Exercise 4-a

For this exercise, you will draw a floor plan of your existing Kitchen on graph paper or the grids in your furniture package, based on the lesson from lesson Two on measuring. Then, if you aren't sure how to determine the square footage of a room, you can learn from the instructions below.

Remember, your grid paper in the notebook is scaled so that one square equals 1 foot. The heavier cardboard grid that is in the furniture layout package is scaled so the 1 square equals 2 feet. They are both the same size though.

Be sure to measure exactly where all doors are located, as well as all countertops, appliances, sinks, etc. Refer to measuring a room in lesson 2 if you need to.

You may want to go so far as to include some of the standard kitchen symbols on your plan as shown below and also below that are the standard architectural symbols that you used last lesson.

Square Footage

To determine the square footage of a room (and to determine if your Kitchen is small, medium or large) do the following:

Take the measurement of the overall length of the room and multiply that with the overall width of the room. This gives you the square footage of the space. Example: If your Kitchen is 14' x 10', multiply the two dimensions together (14 x 10 = 140) and you have your square footage - 140 Sq. Ft. If your Kitchen has angles and turns, divide the room up into boxes and measure each area individually, then multiply each area separately, then add the totals together. If you have an unusually shaped Kitchen and would like for me to do the square footage for you, just let me know!

This Kitchen is wonderfully open to the Living Area in this home. When measuring
the square footage of this kitchen, you would imagine that there was
a wall behind the base cabinets and start measuring from that point.

Exercise 4-b

Although this is a lovely kitchen, the location of the stove and the sink
require bypassing the sharp corner of the island each time the cook moves between the two.

Using the plan of your Kitchen that you drew in Exercise 4-a, determine where you work triangle is by drawing a straight line between the following three: the sink, refrigerator and stove, as in the plan below.

Are the lengths within the recommended lengths in the lesson?

Exercise 4-c

In this Exercise, go through the following list and determine the changes you want to make in your Kitchen.

The following are divided into groups ranging from Simple/Inexpensive to Major Remodeling. Place a check next to the items you would like to do in your Kitchen. If you have quite a few check marks on Involved/Expensive or Major Remodeling, you are looking at a fairly involved project. If you visit the National Kitchen and Bath Association web site (www.nkba.org), they have a free project folder that you can order to assist you with planning your new kitchen.

Simple/Inexpensive

_____ Add accents (such as new canisters, etc.) to countertop
_____ Hang Artwork or possible wall accents
_____ Fresh fruit in a bowl or flowers in a vase
_____ Add vanilla scented potpourri on countertop
_____ Put dish detergent in decorative bottle with pourer
_____ Change salt/pepper shakers to decorative ones
_____ Use cabinet polish on wood cabinets or surface cleaner on painted cabinets (simple - but you really won't believe the difference this will make)
_____ Add slip-resistant area rug

Medium/Minimal Cost

_____ Change Hardware on Cabinetry (can really change the look of your cabinet doors!)
_____ Repaint walls or Add Wallpaper
_____ Paint ceiling (kitchen ceilings, especially white ones could use a fresh coat of paint every few years)
_____ Change light fixture, add dimmer switch or ceiling fan
_____ Add undercabinet lighting
_____ Replace sink

Involved/Expensive

_____ Replace countertop
_____ Modify existing cabinets by replacing doors or painting
_____ Add or change appliances
_____ New Flooring

Major Remodeling

_____ New cabinets
_____ Change work triangle
_____ Install island
_____ Increase kitchen size by removing walls

Adding this mosaic bee and flower to your kitchen wall would be considered a major expense, yet minimally involved
- unless you did the work yourself and then it would be a minimal expense, yet major involvement! Some
projects will go from one category to another depending on whether you hire labor or do it yourself.

Exercise 4d

You are going to look at the artwork and accessories that are now in your Dining Room. Move them around and rearrange them according to the instructions on the Artwork & Accessories page. Try a symmetrical arrangement and then try an asymmetrical arrangement. Which do you prefer?

Take a good look at the artwork in your Dining Room. Is there enough? And the pieces that are hung, are they hung at the right height. If you have an arrangement of art or a collection on the wall. Take it down, measure the sizes and transfer to newspaper as described on the Artwork page. By taping the newspaper to the wall, try a few different arrangements and see if you can come up with one you like better.

Exercise 4e

In this exercise you will try to determine what size rug or rugs your Dining Room needs if you decide to add one. It is best, when using more than one area rug in a room for them to be different sizes and slightly different patterns. Then they are the same size, they tend to cut a room in half. When they are the same pattern, it gets back to the "hotel room" look. If you have hardwood floors and a fairly large dining room, you may want an area rug under the table and a runner to one side of the room, where most of the foot traffic is.

In this exercise, you will measure the size of your table and determine the size that an area rug needs to be when placed under the table. Or, if you already have an area rug, determine if it is the correct size that you need. If not, can you move it into another room and purchase a new one?

If you are a visual person, you can lay newspapers under the table in the size of the area rug that you are considering to see how the proportions look.

 

Exercise 4f

In this Exercise, you will measure the length and width of your Dining Room to determine the size that the chandelier over the table should be. Then you will measure the table width and subtract 12" to determine what the chandelier size should be. Instructions on how to do this are on the Lighting page.

After you have the range for the size your chandelier should be, measure the width of your chandelier and see if it is the appropriate size for your Dining Room.

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The second part of this exercise will be to measure the distance the bottom of your chandelier is from the table. Compare your chandelier height with the rules of thumb on the Lighting page to determine if your fixture is hung at the correct height. If not, have an electrician come in and either raise or lower it as needed.

Exercise 4g

In this last exercise this lesson, you are going to look at the artwork and accessories that are now in your Dining Room. Move them around and rearrange them according to the instructions on the Artwork & Accessories page. Try a symmetrical arrangement and then try an asymmetrical arrangement. Which do you prefer?

Take a good look at the artwork in your Dining Room. Is there enough? And the pieces that are hung, are they hung at the right height. If you have an arrangement of art or a collection on the wall. Take it down, measure the sizes and transfer to newspaper as described on the Artwork page. By taping the newspaper to the wall, try a few different arrangements and see if you can come up with one you like better.

 

Exercise 4e

In this exercise you will try to determine what size rug or rugs your Dining Room needs if you decide to add one. It is best, when using more than one area rug in a room for them to be different sizes and slightly different patterns. Then they are the same size, they tend to cut a room in half. When they are the same pattern, it gets back to the "hotel room" look. If you have hardwood floors and a fairly large dining room, you may want an area rug under the table and a runner to one side of the room, where most of the foot traffic is.

In this exercise, you will measure the size of your table and determine the size that an area rug needs to be when placed under the table. Or, if you already have an area rug, determine if it is the correct size that you need. If not, can you move it into another room and purchase a new one?

If you are a visual person, you can lay newspapers under the table in the size of the area rug that you are considering to see how the proportions look.