Sink, refrigerator, range (or cooktop and ovens), and some counter space?

Thanks... appliances and sink are ordered....let me clarify... kitchen ORGANIZATION must haves.... and not everyone can afford a designer... that’s why people post to sites like Houzz

You can’t NOT afford professional help. Especially when it’s not an extra cost at all. Can you? Because it’s obvious you don’t know what you don’t know. Such as design services are usually rolled into the cost of a cabinet purchase. There. Doesn’t cost you a dime to get the in person help you actually need.

No need to be ugly!! I am wanting suggestions of favorite kitchen ideas. My builder is custom building my cabinets in my home. He designed the layout, but I am just looking for other suggestions before we finalize the design.

Above photos are some examples of storage ideas.

A kitchen designer might not be too much in your area. At least call & ask approximate quotes for basic services. Doesn't hurt to ask.

If it's just too much try a local cabinet store to get a layout for a nominal fee to get you started.

Measure the current floor plan & post it with photos. So, maybe some one here on Houzz will post a layout for ideas.

Drawers are a big improvement over cabinets for pots and pans and dishes.

Kitchen designers can be great. Thoughtful homeowners who do lots of research can work too.

Thanks Artistsharonva!! Appreciate it!

Red flags everywhere! A builder is not a cabinet maker! He certainly is not a designer. Site built cabinets are a Texas blight to fine cabinet makers everywhere. Worst of the worst.

Some of the worst kitchens that we see are from contractors who don’t know diddly and ruin someone’s kitchen until they can afford to rip it out and remodel.

Organizers don’t make up for bad design. Organizers aren’t even really needed in a well designed kitchen with drawers.

Post your layout.

Money....& lots of it.

My builder is a master carpenter!!! He does beautiful finishing work. I asked for suggestions about design. Believe me, I did my research on his skill and knowledge before I hired him.

A place to vertically store cooking trays &; cutting boards.

as many lower cabinets that are drawers. There is a kitchen forum that would be helpful.

Corner Cabinet options

A few of my favorites I previously sent to our cabinet guy!

Microwave placement. Have a landing place for taking items out.

If a smaller kitchen microwave vent over stove

This is the layout and pictures as of today.... I definitely will incorporate drawers...for almost everything from snacks to pots to pans! thanks for the suggestions.

Thanks mswaves!!! Exactly what I was thinking!!

Layout looks good & functional.

My must haves were a pull out spice rack, storage for trays/pans, storage for cleaning supplies and somewhere for kitchen cloths. We changed all base cabinets to drawers. I also added an extra recycling/garbage pull out and increased the size of the compost area.

I dislike pullout shelves behind cabinet doors... All it takes is one kiddo to try to close the cabinet door (usually a toddler) right after you pull out the shelf, to damage the inside of the door. :-/

Love all drawers. Sizes are personal preference. I don't care for drawers over 24", but some folks would kill for 35"-40" drawers. :-) (I have one that's 33"-34", and I curse it every day, lol.)

Seems you are using a standard fridge just against the wall. If I had a master carpenter I would build in counter depth fridge. Your current plan creates a cave to the left of your friedge. Are you planning for seating at your island?

One Devoted Dame,
Why do you curse your drawer?

Yes, I will have seating at the island.. legs aren’t built yet

I don’t see a cave. I see a great spot for a coffee maker or toaster that is hidden from view

Thanks Jane, I’ll ask about that on Monday!

Allison, that was my thought exactly....coffee and small appliance spot!! Or place to drop my purse when I get in.... I’ll question the dept and decide..

Alison, I have the same type of space in my design. I love the idea of a place to leave commonly used but not pretty appliances OUT. I have 3 I use daily...my coffee grinder, blender and electric kettle.

artistsharonva nailed it

If your builder/master carpenter/kitchen designer is as fabulous as you say, why on earth are you asking us for suggestions? Surely he knows what's important.

I think a kitchen designer would have suggested locating lights under the wall cabinets to illuminate the work surfaces. It is nice to have light coming from in front of the person trying prepare food on the countertops. A good kitchen designer can save their clients a lot of frustration over the years that makes an investment in a kitchen designer worthwhile.

I am Assuming your fridge door will open to the left so it won’t block traffic from garage and that you are not getting a counterdepth fridge (not indicated on plan) your fridge willl stick out 6” from the counter and the door will block it. Not useful space it will be a cave...

I appreciate the concern, but it was my choice not to seek a professional designer and counter lighting because of my budget. This is my refrigerator.

Anglophilia, as stated earlier, he’s made suggestions; however, I wanted to use this forum to see if there was anything new that we didn’t think about incorporating in my kitchen. .... And if you’re really a Professional like you claim, then why aren’t you helping real paying clients instead of browsing Houzz with the intention of being condescending? A professional who wants to be helpful and use this forum for positive purposes would have simply stated any concern and actually made useful suggestions. I asked for suggestions, not ugly!

Ice - Water - Fire, your layout creates allot of backtracking. What is the aisle sizes surrounding that island? The drawing is not to scale but that looks tight.

Your layout is dysfunctional. Post it in the kitchen forum to get help with a better layout before you go further. Right now you are crossing zones and your island is a barrier between sink and fridge

Additionally it doesn't look like you have enough room at the island for seating.

I have 44 inches from island to sink and island to stove.

One Devoted Dame,
Why do you curse your drawer?

I haven't yet found pulls/knobs that I really, really like, so opening such a large, heavy drawer results in bent/broken nails half the time. That's when the mental cursing happens. ;-)

But even when I finally fix that issue, I am still stuck with the drawer closing crookedly -- Unless the drawer is closed perfectly head-on in the center, the right side closes fully, while the far left is askew (the drawer sits to the left of my range, near a corner, so pressure is usually applied to the rightmost half of the drawer front when closing it). I also typically close drawers with my hip, lol, since I usually have a baby in one hand/arm and a utensil/pan in the other.

Lastly, because of its width, it needs a longer pull... Not all manufacturers' lines come in higher lengths, and I dislike the look of 2 short pulls on a single drawer (looks more cluttered/less thoughtful to me).

My island is 5 feet. I will have two barstools there.