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Our Floor Plan

Hallway inspiration from Atlanta Homes

Now that I’ve shared our idea for moving the kitchen to the dining room, and our plan for moving the dining area to the original kitchen, plus the vision for the “butler’s pantry” in the adjoining hall, today I thought we could come full circle and I could show you how all of these spaces are laid out and relate to each other. I know several of you asked to see a floor plan (to help you visualize) so I finally have a little sketch today!

A reader recently asked a very good question. What will the view be from the front door into the new kitchen? That is a question we’ve pondered a bit ourselves, too, so we are happy to share how it would be laid out (assuming we don’t change the entrance to the space, which of course, might be an option as well.)

Our Floor Plan

Here is the current view into the dining room (the eventual kitchen) from the front door. As you can see, right now, straight ahead is our current dining room. Which means, the new kitchen would be the room you would enter through the entry. Design-wise it’s not necessarily ideal to see a kitchen from the front door (hello, dirty dishes), but in our case the front door would only have a view of a smidgen of the kitchen (not a view of the sink until you fully entered the room).

I know there are many small or open concept homes that have a kitchen within view of the entry, and that layout isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it is just what it is.

Our Floor Plan

Here is the little sketch of our main floor as it is now (not exactly to scale or proportion), so you can get a better idea of the circular floor plan and how the rooms relate. Obviously you can see the main rooms are all across the back to take advantage of the view. As we’ve been discussing, we are considering moving the kitchen to the current dining room.

This house is fairly compact, especially when you consider the main living areas and all of the bedrooms are on this one level. But we do have the bonus of a finished basement, which gives a really nice additional space to spread out. It’s clearly not a fancy layout or sprawling house, it’s pretty a basic floor plan.

Admittedly our bedrooms are pretty cozy and small, but other than the kitchen we are planning on relocating, it really functions well for our family so we are glad we don’t have to do a lot of major remodeling at this time.

We’ve explored other options for placement of the kitchen (as well as the idea of removing other walls, or even relocating a bedroom or the staircase to expand the space further). But so far our current plan to just remove the wall between the current kitchen and dining room seems to make the most sense, as well as being a more economical option than say, adding on or gutting the whole house!

Once we consult and finalize our plans with a contractor or designer, we will know for sure what works best, but this plan feels simple enough and right to us at this time.

Our Floor Plan

So back to the question of what would be visible from the entry if the entrance stays the same, since we have the opportunity to design the space, we would definitely take advantage of designing the view to the kitchen that we want to see from the front door. That means we’d opt for a built-in closed cabinet in this visible corner (above) rather than putting appliances there or a kitchen countertop in that location. We would want to avoid the potential for clutter or dishes in that area and a floor to ceiling closed cabinet would give a more streamlined look from the front door.

As a reminder, our idea is that the sink would be positioned under the window seen above, looking out at the view (and not visible from the entry). (If you missed our original discussion of the kitchen layout, you can see that here!)

Our Floor Plan

Our Floor Plan

We have been chugging along, making slow progress in painting the long hallway that leads to the kitchen, bedrooms and the entry hall. When I last updated you on it, we had painted the swine-ish walls white. Finally, we almost have the first coat of paint on the built-ins, too. They are still in progress, but progress is good. This is the humble built-in that I am going to consider (in fancy-pants terms) our “butler’s pantry.” It’s convenient location near the kitchen will make it useful for extra serving dishes, small appliances or even extra pantry items, whatever we need.

Our Floor PlanBefore

It feels SO MUCH BETTER already in this hall (see the before shot, above) just by painting everything white, even though we still have more to do. Paint really can refresh a space, not only in how it looks but just how the space feels. It really makes me feel more connected to the house each time we make a change.

We haven’t yet selected new hardware, but at this moment we are thinking a classic pull (big enough to hide the previous hardware holes) with perhaps a hint of modern or even a subtle mid-century vibe to keep it feeling fresh and updated.

Our immediate goal in the hall is to enjoy the refreshed paint, add new hardware on the built-ins, and new flush mount light fixtures. Beyond that, we can continue to refine it with the addition of white paneling (see our front entry inspiration post here), the new Dutch door, new hardware on the interior doors and creating a new entrance for the bedroom.

So, I hope it helps to see the floor plan! If you look to the right side of the floor plan you can see the location of the new side yard area, too, and how it fits in to our plans. If you are behind on what’s going on, you can check out the latest here!

Our Floor PlanZoldan Interiors – High Gloss Magazine

I can’t wait to start planning out the finer details of the kitchen plans, like the cabinet colors, appliances, what to do with the flooring and countertop materials. I already have some ideas brewing and can’t wait to share them!

Speaking of gathering kitchen ideas, I absolutely love that kitchen (above)!

Related Post:

Our House Tour {Video}

41 Comments

  1. Cathy

    I’m enjoying following your plans and progress on your house.

  2. Debbie

    Thanks for sharing the floor plan, Looks like it has very good flow – especially after you relocate the kitchen and DR. Just a thought since I can’t tell what the scale is, but since you do plan to switch those rooms, have you considered (down the road) adding a small bathroom where the current frig, pantry and bedroom closet are located? If there is enough room, not only would you gain another main level bathroom, but it would be convenient to your outdoor areas (less tracking through the house). And plumbing might already be there.
    Thanks again, I really enjoy your blog!

  3. sonja

    melissa, have you thought to move the coat closet in hall to kitchen? i wonder if you could create a new closet on the adjacent wall and close up the view to the kitchen from the front door. where the closet is now would become the new hallway to the kitchen. the frame would be lined up with the wall of the foyer, which would make you kitchen out of view and you’d still have a coat closet, just moved to the left about 5′ or so. just a thought.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Yeah, I see what you are saying. The tricky part is that coat closet is partially ABOVE a staircase to the basement. If the basement stairs were relocated we’d have more options, so that is something I will explore just to make sure it isn’t a worthwhile cost (although I definitely don’t want to get carried away and do more than I need to). I actually have another idea for a new kitchen entrance, I’ll have to do another drawing showing the options!

  4. Therese Mills

    Hello…with you deciding on new floors soon and having a dog I thought you might have ideas or some picks on a good laminate (wood-like) that you recommend? I have 2 young goldendoodles and am looking for a durable non-scratch rustic looking laminate…any suggestions? I like this hallway floor you are showing but I am looking to go lighter…
    Enjoy following your progress.

    • Jen H

      In our new house we installed Edith Evoke laminate flooring and it is a beautiful rustic gray/white color. Lots of character to it and it totally makes the house! Everyone comments on it. The best part is that is sweet with 5 kids. It doesnt scratch. I have even moved big furniture and not a scratch in sight.
      http://evokeflooring.com/us/products/edith

  5. Heidi

    I love seeing how you plan and execute spaces in homes that aren’t “perfect” but will be beautiful when you’re done. I think you should move into a new house every 4 years so we can continue to watch you do this ;)

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Ha! I feel like that is the story of my life. Happy to now bring you all along with my crazy mind. :)

  6. Audra Hines

    I love the above kitchen too! I can’t wait to see the dutch door and the kitchen remodel when they are through.

  7. fay

    Floor plans are so much fun! Have you thought of switching the kitchen into the present living room, and making it a combined kitchen/dining space … with a fireplace? That way, the living room could be in the present dining area, which would be more accessible from the hall, and the view from the front door would be lovely. You would not walk through the kitchen to get to the living room, and you could remove the coat closet to make a wider, more welcoming entry. The present kitchen could become a music/TV room, office, or whatever. The main downside that I see would be transferring bags after grocery shopping.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Yes, they are! I didn’t think about the kitchen there, but I did think about the living room being a combination living room dining room. But we LOVE our living room as is so I’m not really sure we’d want to change it. But it is fun to dream of each and every possibility because you never know when one might surprise you! I can’t move the coat closet because it’s right above a staircase to the basement (so it’s a short closet with room for headspace in the stairwell). We could move the staircase entirely, and that’s a consideration but also we want to keep this project from snowballing into a bigger project, ha! Is that ever possible? My dream project would be adding a bedroom above the living room but you know, dreaming and reality aren’t always the same. :)

  8. Debbie

    I love your inspiration pictures. I know progress is slow. It seems like for two years our home was in constant upheaval having replaced all of our flooring and painting every room and all of our honey wood trim to white and replacing all of the baseboards…whew!…just writing it makes me remember the stress.

    I have great empathy for you as you live through it and share in your excitement as you anticipate. Love being able to share in your adventure!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      It is a challenge to be patient but eventually it’s worth it. Thank you for your empathy and excitement! It’s much more fun to share it, so I look forward to sharing each idea as we have them and each update as they happen! Thanks for following along :).

  9. Barb

    Your view will always be wonderful if you keep Jack there!

  10. Maggie

    It all sounds wonderful.. It would be cool to have open Shelving and take the sliders down.. Just a thought.. But if your storing small appliances I can see how that would not work.. Can’t wait to see it all!! Maggie

  11. Christie

    I like the flow of the rooms!

  12. Kari

    I love kitchens that open up into a living space. That way it becomes the place that everyone gathers!

  13. Joanne B.

    I will agree – t is certainly easier to follow along now that you have drawn out a floor plan! I will give you my 2 cents, for all it is worth. I don’t like the idea of having the kitchen in middle at all. There- I said it. Here’s why: I don’t like the view form the front entry, even if you try to declutter it. I feel the living room and dining room should be focal points of the home. A sometimes less than tidy kitchen when your guests enter your home is just distracting. Guests won’t know where to look- the LR to the left, the view, the kitchen- no matter now tidy is still busy- and then the DR tucked in the far right end. I also hate the idea of having guests have to walk from the LR thru a working kitchen to the DR to gather. Sorry! here’s my thoughts- your DR looks quite long. Is there any way to bump out the kitchen- the entire wall that the stove is on- into the space of the DR? If you can do without the overhead cabinets above that whole wall you can have that entire countertop with stove open to the DR with bar stools on the DR side. That would give you more room in the kitchen, if that is important to you. Then, can the partial wall separating the DR and LR be removed to open up that space to make the DR and LR more like one room? If it is load bearing, obviously you cannot. Position your dining room table and chairs more toward the LR side of the existing DR so the view from the front entry is of the dining room table, with a stunning light fixture above as a focal point from the entry. personally I don’t think all that work is worth the upheaval, let alone the expense of it, just to have a better view from the kitchen sink while doing dishes? Hurry with the dishes, shut off the kitchen lights and get out into the LR and be done with it and enjoy the view from there! Your home is charming just the way it is! Don’t try to make it something it just isn’t- and it isn’t a one big one space kind of house. Make the spaces work for you just the way they are! I love the nooks and crannies it has! I’d love it just he way to is, just updated with fresh paint and new cabs, counters and appliances! Oh! And I LOVE the idea of the dutch door! Cant wait to see that! Again- just my 2 cents, for all it’s worth!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      I agree with you, there is a lot to consider, isn’t there? You make excellent points that I have definitely considered and want to think about, I appreciate your input on it. I haven’t yet done the post showing the layout you are talking about, but we’ve discussed it and I actually drew it out as well, so I do think its a viable option (at least parts of it). There are many things I like about that layout and a couple of things I don’t, but that is always the challenge.

      Without a complete remodel, big budget, or a brand new house it is hard to get everything perfect, so the goal is to consider each possibility to its fullest and see what the best most feasible and reasonable option is, considering that we don’t want to tear apart the house nor do we want to invest more than was necessary. I’m with you there, tearing apart a house is not something to do on a whim. Ha! We are taking it slow on this project and making sure each idea is considered before we take the plunge on any of them. Thanks for your comment!

  14. Amy

    Based on the floor plan and photos, I’d be tempted to put a door to the backyard in that corner of what’s now the DR, that you can see from the front entry! Door to be made of mostly glass, that is. You’d have something beautiful to see from the front door, and you already have a traffic pattern that directs walkers that way, to get to the Living room. One thing I learned from “Not So Big Remodeling,” by Sarah Susanka, is “always give people light to walk towards, in your hallways.” (Sarah, like you, encourages us to love the house we’re in and make it work for us, rather than continuing to enlarge the square footage of the American house!) Can’t tell how much room is between existing DR window and that corner, though – whether there’s enough room for a door. Or whether it’s feasible to widen the existing header that’s above the DR window, to allow for a door. Right now it looks like your only backyard access is via the side yard. Unless something is missing from the sketch!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      So funny that you mention “The Not So Big Remodeling” I love that book and was thinking about re-reading it just the other day. She is definitely of like mind that we don’t need a huge house, we just need to make the one we have work for us and be beautiful.

      I haven’t mentioned it yet, but we definitely want to add a french door out the back to a deck (which we currently don’t have, but its a dream for a future project). The two options for a door location would be either in that space you identified or the space next to it in the living room, which is another great option. We do need to consider the door in our plans, before we make any other decisions! It would be beautiful to have a door right in that spot, I absolutely LOVE when you can see all the way through to the outside from a front door!

  15. Karen @ a house full of sunshine

    Sounds like smart space planning to me. New kitchen – yay! Can’t wait to see your ideas come to fruition!

  16. Joanna

    I’m so happy that you came to this decision. We switched our kitchen and dining room around and love it. I now have the view out my kitchen window and let’s face it, we spend more time there then in the dining room.
    Thinking of the view from your front door is an important aspect. I had the designer come up with a “tallboy” that is in cherry wood, whereas the rest of the kitchen is a soft white. It looks like a stand alone piece of furniture, adding character and good looks – win/win.
    I know it will be a space that you will want to share with all who visit. And us, of course.?

  17. Ana

    You could relocate the door to the kitchen by closing the current one and…
    a) …opening the wall at the top of the stairs (going to the current dinning room)
    b) …opening the living room wall opposite to the coat closet in the corner closest to the door
    c) both of the above giving you quick access to both spaces and a wall facing the entrance.
    Just an idea that allows you not to have to move the stairs or doing bigger rearrangements.

    • nancyo

      yes! This is what I was thinking also, and maybe taking out as much of the coat closet to add even a bit more space to the area. Another thought, especially if you do swap the kitchen and dining rooms, is to put a divider/wall between the Dutch door entrance area and the dining area. And one final door comment: you could add two sets of French doors to the eventual deck – one in the current dining room and one in the living room, for lots of light and great traffic flow when entertaining.

  18. Mickey N

    Is the master bath the only bathroom on that floor? Is there no powder room or bathroom for the other bedroom to use? Inquiring minds want to know. :-)

  19. Melinda Young

    I am loving your ideas! Love keeping a little “mid-century” in it too. That will work well with the era/vibe of the home too. Such a great blend! I have to say that I wanted to see the plans even better and waited to read this on my laptop vs my lil smart phone screen. I can’t wait to hear more about your kitchen ideas etc. It’s wonderful seeing it all come together!

  20. Christie

    Now having seen the floorpan, I like the idea of opening the kitchen wall with new header/support beams, if necessary, and placing a counter in that space. Your dining room is a really special and spacious room, and I think the size of the current kitchen looks more appropriate as a kitchen than a dining room. The kitchen could be stunning with those countertop-height corner windows, dutch door, and built-ins along that current wall with the fridge.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thanks! I agree there are many positives about that layout, definitely. I have a couple of layouts like that I’ll post about soon, I think there are several really good options worth considering, it’s fun to imagine each one!

  21. Joanne Taggart

    Hi Melissa! Really enjoyed the pictures. To have your kitchen sink at the window is great. To have an outside view when doing dishes to me is essential. I mean I spend a lot of time at my sink as we have a large family and I would hate to stare at a wall. And it so true that paint makes a huge difference and impact. The before and after photos of your hallway are substantial. And I was admiring the hanging light fixture in the kitchen. It is beautiful. Did it come with the house? Continue to plan and share with us! Thanks!

  22. Deanna Rabe

    Oh my, that last photo of a kitchen is amazing!

    I love the diagram, it helps to picture the layout. I guess I missed befor that the wall would be coming out between the kitchen and dining room. It all makes sense now!

    I think it’s smart to work with what you have, and not try make the house something that it’s not but to make it the best it can be, for what it is. Hope that makes sense. It is going to be an adorable and great home for you family.

  23. Katherines Corner

    it has been so much fun following you through this project. Everything looks so wonderful.I invite you to stop by and add your link to the Thursday blog hop linky party ( you can link up until Saturday at midnight) My new giveaway launched today too I think you will like the prize! Happy Valentines wishes xo

  24. Debbie from MountainMama

    A Butler’s Pantry? Jealous!! Those drawers will be perfect for linens – napkins, placemats, table cloths….omg, I would fill it right up!

  25. Jo Jo

    I really like your idea of flipping your kitchen to the dining room space. Even tho, as someone pointed out, you will need to pass thru your kitchen to get to,the LR, I say that you have shown how you can design not only a beautifully functioning kitchen space, but one that is also BEAUTIFUL to look at. See, my thinking is, the kitchen is the true ” living room” hence the ” heart of the home” moniker often used for this room. I don’t know about anyone else, but no matter the SIZE of my kitchens, and I’ve had both large and small ones…EVERYBODY congregates in the kitchen when entertaining or just chilling at home. So, I say don’t be fearful of it being seen upon entering or from your sitting room…it’ll be absolutely gorgeous because you will be living in intentionally! I love your ideas, Melissa and the butler pantry? PERFECT! What an excellent way to use that built-in!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      I love how you think, that’s inspiring! Thank you for your encouragement, too. It’s so true, we shouldn’t fear what is right for our family even if the RULES say otherwise! :) If a kitchen is gorgeous, it shouldn’t be hiding in the back corner anyway, right? :) Thank you, Jo Jo!

  26. Leah

    Yep, I’m on board with whatever you choose to do because it is going to be fantastic! This is so much fun – when do we get to demo a wall???!! : )
    Leah: )

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thanks! That would be AWESOME to get you all over here to do the demo! :-D

  27. Jayne

    The view from the front door has always been important to me, and yet I’ve lived in homes where there was nothing much to see but a stair case or a a bathroom door! HAHA

  28. Dianne

    One more suggestion. Your living room is great the way you had it set up for Christmas and you had talked about bookshelves along the window wall. Would be to bad to take that away for French doors in there.

    Have you considered putting French doors in place of the window (where you want to put the sink.). The you could have floor to ceiling cabinets on both sides of the doors. The sink could be put in an island facing the French doors and still take advantage of the view. There could be stools for extra seating facing into the room. From the looks of the photos when you had Thanksgiving set up the room looks deep enough to have cabinets and appliances along the staircase wall and still have space for a good size island. I thinks the dining room in your present kitchen will be cosy, maybe a bit narrow, but still should work with your idea of the bench.

    And while we are all offering free advice, what about taking the closet out of the office to add more space on that side and putting a closet for your son’s bedroom bumping into the office, then the bedroom closet and the storage wall at the end of your present kitchen could be a second bathroom on the main floor. Of course I, or none of us, know where your bearing walls are, or where you may have or be able to put plumbing runs in your basement.

    Your house is cool with lots of potential. I have one of the photos of your present living room in my home inspiration book, as I do many photos from your last home. Love your ideas for the side yard and looking forward to seeing it as you progress.

    I really enjoy your blog. Thanks for years of interesting reading.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you Dianne, you have great ideas! I agree the space where I originally was thinking bookcases would be best as french doors to a deck (if we ever build one!), we are definitely going to save that space for doors. I should have a drawing to share of our plan soon, I think I’m finally landing on just the right layout so I’m pretty excited to share it. It really has been like a puzzle! Thank you for your ideas and support, it is fun to share this journey!

  29. Cindy Hoffman

    ?Nice going there Mellisa and great work. I have been checking some of the other posts on renovation and I can say it’s really inspiring. White is my favorite and seeing that pantry in white makes it look clean, not forgetting that it makes it look bright. Thanks a lot for sharing and keep up the great wok.

    Cindy

 

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