Right after I finished writing yesterday’s post about my chance meeting with the project manager who oversaw our garage-to-studio conversion in the Home Depot parking lot, I got a phone call from one of the three contractors that I had called earlier in the week about our addition. I’ll be meeting with him this morning. So naturally, while I was working in the studio yesterday (and making some really encouraging progress that I’ll share on Monday), my mind was spinning with the different ideas I’ve had for the addition, the information that I want to be sure to tell him, etc.
One thing that I almost forgot about is the kitchen. I’ve weighed several different options for the kitchen over the years that I’ve been contemplating and planning for this addition, everything from leaving it just as it is to creating a cased opening on the wall between the kitchen and where the future family/media room will be.
The wall in question is this wall of cabinets. The new family/media room will be just on the other side of this wall. (Sorry, this is an older picture.)
I think the last time I shared about my thoughts about this wall and how it would be affected by the addition, I had envisioned something like this really bad mock up I did last December. ?
But since sharing that, so many people have cautioned me about having the kitchen so wide open to so many different rooms of the house. It cuts down on valuable storage areas, but it would also eliminate any privacy in the family/media room because there would be a straight line of sight from the street, through the front living room, through the kitchen, and into the family room. During the day, that’s not a problem. But at night, if I’m in there watching TV, I’d really prefer some privacy. (I never close the blinds on our windows, and I don’t plan on starting that in the future.)
So I’ve been trying to pay attention. First, I’ve been trying to pay attention to how we really use our home, and how the new family/media room might change things. And second, I’ve tried to pay attention and be on the lookout for an idea that would meet all of those (new) needs.
We host a group from our church every Wednesday night, and that group has been up to about 17 people. Once we have this new room, I have no doubt we’ll meet in there instead of the front living room since the new room will be bigger and (hopefully) more comfortable. And we eat a meal together every time we gather, so the kitchen is very much a part of that gathering. Because of that, I really would like for the kitchen and the new family room to be open to each other in some way.
So I’ve been on the lookout for an idea that will (1) allow the kitchen and family room to be open to each other, (2) allow me to keep as much storage as possible in the kitchen, and (3) allow for privacy at night.
Well, a few months ago, I came across what I believe to be the perfect solution. I happened upon this beautiful design from Wilcon, Inc.
Of course, that is a passthrough from a kitchen to a dining room, and mine would be from the kitchen to a family/media room. But what struck me (and what I had never even considered before) was putting storage on both sides! Loads of family rooms have built-in storage, so I could not only utilize the entire width of lower cabinet space on the kitchen side, as well as have two floor-to-ceiling height cabinets on each end of that wall in the kitchen side, but I could also add storage on the backside (i.e., the family room side).
So what about that privacy I wanted? Well, I’m thinking that I could add some pocket doors (half-doors, really) behind the cabinets on the kitchen side and re-create a similar look that I have in the music room, which is right next door to the kitchen.
Except instead of having full-length doors and a walkthrough like in the music room, the kitchen would have half-length pocket doors (pocket window?) and a passthrough with a full width of lower cabinets beneath.
So as of right now, that’s the plan. And it’s been the plan for a few months now. I didn’t want to share it earlier because (1) the addition wasn’t really on our radar at the time, and (2) I wanted some time to ruminate on this plan without the confusion of a lot of outside input. But the more I think about it, the more I love it!
Here’s a really terrible mock up of what this kind of passthrough would look like on the back wall of our kitchen…
Of course, no kitchen cabinets of mine would ever be white. And I don’t have the slightest clue about how to mock up those pocket doors that would give privacy at night. So you’ll have to use your imagination there. ?
UPDATE: A reader who is much more talented than I am at doing mock ups sent me this. It’s pretty much exactly what I had in mind! (Thank you, Chris!!) The left shows what it might look like with glass-front cabinets, and the right with solid-front cabinets. I love it both ways, so that will be a difficult decision.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
