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oh joy builds a house: our kitchen layout and functional things we considered…

oh joy builds a house: kitchen!

This post brought to you in partnership with KitchenAid.

oh joy builds a house: kitchen!

After living in an apartment for almost 10 years, I'm excited to have a normal-sized kitchen (with an island!) to be able to cook with more space and have friends over for dinners-a-plenty! Today, I wanted to give you a peek into the process of designing the kitchen when we were in the early stages with Project M+. When you get to design a kitchen layout from scratch, it makes you really think about your needs and how you function on a daily basis.

oh joy builds a house: kitchen!

Here's a look at an older rendering to get a sense of the space. Some details have changed since this was first drawn (like the exact appliances or the floor tile) but it's a good representation of where we started when we were planning out the layout of this kitchen.

oh joy builds a house: kitchen!

Now, here's a current overhead look at the kitchen and where all the appliances are going. As you can see, it's a U-shaped kitchen with the island right in the center. Based on this, we wanted to keep all the cooking appliances near each other with easy access to the dishwasher and sink when clean-up is needed. We incorporated KitchenAid appliances into our Oh Joy! Office Kitchen a couple years ago when we renovated it – and were so pleased, so we're excited to work with them again for our house!

oh joy builds a house: kitchen!

oh joy builds a house: kitchen!

oh joy builds a house: kitchen!

Instead of a traditional oven/stovetop, we opted for the KitchenAid’s® Commercial-Style 6 Burner Gas Rangetop, which comes with dual-flame burners and a simmer/melt burner for both power and versatility. Getting this rangetop allows us to maximize the space underneath, and KitchenAid offers amazing  oven/microwave combos, so we were still covered from that perspective. We're also planning to add brass paneling around the 3-Speed Canopy Hood.

oh joy builds a house: kitchen!

oh joy builds a house: kitchen!

oh joy builds a house: kitchen!

On the left side of the kitchen, we have the KitchenAid®  Combination Wall Oven with Even-Heat™ True Convection, which was designed to be both beautiful and functional. I love the idea of the oven being more at eye-level, and, we use our microwave a lot, so I wanted it to be in a spot that was easy to get to and not too low. For our fridge, we opted for a Built-In Side by Side Refrigerator, where the larger fridge is next to the smaller freezer. I also love that we're able to panel this piece to blend in nicely with the rest of the cabinets!

oh joy builds a house: kitchen!

oh joy builds a house: kitchen!

On the right side, we have the beautiful 44bBA Dishwasher right by the sink for easy access when loading. We also added a smaller Undercounter Refrigerator, so it's super convenient and easy to grab drinks from outside and helps to free up space in the fridge for more food! Both the dishwasher and beverage fridge came in paneled options, which I love!

oh joy builds a house: kitchen!

I can't wait to show you the final reveal! Are there things about your kitchen layout you would change if you could? Or what parts of your layout have you loved?

{Photos by Lily Glass. Construction by Boswell Construction, Architecture by Project M+, Interiors in collaboration with Cleo Murnane at Project M+. Renderings by Project M+. All other layouts by Joy Cho. My boots are Red Wing Heritage*. Cabinets by Reform, floor by Concrete Collaborative. This post is in partnership with KitchenAid.} 

4 comments

  1. Looks great, love the wall of storage. And I too {heart} white cabinets, light and bright all the way!
    We renovated a few years ago, and I have my dream kitchen. My fridge is probably the same distance away from my stove – it’s kind of a trek. We didn’t have a choice due to a doorway (or I guess I could have just walled off the mancave from the rest of the house, hahahaha), and it’s def NOT the end of the world, but I do find myself carrying to the stove/cooking area as many things as I can in one “trip”.
    For our kitchen layout, since we basically started from scratch, the two best decisions I made were having a pull-out trashcan at the stove/cooking area (we actually have two of them, both dual-bins: one is trash/recycle, the other is trash/dish towel laundry since we don’t use paper towels), and choosing a touch-sensor faucet.
    We have two sinks, and the island sink has a beautiful bridge faucet. My work-horse sink is along the wall, and that’s the one with the touch-faucet. Right now, we’re using only the sink in the island due to marble/water issues by the other sink, and man – I miss that touch-faucet! Also, the two knobs on the bridge faucet, used for achieving your ideal temp, is annoying too. So I’m glad that for 98% of the time, the bridge faucet is just for looks 🙂
    Anyways, for as much as you USE the kitchen, I would put more emphasis on function over design, when you can. I obsessed about our kitchen (the whole reno, actually), and have realized that once you’re really living in a space, you don’t necessarily “see” the design every day – it’s just there and you’re moving/working/being/living in it. So the function is really key in working areas, like kitchens. Of course I LOVE the look of my kitchen, and when I clean up and the sun is shining and everything sparkling, well – my heart sings…..but yes, function is very important.
    Looking forward to seeing this new construction reveal – what an incredible experience for you and your family!

  2. Love it! Love your whole house actually.
    Just a consideration. If the floating shelves are for your everyday dishes, you may want to swap the dishwasher to the other side of the sink. I had that exact situation where I had to unload my dishes onto the counter and have to close the dishwasher to then stand where I needed to in order to reach to put the dishes away. Drove me crazy.
    If the shelves are for more decorative infrequently used items then not such a big deal.

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