Where will the dining room be?

Design diagrams to check the suggested comfortable spacing for people to enjoy using.

The layout has hardly any room for people to actually use it.

I'm worried,too!

I'm worried about your cabinet "designer". The cabinet line up has lots of mistakes. I would get someone else. This would of been a disaster.

This is one of the areas needs a lot of attention.

1- watch door swing when fridge is against deeper wall.

Avoid door handle or door hitting wall or worse not opening fully & fridge drawers can not open.

Check fridge manual before ordering cabinets for needed door swing clearance.

Example to look for

2- odd space hole?

3- cabinets do not lineup flush around the corner. will look like a mistake, especially from side view

4- decor a smooth surface next to doors not consistent. Add pantry decorative doors to oven panel, if keeping them togeather.

For safety, check your stove manual for needed spacing from above wall cabinets before getting cabinets. May need to keep cabinets 3-6" on both sides above oven, spread more room. Each stove has different specs.

what is behind here?

which walls are support walls?

You may be able to recess fridge partially into wall to gain more space

There's too much in this design which leaves no room for humans.

If you have to choose,

which is higher on the wish list

the bar wall or the island?

If the fridge can be recessed & no double oven then more possibilities.

A slide in oven stove suggested.

If you want another oven consider an undercounter oven. That will get you 2 ovens.

Patty, not every kitchen has room for an island. Yours does not. If you are not aware, there are 31 Rules that govern kitchen design. Plus many building codes. Here is a good online visual representation of those 31 Rules. Many of which are sadly being violated in the layout that your cabinet company gave you.

http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/kitchen.design.rules.htm#.WvYPH_9OnYX

Take a look at those illustrations. Then try to find an independent Kitchen Designer who can create a workable and compliant design for you. One that will allow you to age in place in your home. Good luck!

The room off of the kitchen is large enough - but if you don't want to do a major renovation - there isn't a good way to integrate that space into the working triangle of the kitchen.

If you were willing to do a larger renovation i.e. move the kitchen, I still like the look of kitchen I mocked up for ya back in March =) (reposted below!)

Beyond moving the kitchen - could the patio doors be relocated? And/or the opening into the family room widened?

Don't laugh at my pitiful attempt to edit in Paint...

Could something like this work? (Note that nothing is to scale and clearances are off, it's just to show general appliance placement.)

I agree that the design is too discombobulated. The flow is not conducive to a dedicated cooking are and kids. Think outside the box with the design. Here is a plan that would work, hope this helps!

1) Locate the fridge and a full height pantry on the common wall to the laundry. This frees up the traffic to the fridge and goodies and allows a dedicated cooking area.

2) To eliminate all those overhead cabinets, which no one can get into anyway, work around three "islands" the same size. (the center island is a little wider at 27") This would create a working station (Sink, dishwasher, oven), a prep station in the center (with an end table), and a full height pantry and low cabinet (at the end facing the lounge seating). No overhead cabinets. The two pantries will accommodate what the overheads did.

3) Install drawers instead of doors in the cabinets for everything, even dishes and glasses. Especially in the center island, which is easy to get to and convenient for the whole family.

4) The back wall over the stove and sink could be featured with brick or a great tile to ceiling and some floating shelves and good oven hood.

5) The window, which was originally over the sink, can have shelves and an herb garden, or a garden window if so inclined.

6) The eating table at the end of the island should not be counter height. Lower it to a standard table height 29" with chair height low stools.

7) Choose one finish for everything and treat the center island/table as something unique or different color. Treat it as a furniture to add interest.

8) The far wall indicated a large bookcase depth (12") cabinet, closed and opened, for additional pantry storage. I have found that 12" depth cabinets can hold just about anything and nothing gets lost in the back of the cabinet.

Here's some inspiration pics:

Note color of cabinets, oak accent drawer fronts, brass hardware, black window frame

Note brick back wall to ceiling and open shelves for daily items

Note drawers in cabinet and shelves over sink (No overhead cabinets)

Note black window and door frame and no overhead cabinets

Note to consider center island as "furniture piece"

Note low eating table at end of center island with chair height stools (Not counter bar height)

Note this is a converted 12" deep bookcase from Ikea. Consider this for additional shallow pantry space from lounge seating to kitchen - as long as possible.

Sarah, that might work but the stove would be on an inside wall. Would that be okay?

Denise,
Wow, I am very excited to see this mock up! I wanted to double check measurements. From the back wall to the closet wall is 11' 6". so looks like there would be room for the 27" island but not room for the pantry and cabinet.. I will attach a picture so you can see what I am talking about. Does this change your design at all?

Your dimensions seem to be off on your sketch, or I can't figure it out. haha-happens.

Something is off with the stair/closet/entrance dimensions. Double check the overall dimensions as it looks like it's off in the center. Here's a somewhat revised plan. Obviously a local kitchen planner needs to confirm.

I like having three specific work surfaces and would hate to give up that pantry backing the stair/closet. Lots of tweeks need to happen.

Anyway, for the sake of a wonderfully functional kitchen for your family, lose the front closet. The closet seems very small for your size family anyway. Is there another place for a proper closet?

I added in some measurements.

RE: range on an inside wall - you would have to see how best to vent it out. In our current kitchen, the range is on an inside wall. I have all the ducts running on top of the cabinets -- everything is hidden by the crown molding.

It is not as efficient as venting outside directly, but in our particular case it was not possible to vent on an outside wall.

Still need overall dimensions from as indicated in pink above.

However, steal whatever you need from that front closet into the kitchen to accommodate the three islands: 24" sink counter + 44"+-to center island + 27" center island + 44"+- to pantry/island + 24" pantry at stair = 13'-6".

When you remove the front closet, place a bench and mirror or art above and coat hooks on the perpendicular walls looking towards the seating area, for guests. Or leave the existing closet door configuration with shelves or coat hooks on that interior closet space..