Another view. Looking at this I see I am having some confusion on which way to make the drawers face under the peninsula. The cabinets will be glass faced, but not necessarily in the style shown here.

Total dimensions of room are 13.6'x11.3'.

A renter does not want a microwave above a fridge.for a 750 sq foot rental, you could do an apt sized fridge or even under counter fridge and clear some counter-put in outlets and that allows a countertop microwave...juicer..toaster oven/etc....hipsters in San Fran want this stuff. If they are in the kitchen,they'll want to move around,not stand at that peninsula....nice that the table will fit but don't block the space up any more. It would be better to abandon the peninsula and do a U shape kitchen,wrapping the walls. 18 in dishwasher would be appropriate...and if you tinker a bit more with this you can probably get a range instead of separate cooktop and oven.

Is the dining area necessary? With four seats?

The cooktop is in a dangerous location.

I would try a layout with the sink and DW flipped and the cooktop and oven flipped. That is still not ideal, but I would try to get the cooktop on the back run of counter.

There is also not too much to be gained by separating the oven and cooktop because they are still used from the same spot. Separating the oven makes sense so it can be opened and closed without disturbing someone at the cooktop. But here, the person at the cooktop is still standing in front of the oven.

But I agree, I would try to do a U. I can't see the plan so I can't tell where other doorways and windows are.

Disclaimer: Not an expert, but I do have a place in the City that one day may become a rental and have seen a lot of property in that size range.

I would consider the U-shaped plan or even an L-shaped plan. Don't chop up the plan with the peninsula. As others point out, you are creating a lot of pinch points, danger zones and a lot of dead space in some valuable real estate.

I would not consider an undercounter fridge; that would be a huge rental liability, I think, especially depending on which neighborhood you are in. A smaller one is OK, but this is not an efficiency.

I could not see your plan, either. Where is the window? Usually there is one in the back wall of these Victorians, or at least a door with a glass portion to let in light. If you move a range to the wall opposite the dining area, you open up space to put your double bin recycling center next to your sink. An overhead microhood could go over the range, and is pretty typical, even in the Victorians I've seen (subject to venting needs and window placement -- this could be flip-flopped). Is that a window near the current peninsula? If so, that makes the better sink location.

If you make the layout a U, consider adding a full length cabinet on the other wall, next to the fridge as supplemental storage for the apartment. I don't know what the rest of the flat looks like, but usually there is a big deficit of storage elsewhere for things like vacuums and other things. If the tall cabinet(s) are arranged correctly, they won't appear oppressive and you'll have plenty of counter space elsewhere.

Mayo510: Some sort of dinning area is necessary. There could be an island that you sit at. The table could be smaller. The chairs would normally be pushed in. I just wanted to get a feel for how much space they might take up.

palimpsest: Do you feel the cooktop is dangerous because of how it sticks out into "traffic"? Would it be better if 6-12" of counter space was at the end of the island. In the past I have liked it when the burners were accessible to more than one person which facilitates multiple people cooking at once. Thx for the point on oven/cooktop interference.

herbflavor: Good point about the microwave. I guess I can't marginalize it as much as I want.

U shaped. I have always hated the inaccessible area that counters make when they turn a corner and they way there is less space to stand where a section of counter can be accessed. Can any of why give more of an explanation/argument for why U shaped?

Thx.

Original kitche rendering attached.

One other view that shows window, door and diagonal section of wall that leads to main living area (upper right here). Some of the cabinetry above the sink could go in favor of another window for more light. There is unfortunately nothing to see but an alley there.

This post was edited by tolachi on Wed, Jan 2, 13 at 20:55

The problem with the range is that it is close to the edge on three sides and they are three sides you will be walking around because of the fridge to sink location.

I grew up in a house with the cooktop on a shallow island accessible from both sides and I agree that it was convenient in that regard. However it was in the middle of a longish island and there was no traffic pattern directly behind it.

Here there is no place for the handles for pots on the outer two burners and no good place for the handle of the pot to the inner burner on the fridge side except over the knob, which isn't great. There is also no way to take something off the outer two burners and set it down on that side. It would be very easy to knock something off this cooktop or burn yourself using it. (And I am generally not too hyper about having yards around a cooktop in every direction).

if there's a LO in the 1st post, it isn't viewable for me either.

that cook top looks very dangerous. I wouldn't want that for myself and definitely not for renters.

Thx to all for the feedback. I have significantly rethought and simplified things based on your thoughts. I think I have a more appropriate fridge, sink, stove flow now. The dishwasher is 18" bosch. The stove and fridge are 30", planning to use my current generic models for now to conserve money. Trash/compost/recycling under the sink or in a free standing bin. Planning to have a woodworking friend glue up some reclaimed doug fir shelves to be mounted on iron brackets.

Your thoughts are again appreciated.

(edit screenshot added. somehow it didn't upload the first time)

This post was edited by tolachi on Tue, Jan 8, 13 at 22:34