Planning the kitchen has been a nerve wracking ordeal. The space that you’re dealing with really dictates what and what not is possible (unless you have unlimited funds to reconfigure your entire space). We went from a Plan A to B to C and finally D! I strongly encourage that you gather as many ideas of layouts/ features that you like before starting the process so that you have back up ideas. We found that we couldn’t have absolutely everything that we wanted (ie. I really wanted a pantry wall) but concessions had to be made (ie. it enabled us to have our 8 1/2 foot island).

We settled on a Plan that both Kirk and I really like… and we’re crossing our fingers that it translates well. In order to make it work we had to remove the wall lending support to the staircase which really opened things up. It cost an additional $742 to reinforce the staircase and move wiring but we feel it’s worth it in the end run.

We decided to run the kitchen along the side wall of the house (behind the staircase) and place our 8 1/2 ft island in front of it. We’re also creating a 4 ft “breakfast bar” area next to the window along the back wall of the house with 2 free floating shelves above. The counter space of the breakfast bar will house our appliances (toaster, coffee maker, cuisinart for morning fruit shakes) and the free floating shelves will house all of our everyday dishware and glassware. There are 2 cabinets and 2 drawers in the base of the breakfast bar for additional storage.

Features of the Kitchen:

White flat panel Cabinetry, white interior

A cabinet above the fridge that has 3 tray dividers for serving trays, cookie sheets

A Spice Tray drawer (next to the stove)

A Utensil Tray drawer (other side of stove)

A single row wine rack (floor to ceiling)

A Microwave pantry cabinet (we bought a trim kit for the micro so it looks built in)

A Cutlery Tray drawer

A Garbage & Recyling Pull out Drawer

A pull out cabinet for dog food

2 floating shelves (bottom shelf to contain hidden puck lighting)

Light valances to hide under cabinet lighting

Inno-Tech drawer slides (allows for smooth closure)

8 1/2 ft Island with 2 base Cabinets on back side of Island, Wenge Veneer on either end of Island

Caesar Stone counter top (colour still not decided)