it's hard to tell. what's the width /l to r of the kitchen?

your 27.5 in cab is very small compared to the sb36 which I take to be sinkbase 36". same with stove.

any other doors or windows in the room? what is the window over sink length?

there are some arrows that look to have a word in them like 'finish' - what is that for? what is it measuring?

You don't have to have a lot of upper cabinets, there are other ways to get more storage. You could put shallow open shelving on the wall with the door, or hang pots and other utensils on the wall. That was Julia Child's favorite solution.

Or install a pot rack in the ceiling in front of the windows. You could also buy or build a small island. IIRC, Pottery Barn has a round kitchen table with storage underneath. Many possibilities.

Hi jyokoe! I've been pondering your question. The parts of the drawing that say "finish," are those the areas you are thinking of putting uppers in?

You say, "Since wall space is limited does it make sense to put in uppers, or should I skip it?" I'm not sure what you mean. What else would you put in that wall space? Also, is this a rental you are fixing up to rent to someone?

If it's a rental, I'd put in uppers for sure. I was a renter from 1998 until I moved into my house this month. One thing I always looked for was enough cabinet/storage space. I'd be skeptical of renting a place without uppers, because I wouldn't have enough space for all my stuff.

But if this is a place you are going to be occupying, you have a lot more options, as Scone911 pointed out. I'm actually not going to have uppers when I remodel my kitchen, because I can no longer reach them.

I think if you could possibly give us a little more info on the place and what your vision is for it, and maybe even a couple of pics, we could be more helpful.

Have a great day! :-)

The "finish" - I believe refers to what the size will be after sheetrock is up. We have a large window on that wall - so we will only have 27.5 inches on either side of the window for upper cabinets + space on the range wall. I am thinking it may be best to get a microwave over the range.

I am not sure if it will look awkward having just one upper cabinet by itself next to the window and door or if that area is better off open shelves or nothing on it.

This will be a rental for the time being. Possibility of family moving in in a few years.

Now I am thinking I'll use some upper cabinets next to the fridge but have it go floor to ceiling to provide additional space. Will have it install sideways so it doesn't take up as much space. Next to the door - will probably have a mobile table/island of some sort so it can be used for storage and additional prep space as needed.

OK! Now I understand. It's not your fault--I'm terrible at reading floor plans and have a very difficult time "seeing" what is meant without pictures. I could never be an architect or designer, lol!

Now I understand what Steph was talking about too! :-)

For my own kitchen, I've gone back and forth on this a few times, but I think I've settled on a MOR (micro over the range). For a very small kitchen, it makes a lot of sense. Plus, I've found one that doubles as a steamer and that would get my steamer off the extremely limited counter space. I steam veggies and rice almost every day.

I like your new ideas! Have you looked at IKEA? They have some nice floor to ceiling cabinets (they call them "high cabinets") that might fit your narrow space perfectly.

Your floating table/prep space is also great. You can basically use base cabs (I'd use drawers for more/better space) with a counter top and put castors on it.

Have a great day! :-)