Manalto wrote:Lily left the valley wrote:{snip}Lily, you've understood my intent when posting this topic better than anyone. I just wanted to figure out how to make the existing kitchen practical. Can o' worms.
Aye, we all eventually find that can of worms and have to steer accordingly. As you've already noticed, sarcasm often gets lost when things get heated, so I don't recommend it.
In all honesty, I was really glad you mentioned the pasta and the fridge as an obstacle, because that gave me a practical reference to base my thinking. This was around the time I found myself counting squares on the main kitchen floor, wondering if they were 1' x 1' so I could do a graph paper work through. (I like doing that, putting the visual in front of me so I know what my brain is thinking can still work.) I know the windows will be tricky to work around, and I only noticed the one outlet in that spot that you mentioned would work for the fridge, but could cause flow issues. I should go back and look at the images again, in due time.
The one thing that did occur to me is to ask how many flue/stacks does your shared chimney have for the kitchen? Some local codes forbid fuel mixing, and you mentioned something about your Bengal stove having a heater, and I'm not sure what that means. I wasn't sure what your furnace/boiler is using either, so you might want to check with local code on that. If your whole house plus the heater element of the stove are gas, you may be just fine. Yet if they are different, it might require running separate flues if possible. Sometimes they won't fit, as certain types of fireplaces or stoves have mandated minimum sizes. (I only know this from a property I managed prior.) So, a pellet stove, for instance, can have a smaller flue than a boiler or woodstove.
That thought sprang to mind because we're currently trying to find out if our home had a fireplace that may have later been removed because of the code change, since we are a single chimney house. We wondered this initially because the mortgage appraiser said we had a fireplace in the home. So one of the things I've been looking into for here is what would be required (and budgeted) if we did find there was a fireplace prior, as we'd really like to have one.
I'm also pondering a few things regarding the fridge. We did something not period correct but still fit in our tiny 11' x 7 1/2' kitchen. (This includes one full wall of 2' deep cabinetry, so it's more like 11x 5 1/2' to work with.) On the opposite wall, which has the doorway in, we have our looks like an 1800s wood stove, but was built in MC with electric fittings stove that measures in at 38", then comes the half hoosier at 39", then the 19" for the
mini fridge that has a separate freezer compartment. The fridge does overlap the doorway trim, so not ideal, but it all fit and I was thrilled. Now that fridge is actually not what I wanted, but it was what we could afford at the time thinking we'd at least get a separate freezer later when funds allowed for bulk meat freezing (and ice cream, I admit it), as the house did not come with any appliances. What I wanted was to get the 4 cu. ft. separate fridge/freezer, and stack them, freezer on bottom, so that I could build a faux surround on the front 3 sides that would mimic a certain cabinet I'd seen in a period advertisement. Buying both then was not in the budget, so what we have was the short term compromise. That may still come to pass unless I stumble upon a refurbished period fridge when I can afford it that is the right size all by itself, and then we'd have a freezer downstairs in the cellar. But at least with this decision, we, being a household of two who very rarely have company, could easily live out of the fridge/freezer combo, given our eating habits. Why am I mentioning this, you might be wondering? I guess I'm warning you that I love to think out of the box.
I know you mentioned you weren't keen on under the counter styles. From your images, I can only see basic shelves through the door of the storage pantry. You mentioned cabinetry but not if any actually exists in there now. (In your OP, you may have updated that and I missed it.) What you can do with the under the counter styles, though, is put them on the counter, or put them on top of storage platforms like folks do with washers & dryers these days for a partially raised counter area or a section that may be floor to ceiling area too. The lower storage if you went the platform route could be for lesser used items like holiday roasting pans or whatever.
Now, as to the sink dilemma. I used to have (until a certain someone forgot he was boiling water and wrecked the pot) a pasta only pot (or asparagus) that had a separate bin that went inside where you could lift it right out with the pasta in that strainer insert. It was made out of a thinner metal to help the water heat faster, hence why an overboil was a disaster. Some, like angel hair, didn't always co-operate completely due to the hole sizes, but it worked great for most of the pasta we typically make. I haven't looked for a replacement in a while, but there could easily be one now that had holes even angel hair won't wiggle through. If you had something like that, it could help to a degree with the kitchen crossings,
but I also don't think it's crazy to have a secondary small sink for quick fills and empties nearer the stove either.
This would leave the scullery intact and free for dirty dishes in its entirety while cooking and baking. The smaller supplemental sink would just do what needs doing. As to the door, how often would someone be at the sink while dishes are coming in? You could also (and I know some folks will hate this) put frosted or stained glass in the top half so anyone trying to come through there would see the outline of someone standing there, and then act accordingly.
So...how big are those tiles, anyhoo? And what's the measurement between the floor and the bottom of the windows? How wide/deep is the Bengal? (And when do we get to see pictures?)
If I have measurements to work with, even just rough--don't need in between each doorway exact, that's easier for me to do my work through on paper suggestions. So if ya want, note some measurements here, and I'm happy to fiddle around, as we've got loads of rain coming this week and I'm a happy constructive procrastinator.
Lastly, for what it's worth, they called them baking pantries because all the prep was done in there. So no actual baking, but all the lead ins and afters too.
My
, trying to get the conversation back to working with what you have while still making it work for you too.