Good idea, but we've already filled up the rest of the tiny room - there's no space left for a portable dishwasher. Perhaps it could be stored in the garage when not in use...something to think about.

We lived in one room with a kitchenette for like two years during the remodel. You definitely want the dishwasher. Just have fewer dishes and wash them after every meal. You will be washing dishes constantly anyway because you don't have enough counter space to leave them out and it is gross to have dirty dishes right next to where you are living/sleeping.

Also FOR SURE get a real vent for above your little induction cook top. Sleeping in the smell of old burnt chicken or old stir fry or old whatever will drive you batty and make you and your home feel so gross. We didn't have a vent, and that is the #1 thing I'd have changed.

I would suggest getting the dishwasher AND the largest sink you can fit and getting a cutting board that fits on top of half of it so it can be counter for prep and a big sink for clean up. This is your only work space, and it sounds as if you have other places to store things, so prioritize whatever makes working easier here and not storage.

Yup - PDF doesn't show it, but we've planned a small 24" hood vent at the far left of the counter. That's an outside wall so ducting will be easy.

Understanding that smaller isn't better with a hood vent - if anyone has recommendations on a very slim, 24" hood vent I'm all ears. We'll certainly accept a louder unit if performance warrants it.

Portable DW's roll easy. Yup, roll it into the garage. Or, better yet, run a plumbing hook-up out there so it can run in the garage. It can be used for hooking up hoses for gardening or washing the car later on. Then you don't have to wheel it back and forth into your tiny living space and it can run at night and not keep you awake. And if you buy a used one and it leaks a bit, it won't be a problem.

I don't know anything about 24" hoods. Sorry. But I just took a quick look at HD's website and they have thirty of that size to choose from.

Just a thought, sounds like you're living in the country since you have a pole barn. Do you anticipate doing a lot of canning in the future? You might want to design this kitchen in a way that works for a summer canning kitchen so you don't have to heat up your house during marathon canning sessions in the hot weather.

we have an in-law kitchenette that is about 8 feet long also. I think the trick is to find small-scale appliances.

The main space-saver is an apartment size refrigerator/freezer (the one we have is made by LG, 24" and tall, freezer drawers help keep everything well-organized, works great and is very reasonably priced to boot). LG small fridge/freezer

Another item that saves space but is big on function is you can do an 18" dishwasher. They also have combo dishwasher/sinks (but IMO, they are too expensive and you can't have a garbage disposal if you go this route, and i find it is counter to how you would load dishes). Or go for a single dishwasher drawer and use the other space to have a microwave cubby.

get a cutting board that is cut to fit inside your sink, or is large enough to cover the opening of your sink to give you more counter space for working. or you can also get an island on wheels to help you prep if you have the space.

for pots and pans storage, consider getting a pot rack that you can hang on your wall or in the ceiling.

for cooking ventilation, consider putting in a window, or getting a built-in over the range microwave with fan.

good luck with your construction! hope this helps!

Good ideas - thanks! My brother is handy in the wood department and has gifted us nice cutting boards in the past. I'll get him going on a custom unit to fit the sink.

One of our biggest space issues - we're coffee snobs. It likely goes against all conventional wisdom, but taking up a precious 1/3 of the available counter space - our grinder and espresso machine. We're both in agreement, living without them for 9-12 months is a non-starter.

One does what one has to do during the pain of new construction, and we're even getting by with a Porta Potty for the next couple of weeks. But, you can pry our Zaffiro and Mini Mazzer from our cold, dead hands... ;)

Totally get the coffee thing :-) More important than food!!! I agree with above, especially using vertical hanging space for utensils, and the cutting board.

I just wanted to add some things that are less about layout and more about function - as right now we are living in our temp kitchen: TV trays - invest in some folding trays - these are great just as "emergency countertop" when you need to relocate something to get it out of your way temporarily. Old school but they are great.

Also, really keep the size of any waste/compost containers in the kitchen minimal, and just take the garbage out every day. We have a huge garbage in our temp kitchen right now, it builds up and smells and I hate it! And don't forget the insides of cupboards can be storage too, think hooks....

And you may want to think about going with "compact" dishes like corelle or something - our current dishes are big fiestaware things, but during the main reno we switched to lightweight small plastic plates, saved a TON of space. Oh yah, and multitask with your Tupperware - they can be storage containers, mixing bowls, serving dishes all in one.

OK hope any of that helps!