share post

The Kitchen Floor Plans {Before & After Bird’s Eye Sketch}

by | Jan 14, 2014 | Decorating Inspiration, Kitchen Renovation Project, my house, My Kitchen

This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

The Kitchen Floor Plans {Before & After Bird's Eye Sketch}
While it has been about ten months since my kitchen was officially “completed” enough to call it done,  I never did show you a sketch of what the room layout looked like before and after!

It was so fun to share each step of the remodel last year so you could follow along with the whole process before the reveal (because half the fun is in the journey, right? … if you can call remodeling mess fun heheh), but before I forget about these, I did want to go back and show you this “bird’s eye view” for a look at how moving the dishwasher and small section of cabinet transformed the room!

As you can see in the “before” sketch (and the photo below), our kitchen was divided basically in two by a stretch of counter top which caused lots of traffic jams. It made both sides of the kitchen, the cooking area and the eating area, too small and tight for our family to comfortably function and entertain. With six of us and now two dogs we wanted a bit more breathing room! And that basically is how the whole remodel began! :-)

The Kitchen Floor Plans {Before & After Bird's Eye Sketch}

We didn’t have to tear down walls or add on to make our space feel bigger, all it really took was removing one set of practically useless tiny junk drawers and an awkward corner cabinet and relocating the dishwasher to the right of the sink. We didn’t even have to sacrifice counter or cabinet space because now have six brand new drawers to the right of the dishwasher to hold our silverware and dishes, and a nice long counter next to the sink, making the kitchen much more efficient.

Of course, the other big change we made was to remove those cramped upper cabinets at the far end. And no, I still don’t miss them one bit. I love the breathing space over the lower cabinets!

The Kitchen Floor Plans {Before & After Bird's Eye Sketch}

The freestanding island we are using in the middle gives us additional counter space and storage, but still allows us to open the dishwasher and for traffic to flow easily around it. We also have room for a couple of bar stools with breathing room to spare. We may get a new island at some point, but it’s working well for us for now!

The small space where our kitchen table used to be was left intentionally open. Our dining room is right outside the kitchen so we don’t need another table at this point. When we entertain we like to have plenty of space for people to gather in that area without so many obstacles and without being in the way of the cook! Not to mention plenty of space for the pups to run around without running into tables and chairs. We sit in the chairs all the time and I just love how cozy it is to have comfortable chairs in the kitchen!

So, you finally have the bird’s eye view (sketch) of my kitchen! Now I’m itching to start something new. And after 8 days of the flu {!} I’m getting a little restless, so who knows what might happen next at my house. :-)

Kitchen Renovation postsThe Kitchen Reveal, Kitchen Sources and Paint Colors

26 Comments

  1. Erica

    Our kitchen layout is virtually identical to your original layout. My question is, wasn’t it expensive to remove the cabinet/bar counter and recut the countertop to go flush along the wall? I would love to do what you’ve done but with granite countertops it seems like it would be prohibitively expensive.

    Reply
  2. Heidi

    Love seeing the bird’s eye view sketches. And, that tile accent wall is just absolutely stunning. We’re putting in marble subway tile in our kitchen, but nothing near has large as your accent wall. But first we need the weather to cooperate so we can rip out an old window and put in a new one. Then, it’s on to installing cabinets.

    http://jax-and-jewels.blogspot.com

    Reply
  3. Michelle@Life on the Funny Farm

    It is truly amazing how removing a peninsula will improve a kitchen. We did the same thing in our previous home and that kitchen felt so much bigger. Your remodel is just beautiful.

    Reply
  4. Terry

    I love when I see a really great remodel! This is a space that anyone would be happy to be in!
    And it so pretty to boot

    Reply
  5. Sandra at Thistle Cove Farm

    Goodness! Hope you’re feeling better soon and enjoyed this post. I’m not a fan of peninsulas nor islands and love comfortable chairs in the kitchen. I’ve got a couple of rocking chairs in my kitchen and they add tons of character.

    Reply
  6. tia bennett

    I have a similar layout (old). I would love to get rid of the peninsula, but I have so little storage I am afraid to lose more. I have no pantry, cook all of our meals(eat out very infrequently)and 4 kids. How do you live and cook with so little storage? Losing the peninsula would open the area up so much, I am just too hesistant to do it! Advise please.

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      I don’t have any less storage than before. The peninsula only had a few tiny junk drawers and a dishwasher. We added six new roomy drawers to the right of the relocated dishwasher for our dishes. The key for me on storage is paring down to what we actually need and use on a regular basis. I’ve done posts about our pantry under the stairs and how I organize the house with baskets.

      Removing the peninsula may not work for everyone but ours wasn’t doing us any favors storage wise or traffic wise! :-)

      Reply
  7. Jann from Newton Custom Interiors

    Melissa, I love seeing a bird’s eye view of your kitchen. It looks bigger and wide open now, and I like that you have two chairs instead of a table and chairs. Great job!

    Reply
  8. Kelley Lively

    I love the colors you chose, very soothing but bright!

    Reply
  9. Lisa at celebrate creativity

    Happy New Year, Melissa!

    I loved watching your kitchen progress throughout the year in 2013.

    The transformation is truly amazing. It’s a brand new, gorgeous space and I can see why you love it.

    Hope all is well on your end.

    Take care,

    Lisa

    Reply
  10. Samantha Chapman

    I absolutely love your kitchen! What are the dimension’s of your room? We have a very similar floor plan to the “before” and I want to get rid of my peninsula BADLY!

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      If you look at the after drawing you can see the outside dimensions of the space — you might have to squint a little since it’s shrunk down to fit the post :-)!

      Thanks!

      Reply
  11. Yvonne

    When you got rid of your upper cabinets where do you store your dishes I do not have a pantry but it appears I have about as much cabinet space as you and then we have a bar that breaks up the kitchen and dinning room the bar does collect a lot of clutter but I am not sure what I would do with out it, but it is a thought we also have a fire place in the dinning room but it is almost hidden by the table and chairs I swear if we didn’t have a place to pile things my family couldn’t live. We do have my son and daughter-in-law and 5year old GD that lives with us. Other wise know as a full house. :)

    Reply
  12. Brandi @ Nest of Bliss

    I love this makeover of yours! The removal of the L shape makes it appear so much more open!

    Reply
  13. Barbara

    Very well done! I couldn’t agree more with the wall color!

    Reply
  14. Chloe Crabtree

    The new look is beautiful! I am sure you are enjoying the new design!

    Reply
  15. Kristi@Chatfield Court

    I know what you mean about starting a new project, because I get antsy awhile after a project has been completed. The good new is, for me anyway, there is always something else to do. :) Love your kitchen, by the way. It’s one of my favorites!
    Kristi

    Reply
  16. Mimi

    It’s amazing how much bigger your kitchen looks without that wall. I’d be sitting on one of those chairs pinning while waiting for the water to boil. Lovely!

    Reply
  17. teresa

    I love how your kitchen turned out…we are in the process of updating a cabin kitchen…which has a bar counter just like your did….I hope our kitchen turns out half as nice as yours…
    I planning an unfitted kitchen style….we’ll see if I get it right.
    Thanks for your inspiration.

    Reply
  18. Renee

    We did the same thing – removed an awkward peninsula, which improved the traffic flow and actually made the kitchen seem larger. We did put in a large island in the middle of the kitchen, so we didn’t lose any counter or cabinet space. Love it!

    Reply
  19. Moxie

    I just adore your kitchen…so much I have started to renovate mine…with your colors, the Duluth hardware, etc. I hope you don’t mind : ). I did run into a stupid moment that I though I should share to help others from making the same mistake although somehow I suspect I’m the only one out here that could be so silly. I am so used to cabinet hardware being pretty much the same that I did not realize that the Duluth pulls attach with screws to the front face of the drawer in lieu of screws going in from the back of the drawer face into the pull like most do. I ordered the 3″ ones to match my existing drawer pull hole locations and oppps…screws won’t fasten to a hole. I should have realized this from the picture on Restoration Hardware’s site as it shows clearly; but somehow I missed it. I am now in the process of getting 4″ pulls so before I paint I will patch the old holes which will be concealed by the new pull. So I offer up my fail in hopes others don’t hit the same snag. Just love the site…and your kitchen! I’m so excited, can’t wait until mine is done.

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Such a good point and tip. In fact, I should write about the pulls because that was one of the reasons we got the pulls we did! Ours were the same way (formerly 3 inch holes) and it took me awhile to figure out how to hide the existing holes and what size to order. I can’t believe I didn’t write about that before because, yeah, it was kind of a crazy situation and maybe I could have avoided you having that fail. SO SORRY, eek. Thanks for the tip and letting us know how to avoid it!!! Gah.

      Reply
  20. dawnwil

    Re-arranging the cabinets makes a lot difference. Removing the cabinets from the entrance itself brought the change. I too have a kitchen which is almost 10 years old and the worst thing is that its crowded. There’s no space. I find it very difficult to work in there and now we are planning to renovate it. Previously we had a separate dining room. I think a neat dining table can even be put inside the kitchen if it is spacious enough. We have plans to extend the kitchen.Re-do the cabinet works. Replace the sinks and do the counter-tops with granite. We’ve given the contract to the Avonlea bath and Kitchen Renovations at Toronto. They had pretty good ideas of renovation. Everything will be started by next week and I really hope that it turns out good!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Brandi @ Nest of Bliss Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

Decor Finds:

browse categories:

browse archives:

let’s stay connected!

Follow for daily
Home Inspiration:

get my free decorating guide

home decor inspiration, free downloads,
and more, straight to your inbox

css.php