I've been mulling over our kitchen remodel for while, studying books and NKBA info, and I've moved up to lurking on GW for the past few months. I would tremendously appreciate some fresh perspectives!!!

KITCHEN USE

We are two adults & three cats, both humans cook & bake, no children. Would like to casually entertain more, but we don't even have dining space for the two of us; we tend to eat on the couch unless we can sit outside. We are beer and gardening casual, like the look of butcher-block, soapstone, shaker/craftsman; less maintenance is better. We do seasonal baking & putting up veggies (when we need extra prep space, we put a folding table in the middle of the kitchen - this works).

This is not our forever house; plan to be here for ~10 more years. House is a 1940s sideways cape with a bungalow-ish feel (wish it was a bungalow) and 8' ceilings in a working-class neighborhood. We have a modest budget (15k would be great, because we need to replace the floors throughout also, but we're not in a rush). I want to incorporate a hoosier cabinet into the plan for affordable furnishings, because I love the look and functionality.

#1 priority is to fix the basic layout, and #2 wish is to have it feel bright, airy and spacious.

The current layout has gas range & fridge in the line of traffic into the house from the back door and from the living space to the one bathroom in the house. Microwave & toaster oven take up most of the counter space, and only one person can reach the sink at a time. We need a dishwasher. We're going to keep our basic white fridge and range, but would consider separate stove top/oven.

Planning to remove soffits above cabinets and 1/2 wall between kitchen and living room. That said, 1/2 wall has baseboard heat on both sides, so if we can find a way to make it work in our favor, that would save $$$. (Down the road we might take down some part of the wall into the front porch to open up the living space.)

We would love more natural light; the current windows are small & on east side of house. We can change windows but the only walls that can change are the 1/2 wall, and we can also take out the kitchen closet.

* Space for two to work at the same time (prep+(prep or cook or clean))

* Breakfast nook/peninsula seating for 2-4 (expandable flip-top for occasional extra prep space?)

* Drop-off area with a door, like an appliance garage, for chargers, keys, etc.

* Coffee station

* Dishwasher

* Sink preferably under a window and not tucked up against a corner

* Place for trash/recycling (under-sink maybe?)

* Space for kitties' food/water bowls

* Microwave & toaster oven out of the way, off the counter (not a fan of OTR - it seems awfully high)

* Cookbook shelves

* Vertical storage for cookie sheets, cutting boards

* Drawers for pots/pans, baking pans, tupperware, cast iron frying pans & bean pot/casserole

* Appliance storage (kitchenaid mixer, cuisinart, toaster oven (waffle irons, crockpot, blender, panini press can leave the kitchen))

* Exterior ventilation for range hood

* Functional (shallow?) spice storage

NICE TO HAVE

* More light / change windows: a) bigger over sink, b) both same height, c) new window/glass block on the south-facing wall

* Few upper cabinets, or judiciously placed to minimize visual impact (and too much fur for lots of open shelves)

* Hanging rack for frying pans

* Upper cabinets flush w/ ceiling

* storage for root vegetables

* prep sink