It looks like a very functional layout - galley style kitchen. Not knowing the full layout of your home I would consider exploring options to install range hood and maybe have a tall pantry at the peninsula side to substitute the upper cabinets blocking the open flow.

First select a style you want; modern, retro, etc. I would remove pots and pans, and put them in a cabinet. Take down cabinets hanging in middle if kitchen. Put large kitchen island that can be opened from all sides. Find area for small desk, so papers have home. It looks to messy on display on the bulletin board. Put sky light in for natural light if you can. Get on houzz thousands of ideas. Plan well, make sure all planning is done before you begin. I am in the process of doing my kitchen too. Consumer reports has kitchen makeover magazine to rate appliances, etc. I asked friends what they liked and disliked about there kitchens. That was most helpful, they said things I would not have thought about! Good luck.

If you don't need the sitting area, I would expand the size of the island, make it a walk around. Install tons of storage in the island

Even if you don't need a place to eat in the kitchen, you probably will still want a little sitting area so when you have company they can sit and visit with you in the kitchen, or even just have a place to sit down yourself to read a cookbook or just to rest for a minute while you wait on something to cook. Islands are still very popular and useful; if I could redo my kitchen I would try to find room for one, and it looks like you definitely would have room for one. It's great that you can remodel, and there are so many choices, and only you know what style you lean toward. You should probably try to make it as stylish as you can, but also try and build it so it will "age" well, since you have been in this home a while, and it seems that you mean to stay there if you are going to spend this much money on your kitchen, so five years from now I know you don't want to feel like its outdated already. Have fun building your "dream" kitchen, and maybe we can "dream" along with you. ")

HI -- I think it is time for a new kitchen and a better layout for the room . There is too much hanging in the middle and it cuts the room in half . Take some measurements of the whole room and the sizes and places of openings like doors and windows and what appliances you are wanting and what features you would like to have etc. - . then we can go from there. I use to do kitchens and baths so maybe I can give you some ideas.

I think you do need a new kitchen! Make sure your new plan has drawers instead of cupboards on the lower half of the kitchen. You will be forever thankful that you're no longer having to bend and reach into the depths of a cabinet. Without a measured floorplan it's a little difficult to make more specific suggestions. I agree you should be collecting photos on houzz so you can show the kitchen designer what you like (most kitchen companies have a designer on staff or can recommend one). There are so many beautiful directions you can go in that the problem will be in narrowing down the choices. That's why a designer can be so helpful in getting you to focus on solutions.

I agree with yvonne, your kitchen only needs to be de-cluttered. Remove all hanging things from cabinets, walls, refrigerator & remove all items on counters. The reason new kitchens looks so appealing is: no clutter. Look at Houzz photos of bookshelves and make yours more decorative and beautiful (sell some books on Amazon?). Maybe spring for new paint, new art, new curtains, new lighting, new little round table & 2 cute chairs. Hello early retirement!

I'm with you, lefty. An eighties kitchen can be tweaked if you have a small budget, but if you can afford it, as hsaas91 can, it's going to be an investment that will give you pleasure every day and add value to your home (and make it easier to re-sell when that day comes).

To help contain the clutter, I'd suggest if possible having a wall that incorporates storage of all the "stuff" of everyday living :) Have a drawer for take-out menus, a drawer with pens and notepads for phone messages, a place for spare elastics and paper clips, somewhere you can stash clipped recipes before you've put them into a book--all that stuff. This wall could be drawers and cabinets only, with no countertop to collect junk. Then your working space could stay free of anything that doesn't belong (hopefully).

I see that these are 'visual' type people who like to see notes and reminders and have them on display. I would recommend on that same storage wall I mentioned above, having a cork liner on the inside of two cabinet doors that would open up and display all the reminders, and close up to hide them afterwards. Since professional designers will be involved, this kitchen will be able to incorporate lots of clever ideas that will solve the client's individual needs and requirements.

I would draw up the basic floor plan including current position of major appliances, make several copies of the layout so you can change your mind and start over, and then break it into work zones. This space for cooking, this space for food preparation, this space for morning ritual, this space for daily used items like flavorings, this space for cleanup, this space for pantry items, this space for guests and family to hang out, this for glassware, this for plates, wine fridge here, this for plastic containers, this for...etc. Even throw in a few "it would be great to have".

Once you have an idea of how you want your kitchen to work for you, you and the cabinet maker can design accordingly. Your contractor needs to be in the initial meeting to let you know if what you want is possible without major re-wiring or moving plumbing.

I heartily agree about drawers and slide outs for all the lower cabinets. Ditto for the pantry.

A good custom cabinet maker will help provide a detailed plan you can review and tweak until you're satisfied it will work for your life style.

Personally, I think this is the most important part of the remodel. All of the color and material choices are icing on the cake.

It's great you have a separate dining room. I'd use it for your temporary kitchen during the remodel.

I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes and what It looks like when you've finished. I'm excited for you.

If you have the budget then go for it. Get that designer in and have a blast! That was my plan. I had saved updating the kitchen for when youngest left for college. Hated my dropped ceiling, busy oak cabinets, wanted an island....

But daughter graduated in June 2008, then, housing bubble burst, stocks tanked and I decided that with two kids still to get launched maybe I shouldn't be gutting the kitchen!

It is amazing what cleaning out the kitchen, freeing up space by getting rid of little used appliances, painting the ceiling, changing the pendants, oiling the cabinets, updating the hardware and adding a large fantastic piece of art can do. ( I did replace appliances, old beat up sink out and new black granite composite sink in and added a very cool faucet.)

Just goes to show: there is kitchen renovation for all budgets!

Whatever you do. Get rid of the upper cabinets over the peninsula, and since you seem to be a busy family, make sure the new design incorporates a small office area somewhere in the kitch or a blackboard painted surface to leave notes, messages and reminders. Your cabinets look to be in good shape but the whole place needs brightening. Also where does that door way to the left of the peninsula go. If you could move it more to the left you could really have something grand. Good luck. What fun.

Going with GizV's suggestion. You can start by measuring out the existing space, and if there is room perhaps even an island for more efficient traffic flow. It's always a good return on investment if you create a more spacious kitchen when you renovate by incorporating the sitting area as well.

If you have the $$ go to a kitchen designer for the layout. I'm really glad I did.

Dar Eckert, you are absolutely right. It's a case of "you don't know what you don't know" and you'll appreciate the depth of knowledge that a kitchen design specialist can draw on.

With that kind of budget, stealing area from another area may help the kitchen layout a lot. When you provide the kitchen measurements, it would be good to include the adjoining areas so we can see the flow throughout the area.

The door to the left goes into the dining room, and can't be relocated without moving a load bearing wall in the dining room, unfortunately. The kitchen/sitting area is about 18x11ft. I'm attaching a roughly to-scale drawing of the space, without any current appliances or cabinet space or anything drawn in.

I agree with one of the other comments in the sense that the kitchen does not stand alone. It is very important to determine flow and uses to adjacent spaces....circulation spaces will dictate where cabinets can and can't be placed. It's important to have a good line of sight to other areas.
Another important consideration is how your family lives. Sound will emanate from the kitchen; clattering dishes, sink noise, the dishwasher, people talking and laughing and drinking wine. Will the kitchen be part of a larger area or will it be separated from other areas. All these things must be considered...it's not just cabinet style. You can have great cabinets, but function must be considered first.
My suggestion, of course, is to hire an architect. That person will have a broader view than the kitchen designer who will be focused on which cabinets to sell you.

I would like to stand up for kitchen designers! I know a couple of independent certified kitchen designers (NCIDQ) who always start with solving functional issues before they even consider the style of the cabinets! And I know some kitchen companies that have very well qualified designers on staff. I guess the key is to identify the qualifications of the "designer" before you trust them with planning your kitchen. If they are solely concerned with selling cabinets, then they're not going to be your best resource.

Agreed. So it would appear the consensus of opinion is to solve the functional and life style issues, which in turn establishes the basis for the kitchen layout. Doesn't matter who puts it on paper as long as the person tasked with the design considers all issues.

Kitchens are difficult to design properly. We have designed over 100 custom homes and I can tell you from experience that kitchens and master bathrooms/bedrooms are the most difficult to pull together.

I would suggest recommendations from neighbors and friends. Also....ask for references from designers or architects before committing dollars.

Good luck....if you consider all the parameters you'll love it when it's all done.

Tom

Well, we took your collective advice and met with a design/remodel company and the builders/structural guys looked at our house and let us know we can raise ceilings (yay!) and talked with a designer for ideas. We felt really listened to as far as function goes, and the they've won master builders association awards and everything, so there are references everywhere. Good start to a tricky process!

Sounds like you are on the right track. It's going to be pretty exciting....but get used to eating from paper plates for a while. But then again....it may be your opportunity to try all those restaurants...

Yahoo! congratulations! great news...

Good move! Ours was so great they got it done in six weeks in time for graduation.

40-50 thousand?? I hired a contractor and he completely renovated mine, even removed walls and raised the ceiling, included floors, cabinets, moved sink, etc. We got a screaming deal! All under 20,000. Look around and get a few estimates.

Mary Esteban, I guess it's a matter of where you live and who you know. I live in the San Franciso Bay Area. Even Sears best offer was $20,000 for my kitchen and that was for basic cabinets, countertop, flooring, and removing the ceiling...the rest I was on my own for, appliances and all. I have an 8 ft long 1968 galley kitchen. Needless to say, my dream kitchen is on hold until I decide to spend $40,000 plus. Congratulations on your "screaming deal". I'm happy for you, and just a wee bit envious.

Woah....I'd still check around. My kitchen was also 8x8 and believe me we had some bids that were 30-40..but I did my research until I found a company to do it within my budget, and he even went below it. Did you see what we got for our money? I have it posted on here titled 1969 Kitchen Remodel. with pictures. BTW before I settled on a contractor, i researched them and saw other kitchens that they had previously done. We are in Florida , I know that the cost of living here is much less than Cali. Good luck,
I know that MY new kitchen would not be what someone else may want, but after living in a 8X8 galley kitchen for the past 15 years, I feel spoiled. We could not even open the fridge and the dishwasher at the same time before . :-o

All this talk of price makes me a bit nervous! You need to compare apples and apples and know what exactly is included in the price. Some companies low-ball and then add fees for everything. A lot of the cost of a kitchen is in the labour of the various trades, and some will give you a flat rate and others will nickel and dime every last thing. Also, there are many variables in a kitchen price because of (a) quality/construction of the cabinets (b) all the do-dads and inserts that go in the cabinets to organize everything (c) the quality of the drawer slides and handles (d) lighting--LED is more expensive but more economical in the long run (e) countertop materials and edge details (f) backsplashes which can hugely vary in price due to materials and complexity (g) flooring materials and any prep that needs to be done to make sure the floors are stable and level, etc. etc.

So you can't really say a certain size kitchen should cost x number of dollars. Two kitchens exactly the same size and layout can cost different amounts depending on the level of quality and detail desired.

Even getting a second quote can be problematic because again, you have to compare every last detail to have a realistic comparison. And remember that it's not always about price! Do you want a company that's a little cheaper but that creates one problem after another, doesn't finish on time, and doesn't listen to you once they have your money? It's far better to be discerning about the reputation of the company you're working with than looking so closely at the bottom line.

Cynthia...you are absolutely right! However, if you research the company, the reviews, check the BB and make sure they are licensed, also where they send you to pick out Granite, floor, etc, see what THEY say..we heard nothing but great things about our contractors. We had no hidden costs, I made sure to get that all in writing before we signed a contract. Of course there are a lot better quality cabinets out there, thats why we have a budget, but they also have a lifetiem warranty. Another thing to consider was, we have a small condo, it would be foolish to spend 50K on a kitchen when we would not get our money back if we sell in a few tears.
There was a lot to consider where we wanted to spend our dollars, for me, it was size...we needed more room. I upgraded my cabinets , but they are not the most expensive, nor are they the cheapest, but they were within my budget. I wanted nice appliances, and a nice faucet, we had plumbing redone also, and the electric was all redone, still all of that was included in the total price, and they never added a penny extra. We did pay more out of pocket for the flooring, but it was like maybe 200$ more, and we painted ourself, and did our own baseboards, and will finished the crown molding. We also painted the ceiling. But you are right, there is a lot to consider, and google was my best friend.. Don't take the first bid, you are the consumer, shop around!

Thanks, Mary, you've made some really good points.

The smartest approach is to ask lots of questions, get references, and go with your gut feel about the company. You need to trust that they are competent and ethical. Also, I know of contractors who, if the client insists on them being insured and their workers covered by Workers Compensation (Canada), will take arrange this for the job duration but will charge a 10% surcharge on the contracted price. Some people opt to save money and look the other way on the insurance issue but could get into real trouble if there's a problem. Likewise, for those who work for cash only. That's a huge red flag.

We appreciate all of the input you guys have given us! We have a really good vibe with the company we have talked to thus far, but have not ruled out looking around. We have an older home, and with the kitchen redo, we are having to fix the flooring to level it out and fix a load bearing wall, so I know that adds expense as well. So far, we have had discussions about what is and isn't feasible for us, and they are currently working on a new (and smaller!) estimate based on our feedback. So to us, that seems like a good sign.

As for DIY with moldings etc, we would love to DIY, but our skill set ends at ripping out the wallpaper and painting walls and ceilings, so we wouldn't save much by doing our own things, unfortunately.

And as for all of the houzzers mentioning cleaning and organizing, I totally agree. The kitchen is a hub for us, so the clutter ends up there as well. Luckily, thinking about contractors and a crew or even just a designer coming in and poking around is great motivation for clearing clutter and re-thinking use of the space that we do have. Unfortunately, you have to make a mess in order to get organized so that always makes me groan!

I always remember my Dad's words of wisdom (he was always involved in home improvement projects over the years): "Things have got to look worse before they look better". You're going to be turned upside down for the construction period, BUT when it's all over you'll be even more appreciative of the final result. So glad we were able to help you with all our ideas and advice. Houzz members are such a caring community and this thread really shows that.

LOL, I will never forget that mess..if you look at my thread , Say goodbye to our 1969 kitchen, you will see what a mess we had. Cynthia is right, it will make you really appreciate it in the end. As far as clutter, I had to declutter also, I got boxes and decided what I was going to keep first, pots and pans, etc..I threw away, or gave away everything else. Its so worth it to get rid of clutter..I feel so free!!!!!!
Good Luck!