifice a full height fridge freezer for anything - crouching down will be a total pain and you can't see what's in there properly.

If you name the walls A, B, C & D can you give me the measurements with the obstacles

so A is the sink wall it is 3670 with an obstacle 355 wide at the right hand side (as you look at it)have

Do you see what I mean? or I'll PM you & you can send the plan you

It looks 'messy'.

I have pm-ed you katiemac - thank you!

DH is studying his diagonal fridge idea and is very heartened by the fact that the mn-ers agree with him about that wall.

He also disliked the styling.