Architect's Kitchen Plan

I asked The Architects to show me what they would do with the house if it were up to them. I had some ideas of my own, and we did talk about some "must-haves" but I placed very few limitations in terms of layout. I wish I could I show you this animated model that allows me to "walk" through the space to experience what it will look like. It's SO much nicer than a floor plan as you can really get a feel for what it will look like.

So starting here in the living room, looking through the dining room and back into the kitchen...

...the walls have all been opened up. We are standing in the living room, looking through the dining room and back into the kitchen. Off to the right, the first door is a closet which is at the end of the front hall. The second door is the door to a new bathroom that sits between the dining and kitchen. You can't see it but behind the table is a gas fireplace. If we step to the right of the table and toward the new kitchen...

...here is that door to the new bathroom on the right. On the left is the door to the back porch.

Here's a photo of the present kitchen. The wall where the sink is will be removed so the pantry and bathroom...

...become part of the new kitchen space.

The beams have been left exposed (love that) and three new windows (love that too but I would make them bigger) have been added above the sink to the wall where the stove is presently. A new 36" range (love, love, love) is on the back wall with a range hood over it.

Here is a closer look at the sink wall. The three upper cabinets on the left are where the bathroom is presently. My first reaction is that the dishwasher is on the wrong side. Shouldn't it be closest to the cabinets where dishes will be put away? To the right of the windows is the microwave at counter height, tucked out of sight (which I like), and a few shelves above are for display or cookbooks. And to right of that is the cabinet depth refrigerator.

As we turn around, you can see the dining area and a new laundry room. If this seems large, it's because they've enclosed the porch and integrated it into the new kitchen space. I love the idea of having the laundry room out of the basement, and the windows in the dining area overlooking my little garden would provide a great place to sit and enjoy meals. But I no longer have a back porch which I'm not sure I can give up.

Just for a point of reference, here is the back door that I showed you in the kitchen facelift post.
That back door is just on the other side of the center island so you can see how the back porch space has been captured to create the dining area. While it seems like a huge improvement to the kitchen, I wonder if it's too nice, too modern of a kitchen for an old cottage.

And while the dining area and laundry room are a nice addition to the room, I'm giving up a back porch. And let's take a look at how that will look from the outside.

Here's the front of the house in the same interactive model. Let's a walk around the side of the house.

Here is what the enclosed porches would look like. It adds a lot of mass to the house.

This is what that looks like right now.

The new space added to the kitchen (and to the master bedroom above) is separated from the front of the house by the two-story entryway to the back door. I'm not convinced that giving up the back porch is the best choice for the house.

Here's one more view looking straight into the back door entryway. What do you think?