I'm sorry, I'm commenting only to say that I have a sister named Hillary. :-D

you could do a door opening in the corner. ignore the styles of these pics, i'm showing them just for layout suggestions

this is a poor quality pic, but that corner to the left of the wall ovens is a doorway, I believe.

reverse this one

This would fit yours. I believe there is an opening to the left. This would work for your space

You need a kitchen designer , I do not like walk in pantries when that space could easily have pullouts that store at least 2 x the stuff. your island is too small , your sink is too far from the fridge etc you need a counter depth fridge or that wall built out to make the fridge look built in

Hilary, here's an idea, use that corner to store heavy/ bulky items ,to keep the rest of the counter clutter-free. you don't have to do open shelving if that is not your preference

Dear Hilary,

I believe you should begin your new kitchen project with your existing kitchen layout. Because by analyzing it first you’ll know what works and what doesn’t.

So you know what benefits to keep you would otherwise miss, and what problems you need to resolve, fix, or eliminate to get you the perfect kitchen for you and the space you have to work with.

So you can begin creating new layouts (as many as possible) and you’ll know exactly what you need to do to get new kitchen layouts that looks great and performs as efficiently as possible for you and the space you have to work with.

Day to day this layout works ok but entertaining will be difficult if friends and family gather around the island.

Kitchen Critique

Work triangle

To get from your ref to your sink is about 11’ or 5 to 6 steps. Your island does a fair job of separating work space from gathering space. I imagine when you entertain friends and family gather in your kitchen against your sink wall making getting to your only water source difficult.

Appliance Requirements

Ref/f Requirements are met.

There is counter left and right as well as on the island for loading into and taking items out of the ref/f.

Ovens Requirements are met.

There is counter to the left and right of the ovens so you have staging area to prep items going into the ovens and counter for staging items coming out.

Cabinetry to the left and right could be use for bake ware, and pantry items frequently used in baking for efficient easy access. Deep drawers would be better than doors with roll outs behind them. Removable tray dividers in the cabinet above the oves would be useful.

Cook Top requirements are not met.

There is not enough counter to the right or the left of your cook top (about 7”), making it difficult to stage items needed during cooking. And staging items used behind the cook top is not practical (potentially dangerous) because you have to reach over hot pots and pans on the cook top to get to them.

Pot and pans can be stored directly below the cook top for efficient and easy access. Wide drawers with removable dividers would be much more efficient than roll out shelves.

Your cooking utensils will have to be stored behind you in the top drawers to the right of left of your ovens. Not the most convenient.

Sink Requirements are not met.

There is plenty of counter space to the right but not much to the right of the sink making staging items that need to be washed or have been washed difficult and more time consuming.

In a perfect world you should have trash bins, sink, dw but here the trash is in a separate container not built into the cabinetry. The trash bin diameter is small and low making clearing dishes into it awkward, time consuming, and potentially messy.

You have wall cabinetry for dish and glass wear to the right of your ovens. But you are far away from your dining table.

If you have more than one person working in this kitchen baking and cooking is difficult because the ovens and cook top are directly across from each other. Making standing at the cook top and getting into the ovens at the same time more difficult, and uncomfortable.

The two angled door corner wall cabinets say stock cabinetry. There are no other angles anywhere else in this kitchen. These cabinets are very deep, hold a lot of stuff, but you can get to anything in them without getting on a chair or step stool. Open the door what you see great what you don’t consider it lost. These cabinets do not provide a lot of utility. Even with a susan.

Esthetic Performance

The kitchen at first glance is very pretty and looks good. But upon further study the ref/f sticks way out. It is not built into an enclosure like the ovens are. The cabinet above the ref/f is shallow and useless because you can’t easily reach over the ref/f to get into that cabinet.

The two angled door corner wall cabinets say stock cabinetry. There are no other angles anywhere else in this kitchen.

The fully exposed end panel on the wall cabinet by the sink looks like a mistake in how it was handled. It should been covered with a wains panel end to match the door style.

The base end panel by the trash can, and the island finished cabinet ends should have been finished in the same way. Also the toe kicks should be recessed and not go flush to the floor.

At the inside corner base cabinets between the ref and the ovens there are no overlay fillers. So the doors and drawers just stop and there is this void in that corner.

The doors and drawer edges are exposed so that tells me these are framed cabinets with full overlay doors and drawers. This is most noticeable at the cabinet above the ovens and on the back of the island. You can see the huge gaps between the drawers and doors.

You should avoid using this less expensive cabinetry if you can. Within a relatively short time (7 to 10) years it becomes very noticeable when your hinges and drawer glides start to wear in. And your door and drawer alignments get out of whack.

Yes to finish your kitchen so it says custom will cost you more money. But you are never going to remodel this kitchen again...ever. You will live with whatever you get for better or for worse. And when you go to sell, having a dated kitchen will cost you.

The worst part is living with a new kitchen you don’t truly love, and making do for as long as you’re in this home. I’m sure this is not part of your plan.

Imagine…10 years from now will it matter that you spent 5 or 10K more to be living in a kitchen you still truly love. And just as much as you did right after it was installed. Or that you saved 5 or 10K, and in such an inconceivably short time later (10 Years) you’re living in your new kitchen that looks dated and needs remodeling?

Range hood over the island looks great, but the island is just too small. Ovens as a strong focal center… just doesn’t work. It looks good when you first see it and then you’re left wondering why they were put there.

I don’t understand why there is cabinetry on the back of the island when there could have been seating. Unless your dishes and eating utensils are stored there to get you closer to your dining table.

Please do not take any of this personally. I know you inherited this kitchen from the previous homeowner and had no choice but to adapt to it when you moved in.

Space planning your new kitchen is critical. Your layout is your new kitchen. Spend as much time as you can in space planning.

Instead of getting to a plan that will work better and going with it. Give yourself the opportunity to see and experience every possible new kitchen option for you to directly compare and decide from. You won’t regret it.

You can’t have the perfect kitchen without the perfect plan.

Hope this has been helpful.

Joe Brandao

Kitchen Design Company