Brownstone Layout - Gut Renovation - 20 x 45
I know this has been addressed before but indulge me. Planning a new gut-reno of a 20×45 townhouse. Elements for the parlor floor: Dining Room, Kitchen, Living Room. Almost all internal walls will be removed for an open loft feel. Zones can be separated by drawing hidden full-length curtains. What do people think of the…
I know this has been addressed before but indulge me.
Planning a new gut-reno of a 20×45 townhouse.
Elements for the parlor floor: Dining Room, Kitchen, Living Room.
Almost all internal walls will be removed for an open loft feel. Zones can be separated by drawing hidden full-length curtains.
What do people think of the following configuration: Dining Room in front, Kitchen in middle (counters & cabinets on the party wall and counter only opposite (galley style), Living Room in the back (full width of house).
I know others have put the kitchen in the back but then you have an odd area on the opposite wall that is usually a small eating space or couch on the wall.
The front of the house is loud so we don’t want to put our living room there. Plus we wanted to use the full-length part of the house (back behind the stairs) for a bigger living room that has views of the garden as opposed to a smaller LR in the middle where the hallway cuts into the width of the room.
What do you guys think? Other configurations? Pros, cons?
Thanks!
OP here.
Thanks for all the great comments. Very helpful. Feel much better about the unconventional layout now.
I forgot to mention that across from the kitchen in the middle of the floor (on the other party wall) we will have a powder room and closet … seems like many others have done that in the “under/behind the stairs space as well”.
Last question … has anyone done this layout without a true-vented hood. Range will be gas but not massive BTUs. We were thinking of self-vented hood (no exhaust pipe) since running that up to roof or to the back of house would be a big expense and not look great.
Is this a single family home? If so you could have a couch in the front of the parlor with a sort of landing area (in apartmenttherapy-speak) with a console or low cabinetry off the main entry doors. And then tuck the kitchen in to the L section of the interior of the building, since you can block off the entryway hallway facing the rear behind your main entryway door. This way you have some sort of hangout space in the front and you are not just having this grandeur of your parlor upstaged by your kitchen. Granted, this will change the flow of the floor and make it less open in the traditional hallway. But you don’t sound like a traditionalist. And also then you can have your dining area in the middle of the main floor and the large full width living room you crave in the back. I think a kitchen tucked off the main open space of your parlor would make it seem more lofty. Good luck!
We have a 20 by 56 parlor level and are also considering the same configuration. Our make-shift dining room is currently located in the back and the living room in the front. Though the living room is a beautiful room, it’s narrow size makes it hard to set up with a TV. Our dining room has essentially become our living space when people come over. It’s brighter and overlooks the garden. Because the parlor is deep, we may try to configure it with living room in back; kitchen and dining area in middle (behind the stairs), and guest room/office area in the front.
Heh, my brownstone is 20×50 and this was almost exactly the configuration we came up with too. (but we have a bathroom opposite where the kitchen will be). We are in the process of doing the work so i can’t comment on what its like living with it yet. But to us it seemed the best layout. We wanted our kitchen in the darkest part of the house and we wanted our living space to be as close to square as possible. Sometimes the tunneling affect bothers us. To me the dining room is better suited to the tunnel layout over a living room. Plus as you mentioned the back is much quieter than the front.
It seems more natural and comfortable to have the living room in front. Also where do you come into the house. Would you enter directly into the dining room? Some suggested that configuration for me but I didn’t like the feeling. It seems more natural to have the living room up front and also more in the original spirit of the parlor floor. Just my taste…
I agree with the above poster. If this layout is what you want, look into moving the interior set of entry doors closer to the stairs, which is what we’ve done. That way you have room for coats, bags, shoes even a little bench, and you won’t be as likely to dump all of that stuff in your dining room.
It doesn’t have to make your dining room smaller, if you have enough room between the doors and the stairs.
I think its fine it suits your way of life.
Personally I think the dining room being the first room you walk into would just make it one giant hallway. Perhaps make a smaller dining room but build a larger entry way that allows for a closet and organization area?
It’s a layout with much to recommend to it. The galley kitchen can be L-shaped to provide a “boundary” between the back living room and the kitchen proper; and for those who like a breakfast bar, there you go. Also, a bathroom and proper coat closet can be configured opposite the galley kitchen, or one can be tucked under the stairs.
Disadvantages? A few. The dining room risks being underused, being “exposed” to the street, and can turn into just a dumping space or (even) bike storage. Not elegant. The galley kitchen is on view from both ends of the house, so it’s not a great solution for messy cooks; furthermore, cooking smells cannot be screened either from other parlor spaces or from the rest of the house. The ventilation run from a center kitchen is long (which reduces its effectiveness) and the soffit ugly. Outdoor grilling or eating becomes (slightly) awkward.
The hallway opposite the kitchen (with the stairs) must be clear or the kitchen risks becoming part of circulation, a problem as a galley kitchen is typically on the narrow side anyway. I might consider a narrower counter opposite, or full-height cabinetry.
Detailing the cabinet transitions from kitchen to dining or kitchen to living are also a bit more complicated, since from either vantage you’re seeing the “side” of the kitchen. It has to be planned carefully.
I like the sound of this layout – was thinking of doing it myself except my house is narrower. I gre up in a brownstone with basically this layout – different was that kitchen was enclosed lengthwise with an eating counter running perpendicular on dining side – on stairways side of kitchen wall there was a hallway running to living room, closet and 1/2 bath. Then living room had a glass room off back opening onto patio.