It's your kitchen, but I disagree about the U shape being nicer looking. To me it looks tight and crowded, and I prefer the expanse of counters in the galley. It is a cleaner look and 'feels' bigger, and to me that's much more pleasant.

Blank wall can be nice for hanging decorative objects, a whiteboard for menu or grocery list, etc. I wouldn't crowd it up with false doors. I suppose you could do one more column of doors, if you could create some between-the-studs storage for spices, etc.

Besides all that, I find that when I'm working in my kitchen, I don't notice cosmetics, but I sure do notice function and how much work room I have.

Agree with Rhome. I like the galley better. Another bonus of the galley is that it gives you more floor space so the kitchen will not only feel bigger, it will be bigger.

Couple of suggestions--What I would do if it was my kitchen--Under cabinet range hood to get some addt'l storage. And, with the pantry cabinet, I'd want drawers for the bottom portion rather than the tall doors. (That is, I would if you're using the full depth of the closet that you're borrowing space from.)

I like the galley much better as well. We have one corner, but I am not using it for storage. I will have counterspace there, a cabinet on one side of the corner, and the range on the other.

What do you plan to store in the pantry? Could you flip the MW with the upper pantry contents? There are some MWs that have a door that lifts up rather than swinging (usually left) that would not block use of the countertop. Surely there are some things you will not use often. Those could go in the upper shelves of the cabinet that would replace the MW cabinet? An appliance pantry could be put at the end of the cabinet run; I doubt the countertop under the MW would be all that useful anyway. I think you would have better access and a little more storage space. If you used some lighted glass cabinets it would lighten up the blind end of the room as well. The DW is just beside the blind end; it would be convenient to store dishes. I'll post a drawing if I can figure out how to get it out of iWorks.

{{!gwi}}

Yes, cotehele, I think that might be a good idea.
I am thinking that the dishwasher can't go right next to the end of the run, as I need a space to stand between the open dishwasher and the recessed cabinets while I am emptying the dishwasher.

This has got me thinking. How efficient are microwave drawers? I don't need anything that's fancy. Just a microwave that zaps the food. If I used a drawer, I could drop the level of the microwave and have more pantry space at eye level.

Am I starting to get too crazy with these ideas?

It is much easier to consider all the possibilities now!

It looked like a cabinet is between the DW and the pantry, but not enough space to stand?

I don't think I would like a MW drawer. The interior height looks shallower than a countertop MW. If it isn't used for large or tall items, it probably would work fine. Many people have one and love it.

Unless you are doing some kind of fancy range I don't really see the aesthetic advantages of the U over the galley, to the contrary you could do something interesting with the wall beside the pantry in your layout, brick veneer a hit of colour, lots of possibilities.

I'm not understanding the differences in the floor plans is he blowing out something else to create the U or does his U not cut into the space where the pantry is in your drawings? Whichever layout is stealing more space, where is it coming from? What are you giving up to get it and how much is it costing?

There are far more important things than symmetry but as your range wall faces into the living space and will be a focal point I'm wondering why you opted not to centre the range as the difference does not seem large enough to make the space on the left side that much more functional.

I really like the size of your space, compact kitchens are so easy to work in.

Oh, yes, there is a cabinet between the dishwasher and pantry. I guess I didn't understand what you were saying. I definitely think the microwave should be moved to make room for dishes and glassware that comes directly from the DW. Why I didn't see that in the first place is beyond me!
I could consider an OTR microwave. I've always had one. It's just that they never seem to pull smoke all that much. I'm not a griller (leave that for the outside here in So. Cal), but what little smoke I do generate has never really gone up the vent. But my GC tells me that OTR microwaves have improved immensely since I put one in last (15 years ago or more).

Thanks so much for your input. I need all the help I can get right now.

How often do you use your microwave? Is there any chance you could put it inside the pantry? Then you could have shelving or a cabinet to the left of the pantry without having to look at the micro or reaching to a far corner to clean it. Do you have a place to store a folding step-stool?...it will make reacing the far cabinet and upper shelves much easier.

I'm going to try bumping this up to see if I can get any additional input. Be as critical as you need to be. This is my first time ever considering anything like this, so I know I'm missing a lot.

Caryscott, the range was offset to give as much continuous counter space as possible on the right side, as well as the widest possible drawers. My thinking was, although it won't be that much wider, I need every inch I can get. Perhaps the gain is negligible. If that's the case, I'd certainly center it. As you pointed out, it will be seen from the family room.

Cilantro, I didn't even know about cabinet range hoods. I checked them out on line. That's the way to go for sure.

I was wondering about your layout and where your structural walls really are. It seems like the contractor U-shape has a wall straight across the middle of the U. Your galley design with recessed pantry and side-wall shows that you can bump into some kind of areas that backs up to your kitchen. So I was wondering what is behind your wall that you can bump part-way but not full-way across. Or maybe you can extend the kitchen into that space.

jayne

Is there going to be a wall behind the sink in the galley version? I think I like the openness of the u because there is no wall there, but the galley gives you more of what you want. I like the way the galley looks better, and agree with the above hood storage and other ideas above.

And you CANNOT overthink this, really!

The bump out is space taken from a closet. The closet does not extend all the way across. That's why we can't just push the entire wall back (a bathroom sink and shower butt up to the other half). We can go about 25 inches deep and then have to stop.

Jaynesb, do you see other possibilities?

I didn't follow earlier threads where you were coming up with your layout so this might have already been discussed.

Can you widen your galley by moving the left side more to the left? The you'd have full access to the full height and width of the former closet space. Right now, it looks like you'll get some upper recessed shelves but space that might be hard to reach for daily use. Also, the lower area looks like dead space unless you are planning a blind corner strategy for that spot.

Depending on what's going on on the other side of the sink leg, you might not be able to do this. If you can do this, you could have uppers/lowers in the former closet or maybe your kitchen ends up becoming more L-shaped depending on what you need to the rest of the room.

jayne

I think it would be helpful if you post the 2 floor plans. I'm having trouble visualizing these, and I think some others are too.

info about the rooms 'above' and to the left of the kitchen would be helpful on those floor plans too.

sarah

Here is a little floor plan. The refrigerator and sink walls are 103 inches long.
The wall that connects the two (and currently houses the range) is 112 inches wide.
No walls can be removed or pushed out, EXCEPT:
The refrigerator can be recessed slightly (in order to make a standard refrigerator flush with the cabinets), as there is a bathtub back of it that can be shortened to a shower and
56 inches of the connecting wall can be recessed (as shown directly below) by approx. 25 inches into an existing closet. The pantry can reach ceiling to floor.
We plan to take down the top half of the wall on the sink side. The roof above the kitchen and adjoining bedroom and family room is flat.
{{!gwi}}

Here is the U-shaped configuration.
{{!gwi}}

I can't add too much to the detailed analysis, but I can tell you I've had both a galley and a U. My previous small kitchen was a 12' x 9' galley and my current kitchen is a medium sized U (don't know the exact dimensions). For what it's worth, I really prefer the galley, even though it was smaller! It was so efficient; my sink was in the middle of one long counter and the fridge and range on the opposite side with a counter in the middle. My U is very awkward and I hate working in the corner. We are remodeling and moving appliances for this very reason!

However, your layouts do seem different from mine. Have you calculated total cabinet and countertop space to compare the two? The U does seem to give you more counter space, but the longest length seems to be between the fridge and range (and in the dreaded corner ;-). I like to prep between the sink and range, so for me, that long length would be underutilized. I had a newer model OTR micro in my galley and it seemed to do a decent job of venting my gas range.

Equest,
I'm with you when it comes to preping between the sink and stove.
Do you remember what OTR micro you had? If I go with a microwave over the range, then this would be what the kitchen might look like:
{{!gwi}}

My OTR micro was a Frigidaire. It was a bit noisy when the fan was on high speed, so I usually ran it on low unless I was cooking something really hot and/or greasy. I think it was only about 1-2 years old.

The only other thing I could think of in terms of layout might not be the direction you'd want to go. I was looking at the version that made use of the recessed area.

If you put your refrigerator into the closet recess next to the pantry, you could then have additional upper/lower cabinetry next to your range (which can now be centered if you wish.)

However, you would lose a cabinet on the sink run so that the refrigerator door can open. This means you end up with making an island that includes [at the least] sink and dishwasher.

Taking advantage of that recessed area for your already-deep refrigerator makes some amount of sense to me as does having space next to your range. But then again, I'm not sure if this type of layout is what you were looking for or if it gives you any clear advantage over the layouts you are already considering.

Actually, I do have one last suggestion. Perhaps create a new topic with a name that that indicates you are searching for layout advice. The "corner storage" topic name might not be getting the same result.

jayne