kitchen window issues

[macduff]

Hi All,

So I wished for a half scale Chantilly for Christmas, and am currently mid-build. I bought the half scale Lydia Pickett kitchen kit from insomesmallway.co.uk, but I don't know what to do about the window in the Chantilly. Basically, the window in the kitchen is too big for the upper and lower cabinets to fit around, and I'm hoping you can help me with some good ideas about what to do. This is my first half scale project, so I don't want to be too ambitious. Also, I already trimmed out the exterior of the window, so I don't feel too much like undoing what I already did. I'm thinking of just covering the window from the inside w/ the wallpaper and pretending it's not there, and then just painting fake curtains that you would see from the outside looking in on the back of the wallpaper.

But I'm open to suggestions, and hoping you all have some clever and interesting ideas? Thanks!!!!!

Andrea

[Dalesq]

I once saw a house with something like what you are describing. They used mirror or mirrored paper on the outside, to give the appearance of reflecting glass. The inside was finished over the windows. I've also seen houses with "vista windows" inside that are not there on the outside. It's all illusion.

The other option is to just eliminate the window, though it sounds like you might have a little remodeling to do on the outside in that case.

[fov]

I recently bought this kit for the half scale Queen Anne Rowhouse I'm working on. I was worried about this same problem (I'd already done my exterior siding) but it turned out the window is exactly the right height and position to fit over the sink. How "too big" is it, and could you position the cabinets so the ones without the upper cabinets are along the window wall? Or is your only choice to put the cabinets where the window is?

Maybe you could wallpaper it on the inside and put stained glass in it on the outside, so it's less obvious that the window looks in on a wall?

Here's a blog post I did about the kitchen, that shows how the window will work with my cabinets: http://www.emilymorg...om/blog/?p=5049

Also you should check out this awesome bash -- maybe it'll give you some ideas about how else you could rearrange the kitchen to work with your cabinets.

If you could post some pictures that show the room with the window and how you're hoping to lay out the cabinets (using the counter tops the way I did in my blog post), maybe we can give you some other bash ideas?

[macduff]

Debora - I really like the mirrored paper idea - I think that may be a contender!

Emily - I took some pictures w/ the counter top laid out as well as the window from the outside, I just have to figure out how to upload them. Stay tuned!

[chapchap73]

Emily, big thanks for that blog post! I have that same kitchen and may need to do some bashing to fit it in the 1/2 scale victorian.

Andrea, we have all been there with the gallery...some days it just isn't your friend and others it can't do enough for you! Can't wait to see what you figure out.

[macduff]

here are some pictures...you can see the kitchen is very small - as it is, I have to shorten the sink cabinet so that it doesn't stick out quite as far. In the third picture, you can see the cabinets from the outside. Hope the pix aren't too small. I have a new computer, and haven't figured out how to make the images small enough to attach.

Andrea

[havanaholly]

Could you make a windowbox from scrapwood to fit in the bottom of the window to cover where the cabinet shows?

[macduff]

Holly,

I really like that idea too! If I can install the upper cabinets high enough so that they don't show through, then the windowbox idea would definitely work!

[fov]

Or you could split the upper cabinets into two pieces. Get rid of the piece that goes over the cook stove and then you'd have a cabinet and shelf on either side of the window. You'd have to replace the cornice piece but that shouldn't be too difficult (the Lydia Pickett blog I linked to shows how to do this). I like the window box idea too.

My other thought is kind of wonky, but you could flip the L piece so the sink is under the window and the other cabinets are along the open wall. This has nothing to do with your window problem, but would open up the kitchen a bit. You still might want to split the upper cabinets in half to go on either side of the window, but at least then you wouldn't have to shorten the countertop where the little shelves go. In this scenario, you could maybe even scoot the L away from the opening a little bit and build a breakfast bar with stools into the back of the counter, so it looks less weird to be viewing the backs of the cabinets. (I did something like this in my Orchid.)

Or, another wonky thought - move the tall stuff (fridge, etc.) to the wall with the window (maybe by cutting them apart to put two of the three sections on one side of the window and one section on the other), and then put the longer side of the L (including upper cabinets) on the blank wall and the part of the L with the sink on the open wall.

[macduff]

Emily,

I just took a look at your Orchid breakfast bar, and I really like that idea, either on the open end or even by the bay window, since there's not really room for a table or anything. I think I need to mock up a floor plan w/ dimensions so that I can play around w/ the cabinets. I like your 'wonky idea' #2: move the pantry to the window wall, put the sink by the open wall, and then maybe put a breakfast bar behind it. It really opens up the kitchen....

Thanks everyone for the input, and I will post more when I've decided what to do!

[raspberry]

I will be interested to see what your process ends up being on this... I have this same kitchen set and I plan on bashing out the Fairfield kitchen footprint and this kitchen to make it work in the space...I know that there is going to be so many changes that I need to make, but I can't wait to work on it...