Kitchen design advice needed

The kitchen designer made a design for an IP I purchased recently. See the attached existing kitchen photos and the proposed layout.

The corner pantry is a little bit odd, but that is the best way to increase storage space. The living room is quite small so the dining table has to be in the kitchen.

Are there any improvements I can make?

 

Personally I would have stuck with a nice long L shaped kitchen so you didn't have to have a corner pantry.

Where does the fridge live?

 

It's not bad. Are you planning on keeping the oven? Is that why you've gone for a free standing? In my opinion a built in one looks much better, for a small extra outlay.
First photo- first kitchen we ever did. Other photo a granny flat. Much sleeker with the built in oven. An extra cupboard isn't much. You can get a set hotplates and oven for similar price to freestanding.
Can I ask what they quoted for that? Is this a Bunnings or similar?
You can often get custom made for similar prices but you have to order ahead.

 

I considered the option of long L shaped kitchen. However, that means less storage space. Is that an issue?

Fridge will be at the left of the pantry.

 

Are you able to put the layout for the whole house?

You mention the living area is too small for the dining table.. I'd look into removing a wall (putting in a lintel to support the roof) and combine the kitchen/dining room. Possibly using an island to double up as a Dining table and storage/prep area.

 

I think it will be weird to have a pantry stick out 1200mm then have a fridge next to it, you'd have to constantly go around the pantry all the time to get to it. It looks like the pantry is actually only 900mm of shelving in the space so it's a bit of a buzz kill for me.

Are you making the kitchen window smaller? I'd just get rid of the 400mm base cabinet to the left of the dishwasher and make the pantry wider if possible so it can be a double door pantry. However if you end up with a single door 600mm pantry that will be enough for this price point/area (Kelmscott)

 

I did consider that option. The oven is very new and it is a kind of waste to throw it away.The kitchen company will also charge extra for a build in one. That could be extra $1000. The house is around $240k only. Do you think it is still worth spending the extra $1000 for a buildin one? I was quoted for $7k to do the kitchen.

 

An extra cabinet would not be $1k. But seeing you have the oven, buying a new one would be an extra cost too so I'd just leave it.
$7k isn't bad if they are doing everything.

 

I have no problems with a corner pantry..

However I think they are better if they have a door on diagonal.

And I don't know what the void is for.

 

It looks to me as if the pantry is only 582 mm deep, and set along the wall at right angles to the sink - just behind the door into the kitchen. That wall just isn’t shown in the design image - but can be seen in the photo.

So no need to walk around the pantry to get to the fridge.

I wonder if the void is because they only have a 600mm cabinet and want to make the door openable so have brought it further towards the kitchen door?

 

I would just Put in a pantry that's 600 wide and 600 deep. And not have the void.

You'll gain 600mm of floor space.

For what it's worth I think the ideal pantry is probably 900 wide and 450 deep. The idea of being 600 deep isn't always a good use of space. It's hard to reach up high to the back of the cabinet. Dow low isn't so much W problem because of sliding shelves/drawers people have these days

Other ways to compensate for the high back space is to use lazy Susan's on the upper shelf too.

 

But that means the fridge can’t sit next to the pantry as the door won’t open.

Doing it as per the design solves that issue. I would consider using a corner pantry

 

I think you should show all the walls and doors and a table (to scale).

To make sure a table would fit in this design - and see how everything works together.

 

I'd just put in a 900 x 900 corner pantry with the door opening at an angle & get rid of the smaller base cabinet near the dishwasher.

 

Ohh. I didn't realise the fridge was there.

Corner pantry makes sense then. But I still see no need for the void.

If you were being fancy you could put in a pull out pantry cupboard thing in that void. I'd expect that kind of cabinet is expensive. But it would suit the space really well.

 

I like that idea. Presumably it would block the window that isn't shown on the plan.

It's a bit window. So perhaps blocking it off is a great solution