Congratulations!

I my own self would strip and paint those cabinets, maybe paint the walls a cheerful color, and not do anything else until I had a years experience of paying my new house payment!

Maybe add a seating area or storage for the small appliances that you use all the time like toaster and microwave in the small room at the end.

Kitchen pantry · More Info

North Fork Residence - Nook · More Info

I always joke that buying the house is the cheap part ... updating, maintaining and repairing is the expensive, ongoing and sometimes unexpected part!

Welcome to home ownership!

Congratulations on your new house : ) .

I'd look at 28" refrigerators,

https://www.ajmadison.com/b.php/Frigidaire%2CGE%2CLG%2CWhirlpool%3B28+Inch%3BRefrigerators/N~26+4294839079+4294967259+4294967291+4294967277+4294967279

I wouldn't make many plans for the kitchens right now other than buying some appliances, which, by the way, are no longer manufactured for longevity. Live in the house, use the kitchen, and after about a year you'll have an idea of what works, what doesn't, and what changes you'd like to make.

Congratulations. Looks like you’ve found a great starter home. As you say, there will be plenty of demands on your budget, so live here and enjoy your new home.

Do you think there could be a wife in the picture in the foreseeable future? Most bachelors can cope with just about any kitchen. Wives, on the other hand, tend to have preferences. Observation and personal experience.

I know lots of men who require a nice kitchen, both in form and function. And given that the OP has come here to ask for remodeling/design help, and in fact he said he "would like to make it look better than just a single guy living there," I think we can assume he would like more than "just about any kitchen."

What AJCN said.

It is ridiculous to think about refinishing cabinets at this stage. You have a real dilemma with fitting a fridge, first.

So, I'd kill a couple of birds with one stone. Moving wall cabinets is simple, and I see a fire hazard that needs to be addressed--that stove location is waaay to close to the wall.

Get rid of the base cabinet entirely It looks to be about 18" wide. Buy a skinny cabinet (9' or 12" or so for tray/baking pan storage) to go against the wall, then stove next to that. Fire hazard solved. Move the uppers left to align. Then a vertical filler panel from the cabinet company to separate the fridge from the stove. That filler panel is where you get the extra space for your fridge.

Your first job should be getting the appliances and then at this point, I agree that you should live in the house for 6 months to a year before deciding on a budget and/or any changes to the kitchen. Then we will be more than happy to help with some budget ideas.

Congrats on your house which I forgot to say.

Hey latifolia, can you message me? :)

Question - is there a dining room in your house?

Congrats.

Which of the openings in the drawing are doorways -- all but over the sink?

Is the ceiling fan in the pic a dining area? The only dining area?

Crowding the stove and refrigerator in to that one niche wouldn't work for me. Elbow room, countertop room, fire hazard, etc. -- would not want the stove against the wall like that. Every stove top needs at least a narrow countertop on both sides of it. Would not want a fridge next to a wall that prevented the door(s) from opening all the way. A fridge needs at least a narrow countertop to the right of it (if hinges are on the left).

Answering my own question, I see a window in the nook/room beside the kitchen (with another ceiling fan). Far better to put your refrigerator in that ?dining? nook. If doing that means you cannot eat in that .. ?breakfast nook? ... then you might consider putting a large pantry cabinet on the other side of the room. Eating in the living room would be preferable to leaving that stove against the wall. You should center the stove in the area where both the stove and refrigerator are now located and put your refrigerator elsewhere.

Also note: you probably will not like USING open shelving for the long term, especially if you EVER fry anything -- cleaning them will become a chore. Then there is always needing keeping what is on them neat for appearance sake -- which matters if you might like to stack items such as cereal bowls ... items which could more likely fall off an open shelf if bumped while you reach for something else.

If you're lacking sufficient cabinet space -- such as if you choose shelving, one thing you might consider investing in is a wheeled narrow kitchen island cart, perhaps with a drop leaf.

In the course of time, the flooring in a home needs to be renovated. This is because, owing to the quantity of individuals walking on it and placing it through stress, the flooring passes through wear and tear. I have renovated my home with the help of customer@renovationyc.com .

How much do you plan to spend on remodeling? How long do you plan to spend on it? Will it just be some minor changes or, ripping out those tiles?

What paint colors do you plan to use? Just to give us a idea

Congrats on new house and hooray to mom for recommending us!

TOTALLY agree with Becky.

Get some appliances, do your painting and simply move in and start living for now.

Also agree with Sylvia in regard to making a year of house payments before starting a huge overhaul.

I agree there is no way of knowing how the spaces will work for you and you need time to get that figured out I usually suggest 6 months for sure , do not get stressed about having everything done at once a home is put together one piec at a time and when you do that with only things you love the space becomes yours . Get only what you absolutely need right now.

Congrats on your home. Depends on how much you're willing to do and what your budget is. I'd start by just painting the cabinets. I know you want more space for your fridge and it would be tempting to start a reno right away, but as others have said, move in, enjoy it, and take your time.

Looks like the perfect spot for a dishwasher. The extra inches in width can be filled with a “filler strip” . Hopefully you can find cabinets from a big box store that match in color or stain one or two to match. All the best in your new home!

It’s that little room that is causing problems, SO... rip out the cupboards and cabinets on that wall and center your range there. Add a bottom cabinet and heatproof countertop on each side and a wipeable backsplash across. Perhaps put in a few open shelves on one side and a hanging pot rack on the other. Across that little room you can put your new refrigerator, either next to the window or the adjoining wall, wherever you have the most space. You may be able to use the cabinet you ripped out of the stove wall somewhere here, but get rid of the tiny useless cabinets over the refrigerator- they will work better somewhere else (garage, closets, bathroom?). If you’re new to DIY, find a friend or relative who knows what they are doing and learn on the job. Do the layout first and get it working for you, save the decorating part as ‘Stage 2’. That said, I would paint those cabinets a soft gray, paint the walls either a shade darker or lighter than the wood, get the best non-reflective countertops you can afford, and add color with all your new ‘stuff’. And congrats,

You are going to get a lot of advice on how to make things wonderful, but this is a starter home and before you start spending a lot of money you need to learn about Return on Investment.

The national average ROI for a major kitchen renovation is just under 60%.

For every $100.00 you spend you will get back $60.00 when you sell. That is $40.00 you will not get back and will not have toward your next home purchase.

https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2019/

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't spend anything on your home. You have to keep your home in good repair, but you don't need high end cabinets and fixtures in a starter home and will most likely be over improving the property.

https://www.bankrate.com/finance/real-estate/cautions-about-overimproving-your-home-1.aspx

My advice - buy the appliances you need - keep them mid range. Paint the walls, recolor the grout. keep the cabinets and counter tops. Buy good furniture for your home. High quality furniture lasts a lifetime and can be taken with you to your next home. Cheap furniture gets replaced every few years.

Do not replace the upper cabinets with open shelves. This kitchen is small and does not have enough storage to give up any of the cabinets.

We lived in a home that was built in the 60's. It had the spot for the refrigerator, but it was small like yours. I was able to find a very nice Samsung French door with lower freezer that fit that spot perfectly. It wasn't the biggest refrigerator in the store, but still very nice and totally suitable for our family. We didn't have to remove anything from the space.

Congrats on the new digs!

What a shame they put that kitchen in - I wonder what was there before as photo glimpses into the L/R you have beautiful old moldings - 1920's-40's I'm guessing, and what they put in doesn't match/complement it.

I saw a fabulous kitchen one time in an older home that was all constructed out of free-standing furniture. And it looked great in that old 1920's house! Something like that you can plan out and buy piece by piece. Even take it with you when you sell.

https://search.aol.com/aol/image;_ylt=A0geKLk.xmtdNZwA6g9pCWVH;_ylu=X3oDMTByMDgyYjJiBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMyBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?q=free+standing+kitchen+cabinets+and+storage&v_t=webmail-searchbox

I would save your money and not do a full re-do. Instead, paint the cabinets. I like the drawing someone else diagrammed above with them painted blue and the uppers gone. I put shelves in my condo reno and really liked them. I put decorative items on the upper shelf which would get dusty, and my daily use stuff on the bottom shelf which got used too often to get dusty. Don't go with more than 2 shelves: it looks too cluttered, and things get placed too high to reach items. And get stackable dishes, mugs and glasses. You can even get stackable glass wine glasses:

https://www.amazon.com/stackable-wine-glass/s?k=stackable+wine+glass

If you choose to re-do the counter top, go with wood. It's cheaper than rock, and looks better. Easily re-finishable if it gets scratched, but especially adds a lot of warmth to the space.

For back splash, remember they never existed before HGTV. You don't need it. But if you do choose to do it, I used beadboard for mine painted in a glossy or semi-gloss white to easily wipe if needed. If you paint your cabinets white, you could play with a color on that. That's the nice part of it, you can change it with a quick coat of paint. Tile will be there forever. Oh, any my walls were thin, so my contractor put extra board behind it then the bead board over it, and with that extra strength the shelving was possible. Wouldn't have been without it. Mentioning in case your walls need it...

If you're a fan of white paint, I used Ben Moore's "Chantilly Lace". I liked it because it was bright, without being "blue-white", and was warm without being "yellow". There's a gazzilion whites out there, so figured I'd provide a place to start. I painted my walls, trim and ceiling all the same color. When I sold that condo I did the same in the house I bought. I don't tire of it because I add color around it. As soon as you add a color/shade to a wall it becomes darker. Some houses - old ones with lots of windows - can handle it. Some can't.

Also, if you take the uppers down, consider putting some wall lights/sconces up. It really helps to have some lighting directly over the working surfaces that recessed lighting and chandeliers often don't really hit.... That was totally missing in my condo reno - I liked my light fixture but is shined downward, not outward and my counters were not well lit...

https://search.aol.com/aol/image;_ylt=AwrEzOBUxmtdqh4AsSFjCWVH;_ylu=X3oDMTBsZ29xY3ZzBHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEc2xrA2J1dHRvbg--;_ylc=X1MDMTE5NzgwMzg3NQRfcgMyBGFjdG4DY2xrBGNzcmNwdmlkA2xjUTFQakV3TGpKc3hLMEVFSGk3TWdEVk1UYzBMZ0FBQUFERERBVDIEZnIDBGdwcmlkA1JyNXZFZGd4U2hxNnRVakNjU2s3dUEEbl9zdWdnAzQEb3JpZ2luA3NlYXJjaC5hb2wuY29tBHBvcwMxBHBxc3RyA2tpdGNoZW4lMjBzY29uY2UlMjBsaWcEcHFzdHJsAzE4BHFzdHJsAzI3BHF1ZXJ5A2tpdGNoZW4lMjBzY29uY2UlMjBsaWdodGluZwR0X3N0bXADMTU2NzM0NDQyNw--?fr2=sa-gp-&q=kitchen+sconce+lighting&v_t=webmail-searchbox&s_it=sb_top&ei=UTF-8&n=60&x=wrt&s_qt=ac

Good luck!

are you sorry you asked yet? lol! congrats on your milestone purchase - i'm excited for you! i've owned 7 houses in my life....i agree with those that suggest you move in and live in the house for a few months so you truly get a sense of how you will be living in it. it seems you need to fit a fridge in and one of the folks above had a great economical suggestion of removing the cabinet next to the space and replacing with a smaller cabinet. i, personally, am not a fan of floating shelves/open storage as i would rather spend my time on things i enjoy rather than cleaning. no matter how clean you live, there will always be grease and dust in the kitchen! for now, i would take some notes on suggestions that resonate with you but invest your time and money in what MUST be done until you have a better idea of what you want and need in a few month's time. wishing you much happiness in your new abode!

I hope you have a home inspection before you close on this house.

For example:

I agree with the other comments about the stove against a wall, although I have seen a stove placed there with non-combustible material, such as tile or a metal plate that reflects heat, added to the side wall as well as under the cabinet/above the stove area. That provides a non-combustible material wall covering, although I don’t know if that’s up to code.

Since you have to purchase appliances for the kitchen, check into things like the instruction manual for a stove and read the manufacturer’s space requirements surrounding it. Yours may not meet them. Also check your building code to see if it requires counters on either side of a stove for safety.

General list of minimum clearance requirements for proper air circulation: https://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=21841

Another concern would be the stove covering the cast iron register. The stove would likely cover at least part of the register and inhibit air flow in the room.

Not knowing your budget, or taste, and not having a detailed layout for the room (I assume the fridge goes next to the stove), I will go with very basic suggestions. First, I would paint or put a semi-opaque (lighter) stain on the cabinets. They are very orange and do not mix well with the pinkish floor tile, and the grain is very strong. Replace the handles with modern stainless steel pulls. A good bang-for-your-buck upgrade would be to run backsplash tile all the way up to the ceiling on the wall where the sink is, and also the behind the range, and swap out the counter for a solid material like quartz or granite (and do away with the curb behind the counter...run the tile right down to the counter top). Ideally, for a modern-look kitchen the cabinets would run to the ceiling. A good carpenter could build cabinets that would fill that gap and blend with your existing cabinets, but that is pricey. Cheapest solution is to build open boxes to fit in there, as display shelves. Maybe even pit lighting in them.

Your floor or tile looks solid. To calm down the pinkness, go with something orange — in wall tile or in a bright appliance. Pink and orange neutralize each other.

Here are are some ways I might do this room:

Keep floor tile, paint cabinets glossy white. Paint walls stark white. Install open display-box cabinets on top to fill in to the ceiling. Replace cabinet and drawer pulls with simple stainless rod handles. Replace counter with solid Caesarstone or equivalent in white with marble effect. Choose a strong backsplash tile with orange in it. Or even all orange, like this:

Run it to the ceiling. Do the same on the other wall.

Or, if that color is too much, go for a bright-color fridge, tall and skinny, like this Smeg. You could even do both if you skip the orange tile on the opposite wall. The other appliances I would do in stainless. But i would definitely go for some orange-based color pop in this room, with white and stainless, and a bit of gray in the counter top.

The Caesarstone counter.

Painting those cabinets white would be a good start.

....continuing my thought, if you go with something like I suggested, you could have fun with furniture in your breakfast room. Like these kicky, young pieces from BluDot:

And these fun chairs from Modernica:

Your mileage may vary. I,like strong color. I would definitely replace the ceiling fan with a modern version:

...

If your taste skews less modern, I really like this tile for the wall, which would mesh well with your floor tile:

Why do so so many here assume this new homeowner will flip the property and “trade up”? I stayed in my first house 8 years. You can waste a lot of your life waiting for your real Life to begin. I say fix the place up to your liking and enjoy it. Pay what you can afford. Life is now. Homes are to live in.

PM - I agree that we should live our lives fully and not put everything off, but you have to balance that against saving for tomorrow. I didn't tell this young man not to spend anything on his home, just not to overspend and give his hard earned money to someone else.

Our young people have a much harder road ahead of them than those of us who were born generations before. The economy is in a pretty frightful state, incomes are not rising, more and more people are joining the class of the working poor.

These kids have to learn early and spend wisely. If they miss an opportunity they may not be able to recover.

Congratulations! You know your cooking style & skills and should keep those in mind when you are deciding what to do. A beautiful kitchen is nice, but if you cook it also needs to be practical, think about what you'll use the most and where it needs to go. There are plenty of books and articles on storage and organization, check your library or used bookstores online. If you decided to paint your cabinets, quality paint like Sherwin Williams oil base paint for cabinets (or Benjamin Moore) is worth the extra money. Sign up for sale notifications & coupons now, so you'll have them when the time comes. Do the prep work, follow instructions, and take your time, a bad paint job is worse than no paint job. Also, if you have one near you, get acquainted with Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It is like a thrift store of house parts, some of the stuff is brand new, and in our state it is tax free because it is a charity. Take along measurements for anything your house may need. We've replaced all our cheap hollow plywood doors, bought brand new light fixtures, new newel posts and stair spindles at Habitat for ridiculously low prices. Sometimes people donate whole sets of nice looking kitchen cabinets. You never know. We are in our 3rd old house and have learned all sorts of DIY skills in the process. These days it is even easier with better tools and demonstrations on YouTube.

@jenniferhoga, I don’t think this adult homebuyer posted here to be ”Mommed” and told how to live his life and plan his finances. For all you know, the guy is a financial whiz. The question was about remodeling and design. Notice that he isn’t even asking about where to put his money. He is just asking for ideas on the room’s potential.

First off; decide what you want where; all appliances you routinely use such as the toaster, microwave, blender, mixer, etc. will need to go. If there are not enough outlets, get an electrician in to put outlets wherever you may need them all over the house. Older homes are grandfathered-in and often do not have nearly enough outlets for the modern young homeowner. After infrastructure updates, THEN you can paint walls and begin its face lift.

We did not install uppers in our older house but opted for open 2" thick natural cherry shelves that hold glassware, cups and dishes we use routinely. It makes it easy for guests to help locate these items themselves without feeling snoopy. It is an updated welcoming feature for entertainers.

We also created "closets" with regular doors and floor-to-ceiling adjustable shelves that hold a massive amount but cost a fraction of what cherry cabinets and more granite would. In your diagram, it appears you could easily do that across from the long counter. But if this is an eat-in kitchen, you may need that space for a banquet or small table. OR put a ledge along the wall in front of the window between the fridge and the counter. You can sit there and look out the window as you eat! Sweet!

Blessings on you and your right-of-passage purchase!

@Paul, I just saw your post with the diagram. In your nook you have what looks like a perfect pantry space, between the stub wall and the window wall. In my kitchen we took a long wall space much like that and put up Ikea pantry shelves (made of wood, they were pretty much the same shelves sold at Williams Sonoma for almost twice the price). Then we installed sliding doors across the entire wall (Japanese shoji, in our case).

I’m wondering whether you are a school teacher, fire fighter or cop? In my community of crazy real estate prices, those workers can get housing grants like the one you mentioned. The five-year thing is to keep you from flipping the subsidized property. And sometimes there are limits on how much it can sell for. (If it’s below-market housing, that also explains why you have no appliances.) It’s interesting to hear that you are required to run renovations past the agency or Board that gave you the grant.

You could also do a banquette against that wall and put a table in front of it. You can find inexpensive upholstered banquette “sofas” online, or cobble together a banquette with a cushioned bench and big pillows to sit against, or even an upholstered back hung on the wall (with a cleat hanger).

ways to do a banquette:

My budget advice:

Replace any needed cabinets with the right size off the shelf from home improvement store. (These

look very standard)

Add crown molding to the cabinets and paint them. Add hardware.

Replace the counter tops (and maybe flooring). New sink and faucet.

update lighting and window treatment

Congrats on home ownership! My advice: for now, keep it simple. If budget allows, replace the cabinets/counter/sink/hardware. Go up to the ceiling with cabinets and find a cabinet-depth fridge. If there's enough room, install an island in the center with counter stools so you have a workspace and landing zone between the stove and sink, and perhaps additional storage underneath. Don't bust out any walls or move plumbing/gas/electrical until you live there for awhile and know how the house works/flows. Good luck and have FUN with it!

I thoroughly enjoy the articles and pictures in Houzz. But Youtube videos were my go-to for practical design ideas within my budget range. There are hundreds of them to inspire and teach you. I learned how to inexpensively furnish, decorate and DIY with beautiful results. The key word is "inexpensively" which will be important to you as you start dealing with all the hidden costs of home ownership.

Apart from that, paint (including painting cabinets) is the biggest bang for your buck. So is doing as much as possible yourself. When you need help ask around for a reliable and reasonably priced handyman.

You mentioned the space for your refrigerator. It's one of my pet peeves that today's refrigerators cost an arm and a leg and can take up a huge amount of space. I still love the modern kitchen in my new-build house, but after two years I now think the stainless steel behemoth in the corner was a mistake. I'm starting to see it as a $2,000 eyesore.

If you don't need to store food for a big family, a smaller fridge will be more than adequate and if you can get one that is counter depth (which I regret not doing) you'll have a neater, space-saving esthetic. Also, major appliances in white cost much less than stainless steel, can look great just as they are, and can be creatively covered in all kinds of fun materials should you want to change the look.

Hey, best wishes and enjoy your new home.

Congratulations!

It sounds like you've already made a lot of decisions. I've been in my starter home for nearly 9 years and I wish I had attacked the kitchen first, when labor costs were lower. If you can swing it, put in an IKEA kitchen; they have a 25 year warranty, are used all over Europe, plus the turnaround time is much faster than a traditional kitchen reno. Later, you can change out the doors for a more luxe look. (There are companies that specialize making these) or repaint the wood. IKEA partners with Whirlpool on its appliances and they have a range of kitchen styles traditional to transitional to ultra-modern. Choose all white or all stainless appliances for a streamlined look. And unless you are super-neat and willing to limit your dishes to only white, I would avoid getting rid of all upper cabinets.

The money you save on the kitchen can then be put into high-quality furniture (check out Design Within Reach) that can go with you. Add a gorgeous rug, swap out the dining room chandelier for a statement piece, hang some framed art on the walls, and you will have a sophisticated home. Once you have your home painted and have lived in the place a few months, you could also hire an interior designer to help with finding that rug etc. and coordinating it.

@judith, I wish I had done a complete kitchen reno on my first home. We did not know how to go about it, and were frightened by the potential costs. All of that info is so much more available now (and although labor is higher, some supplies are cheaper, when adjusted for inflation). Some weeks back, Houzz featured a to-the-studs kitchen reno that the homeowner had waited something like 10 years to execute. She knew what she wanted and wanted to do it right. I waited almost 10 years to remodel my current kitchen, but that was because we had to remodel a couple bathrooms first. You do what you can when you can. This fellow Paul is ahead of the game because his home is not in need of structural repair. His kitchen needs decor, not deep renovation.

...

Why is @katinparadise showing a three dots? Twice?

Lots of ideas to mull over. Planning a successful kitchen update/reno takes time and will likely come out better if you have had some time working in the current layout.. Have you considered picking up a used fridge to fit your current space? That way you would not feel obligated to design any changes around an expensive purchase. Then when you have a plan, you can get the right refrigerator. It's usually easy to pick up a good running older one from someone who is renovating and just wants the old stuff out or habitat and the like. Same for a stove. Next year, you'll be ready to make any big changes (or not). In the meantime, painting walls, putting up some artwork and a colorful rug and accessories will allow you to improve the esthetics and reflect your color/style likes. You could also change the pulls as you don't have many and you can find some more contemporary ones for not much $ on amazon and ebay.

Enjoy the new house!

It's the lazy way to say I'm following the thread. I was then stopped getting notifications so I started following again.

So much depends on your budget. If you want to keep it inexpensive then you could paint the cabinets, put in new counters and backsplash and put a waterproof floating floor over the tile. If you want to spend a little more then replace the flooring as well. You could open the wall between the kitchen and the living room a little more or just completely replace all of the cabinets. It all depends on your neighborhood and what improvements are reasonable for that area and your budget and goals. Don't overimprove for your area though.

Good God, you guys!! Wait until you see the rest of the house!! HA HA! Thought about answering you all one by one, but going to cherry pick before ending my lunch break!

I'm 40. I owned a house before with my now ex-wife, moved into an apartment and now moving into a house. So, I've got all the control of what color to make things, how to set it up, etc. without really knowing how to do that. I can hold my own with repairs and my dad is a contractor who translates my "You know, we could..." to "This is how you do it," which ultimately turns into "Hold this light while I do it."

I'd like something better than not, but, it seems a lot of you are saying that I should get used to the space first and then tackle it. With an entire house to do this to, this makes a lot of sense. I've picked out appliances that'll run about $1400 for a fridge (skinny enough to fit), a stove (gas) and a dishwasher (my first!!). I did think about used to just tide me over in the short term and still might. I've got 2 weeks to decide.

Didn't think about the fire hazard thing and moving things over. A pair of 9's for an 18 makes sense and just slide things over. Not sure how the gas line would effect that, but, that's easy enough to fix.

A lot of you said things about budget. I'd like to keep it low, only because I've got the whole house to think about and paint was the cheapest option to give it a different look because the cabinets do like jainky. But, they hold dishes and pots and pans, soo.... could be future Paul's problem!

@P M That looks really cool! That's a good luck for the pantry! Also, I work in IT for a university, so the school provides the grant. I have to stay five years and that's it. After that, I can do with what I want. It's not that they approve the changes. They had an inspector come thru and he comes up with a to do list of things that have to get done in a year. My list is 23 things long, but, some of those are super easy (reseat the toilet) and others are more complicated (rewire the garage). They don't have a say in what I do day-to-day, but I have to fix what they want fixed before next September.

Again, thanks everyone! Sorry i can't respond to you all one by one, but I've read everything you wrote and provide updates! :)

Paul,

I didn't read thru everything but I am curious how many beds/baths b/c that effects how many people might need ro use the kitchen post-Paul. If its a 2br, I would consider moving the gas line and vent (please tell me the stove vents outside!!) to the sink wall, make the whole kitchen along one wall and use that as a bistro nook. That is based on the assumption the wall to the right of the d/w is not bearing and can come down. You could also put a 1'deep pantry btw the opening left of the sink and the utilty chase. Then you might be able to get rid of uppers entirely. But no matter, let these ideas Stew around all winter before you start pulling permits and ripping stuff apart. You only want to do this once. FWIW, those aren't even builder grade cabs. They are stock cabinets from the back back of home depot that got a quick stain.

@Paul, glad you liked it. Seeing as you are 40 and starting a new life post-divorce, that is all the more reason to make your new home look fresh and young. Best of luck!

@briandbec Yeah, the cabinets aren't the greatest, but they hold dishes. It's a 3 bd 1 ba house and it's just me and my daughter every other weekend, so, no rush on getting things done. There's plenty to do!

@P M Thanks! Exciting times!