Storeage is contextual. You have different needs in different zone. If you'll post your layout, you'll get a lot more input.

Agree with LWO. The best configuration for you is the one that provides most efficient storage for the things you have.

As I was planning my new kitchen, I measured a lot of my things - crock pot, mixing bowls, canisters, etc. I planned out where I wanted to put things (utensils and potholders near range, everyday dishes near dishwasher, for example), and that helped dictate the best cabinet options. I have a U-shaped kitchen, and I closed off one corner, so I could put drawers on each side (the other corner has a super susan).

Okay, here's one of the layouts...with left to right, trash pull out, sink, a 9" tray storage, a 36" corner susan(big stuff) , a 21" 4 drawer base (utensils plus spice insert?) , a 33" drawer base (bowls, tupperware, smaller pans), and a 24" base, which might be able to become a 27" in there, and would make it a roll out for appliances (blender, cuisinart).

please feel free to reconfigure, I'm driving my husband crazy with different options, so I need someone else to drive crazy!

I'm gonna be a dissenting voice on the (over) planning of kitchen storage. I'll concede that there might be a few odd shaped items that it makes sense to explicitly plan for. And of course you want to plan storage for flatwear, glasswear, plates and bowls near the dishwasher, and storage for pots and pans near the stove. But anything beyond that is a waste of time and tends to encourage confusing and unattractive design choices. For example, consistent 3 drawer stacks throughout look better and are easier to use than a mix of 2, 3 & 4 drawer stacks.

So my advice is to not over think, just include as many drawers as you can and it and keep it as consistent as possible.

Regarding drawers in the corners, it gets tricky because the drawers can interfere with each other, especially if the handles are big. So I used a 36x36 lazy susan in my one corner, but I'm not crazy about lazy susans either, so I'm not sure I'd want two of them.

And if it were me, in a kitchen that size, I'd rather have a 30" range and 6" more counter and base cabinet than a 36" range. I'm not a big cook myself, but there are many serious cooks in my family that routinely cook for groups of 20+ on 30" ranges, and my observation is that counter space for prep, staging, & serving is more valuable more often than cooktop & oven space in a kitchen this size.

This post was edited by GauchoGordo1993 on Tue, Dec 3, 13 at 17:51

I would move the trash to the right of the sink.

It's not very often I disagree with GreenDesigns, but I do think a trash/recycle cabinet is worthwhile. My kitchen is a bit smaller than this one, and before our remodel, we didn't a good spot for recyclables. We ended up piling stuff up on the counter until someone got around to carrying it out to the garage. The trash/recycle pullout is one of my favorite things in the new kitchen!

What sort of storage do you have planned for over the fridge? Many folks use that for tray storage, but you have that in a base.

With a 36" gas range, don't you need a wider range hood? Are you willing to give up that much upper cabinet space?

Have you seen the KornerKing units for installing in a corner? I found about this product from GW. A recent finished kitchen made use of one of these units and it was a favourite element in his/her kitchen.

Good luck.

Carol

Ditto the blind corner cab. Seems almost anything would be better than that. I have a small kitchen too, and am donating 12" for a pull-out trash cabinet with recycling in a separate spot. It's a good trade for me with my 6 base cabinets and you have more room than I do.

My only advice is that in our last kitchen I had my 4 drawer stack wide enough to hold the long roll of aluminum foil. So glad I did that.

My layout is almost identical. My range wall is a few inches longer and the legs of my U are only 92". I wanted the drawer stacks next to the range to be as wide and functional as possible. When I researched storage options, I read where someone "did the math" and found that there is actually more square inches in storage when you close off the corners and use all drawers instead. I like the quick access of pulling open a drawer rather than pulling out and pushing back a contraption or opening a door and spinning a Susan. Not to mention the $$ savings.

Your long U would allow you to put another drawer stack to the right of the sink. Then you can eliminate that 9" tray storage. I had a 12" one in my old kitchen and it was too cramped and too low to find what I needed quickly. Trays can go over the fridge or you can design a space in the pantry. My tray storage is in a cabinet over my pull-out pantry.

You do not want your trash between the sink and stove, as suggested. One, you won't be able to pull it out while prepping in that corner, and two, while you're at the sink or the stove, someone will want to use the trash, making you step out of the way. My trash cabinet is only 13" and is between the sink and DW. Close to the sink while prepping and accessible to the table clearer without bothering the dish washer (DH!).

I'd suggest two other layout changes. Make your pantry 24" if possible and move the fridge down. You'll appreciate a little more counter space in the corner where the microwave is more than you will the shelf space to store a few more cans of tomatoes.

Is there a dining room on the other side of the peninsula? If so, I would eliminate seating and do a one-level peninsula. You have no large prep space in your kitchen. I use mine like a mini-island.