Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On May 14, 2008, at 7:50 AM, paxamicus AT earthlink.net wrote:

> I am designing and redesigning ideas in my head for my new kitchen.

Does this mean the counter offers are resolved and you will be buying  
the place?
> It's basically just a few cabinets attached to one wall and the oven
> plugged in right next to the sink, right now. It wouldn't even take a
> sledge hammer to take it all apart, it's all so temporary-looking.
>
> If you were going to design a kitchen, what things would you include?
>
> My Dad always said he'd build in two dishwashers and no dish
> cupboards...he'd just rotate dishwashers. This is the same man who
> made a recyclables chute out of pvc pipe in the middle of his kitchen
> to the bin in the mud room in the basement underneath.  : )

Thank you. I've been wrestling with the compost and recyclables design  
challenge and since you have now given me fresh thinking I will give  
you free kitchen design advice.

The single most important item is the work triangle. For we gardeners,  
an added dimension is needed: a place somewhere between the garden  
beds and the kitchen sink where heavy soil gets rinsed off, like an  
outside sink or one in a mud room, and heavy, outer leaves and such  
get tossed into the compost.

Food goes from refrigerator to sink to stove. Consider whether you are  
you right- or left-handed. You want counter space each step of the way  
as you move the food and you want to move in your preferred direction.  
The challenge is between counter space and step space to and from the  
three major spots. Smaller triangle equals fewer steps, easier prep.  
The fridge door can hinge from either side.

The Heartwood kitchen has utensils hanging above the front edge of the  
stove. It also has built-in hanging space for three pots and fry pans.  
Cover storage is a shelf with slots, covers slip down into the slots.  
Open front shelves on top. Doors below counters. Drawers versus slide- 
outs. Veggie prep: from chop block onto stove with cleaver or chef's  
knife or with hands. Stand-alone chop block or built-in on counter-top?

> One thing I really want is a big old pantry, which I think I can get
> out of this space.

Consider small doors at back of counter space that allow entry into  
pantry for often-used stuff. I want a walk-in refrigerator in what is  
now my pantry, with doors like that.

> Also, I am short so I am thinking about making the
> work surfaces lower.

By all means. Set up some temp supports and a piece of plywood and  
practice kneading dough and cutting veggies, adjusting height until it  
feels perfect. Some people like kneading area lower, and of stone.  
Size of sink and depth is most important; you spend a lot of time in  
there.

> I'm also thinking about no upper cabinet space at
> all, just windows all the way around wherever I can get them and a lot
> of under surface storage space.

Not a good idea. You want some upper shelves. What's wrong with that  
set in the photo? Looks like maybe they are glass fronts? Even a short  
person will one day tire of bending over to get everything out of  
under-counter area. Ever had a back strain? In my ideal kitchen,  
dishes go onto slat or dowel shelves and drip into drain area at side  
of sink. For stuff used every day a small shelf unit can be suspended  
from the ceiling away from the walls, like over an island or that wrap- 
around counter that with a new, wider top can also be used as a  
breakfast bar.

> I want a roll away top, too, so I can
> leave the small appliances I use all the time out on the surface, but
> I can put them "away" without having to heft them all the time. My
> Kitchen Aid gets a lot of good use.

Appliance closets with roll-up doors look nice, especially in a corner.
> I am also going to ask Roy to wire the place for sound.
>
> Whoo! I would like "warming rack" somewhere, a warm place to let bread
> rise, etc.

Waterbed, stove oven or wall oven with pilot light all work. A hot pad  
is much less expensive and takes up less space than a dedicated  
warming rack. I also use the top of a toaster over--bake potatoes  
while bread is rising. Use heavy bowl, put pad between oven top and  
bowl bottom.

More later.