Eat in kitchen will be something like this and the counter space/shelf next to it will serve as a coffee station area with toaster, espresso machine, etc. for breakfast area necessities.

Oooh, I like it!

I think I'd want more counter space between the stove and the fridge, but that doesn't look doable...

If I could, I'd want a window over the banquette. I can't tell if you have a significant outside wall there.

We actually don't. Here is the layout of the kitchen relative to the rest of the house. Only the wall with the existing window has a wall to the exterior of the home.

We would do a gallery wall in that space.

What dimensions are you thinking of for the table for the banquette? I prefer square or rectangular tables at a banquette because you can't pull in the built-in bench seating, so the sections of bench where the table curves away from the bench aren't useful for dining. But I think the built-in cabinet would interfere with a rectangular table, at the very least making it impossible to access seating from that end. And you generally want the table to overhang the seating slightly, and I don't see how that is going to work with the cabinet there.

If you have enough storage, I'd think about getting rid of the cabinets on the sink wall.

Very nice. The only hesitation I have is that the coffee station is right on top of the banquette area and could make it difficult to access the seating there unless you slide in from the other side. JMO

Overall, I think it's a very practical and workable layout.

My only issue is the tall cabinet next to the banquette. I think it is going to be hard to get a table there and have enough room to maneuver with the coffee station cabinet so close. I would designate the counter area on the other side of the door as the beverage station. In a kitchen your size it wouldn't be very far away.

Do you think it's best to put no counter space over there?

And just do a banquet?

I think what we may do is all one cabinet instead of uppers. Either do glass to the top or solid doors.

It's difficult to determine the actual dimensions from your images, but I would make that entire space the banquette.

“Either do glass to the top or solid doors.“

Careful with getting really tall single doors (rather than stacking). Very tall doors can rack over time. Also they can create an unsettling towering effect. How tall are your ceilings? How tall are each of the two upper cabinet rows shown in your pics?

P.S. It would be better to have individual photos rather than cram 5 into 1.

The proportion of the upper cabinets is off. I think the top stacked cabinets should be shorter in height and the bottom taller.

The coffee bar will be inaccessible once you include a table and chairs. You need adequate space to maneuver into the bench area, so the bench should be wider than the table.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2699918/looking-for-layout-help-memorize-this-first#n=95

1. Would move stove to opposite side of the U shape. 2. Would move fridge toward sink and put that tall coffee station storage next to it (removing it from seating area). 3. Make more base cabinets drawers. 4. Glass over solid, upper cab doors w/ smaller upper & larger lowers.

Consider storage under the banquettes.... Seasonal decorations, seasonal sports gear, or whatever... Access by lifting the seats.

I think the lay out is good. Unless you have lots of nice glassware and dishes I would only do two glass cupboards. Maybe the two that are on each side of the window.

1. The person sitting on the short side of the banquette will be trapped by (and annoyed by) the cabinet to his left.
2. The person sitting away from the pantry on long side of the banquette will be trapped like in a diner.
3. Is the ceiling very high requiring the stacked upper cabinets rather than taller cabinets?
4. The lower cabinets are nice and simple, but the upper cabinets have those boards (at the bottom and between the two rows of cabinets) and huge moldings at the top that make those cabinets look massive and top-heavy.

-- amateur

I definitely agree there is something very off with her cabinet design.. top heavy with the dimensions and the moldings. Our ceilings are 9' tall. I think the issues we are seeing is because the design studio does not do truly custom cabinets so she is working with the dimensions and sizes she CAN, which it seems we will have to do truly custom since this isn't working. Now I have a general idea of the layout though which will be helpful moving forward. We will likely use a local kitchen designer that can come to our actual space and give more opinions. We used a designer from an online service just to start the process and get ideas.

Of course, nothing says the wall cabinets have to go to the ceiling. IKEA Sektion cabinets total about 96" (plinth, 30" base cabinet, 40" wall cabinet, countertop, space above countertop, etc.) which leaves about a foot at the top. And of course, you can't reach shelves 8' above the floor anyway.

-- only designed my own kitchen (once)

The oval tulip table you show is the exact same setup we have in our banquette and I love it. I’m afraid you’re going to be crowded by the coffee station though. I understand wanting both but I’m not sure the dimensions work.

“the design studio does not do truly custom cabinets so she is working with the dimensions and sizes she CAN, which it seems we will have to do truly custom since this isn't working.”

Find a different cabinet line (and a different “design studio”). My cabinets were not custom - they were made in a local factory, and came in 3” increments for height. Many cabinet companies offer that; you don’t need to find a custom shop for that. For your 9’ ceiling, I suggest uppers that are 33” + 18” stack on top of that + 3” crown molding. Crown molding is expensive and provides no utility, so that is why I like a 3“ crown.

Note that the standard distance from floor to top of counters is 36”. Standard distance from counter to bottom of upper cabinets is 18”.

“And of course, you can't reach shelves 8' above the floor anyway.”

Most women of average height cannot reach above the second shelf, or even to the back of the second shelf, without a stepstool. That is regardless whether the uppers are 30” tall, 36“ tall, 42” tall or taller. A step stool is needed regardless. May as well get the extra storage with the taller cabinets.

Suspect you might be a "pantry virgin". If this is your first pantry spend an afternoon thus; mark off the space of a one pantry shelf (tape on the floor will do) and repeatedly place everything you currently store in your uppers on this "shelf"...everything. I'll bet that everything in your current uppers will require only one half of the future pantry shelf space. After doing this reconsider your "need" for all those upper cabs. If your goal is to eliminate "wall space" above a standard height upper there are less expensive options than filling the space with (IMO) useless, and expensive, cabinetry. PS, regular 1x12 inch lumber shelves are superior to wire and using "double swing" hinges on the pantry door adds to ease of use.

We have a massive pantry!! Massive. Storage is not a huge issue but I have always heard that pantries that go all the way up are more of an upscale look than having that foot of space between the cabinet and ceiling which is what we currently have.

I definitely agree that the lower cabinets should not all be glass. It looks awkward and will also make storing things difficult, because everything you put in them will be visible. Perhaps limit the amount of glass cabinetry, using it only in areas where you will be able to put items you don’t mind people seeing...some pretty stemware or decorative serving pieces. I mean, who needs all that pressure to have the inside of the cabinet always be perfect? I also agree that the tall cabinet directly next to the banquette visually blocks the person sitting next to it and really traps them in there. You could remove that tower and move the fridge across to the other wall, kitty corner to the sink. This would allow you to open up the area to the right of the range, extend the counter there and put cabinets above if you want. You would no longer be blocking the range and you’d be able to place a pretty hood above, that could then actually be seen. It definitely feels overwhelming at the start, but by working with the kitchen designer and making revisions the right layout will eventually emerge.

Moving the refrigerator across the kitchen does have merit in my opinion as it would allow the countertop surrounding the range to be expanded and provide more countertop close to the refrigerator for easier loading and unloading. You could even use a left-hinge, bottom-freezer refrigerator (I know, so plebian!) to eliminate the possibility of the refrigerator door banging into a nearby cabinet.

It’s a looong way from fridge to sink area! I’d move the fridge to place it by the door on the left and change where the fridge is shown in your drawing into more counter and/or cupboard space...

I have a similar L with my fridge, range, and sink. 36" between fridge and range, and 20" between the range and corner. The fridge is at the NKBA max recommended distance between two appliances (9'), but in reality is only a couple of steps, and I find the L layout very convenient.

Since you are considering adding a mobile cart, maybe consider an L, to provide space for a set of wide drawers, and the cart can double as counter space against the short wall. In the plan on the left, I moved the sink to the left edge of the window, to increase prep space between the sink and range, but it would work even if the sink doesn't move. I drew a 36" fridge--you could use a 30-32" model to add a few inches between it and the range, but then you'd be locked into that size when it seems that 36" is the new standard. I omitted the awkward coffee station beside the banquette seating.

In the plan on the right, the fridge is on the short wall, as a couple of other posts suggest. The corner would have to be void, unless there is space between the fridge and DW for a door to a Lemans-type corner unit. However, there is space for the coffee station on the range wall. The cart can be stored against the banquette wall, where it can be easily moved for someone to access the bench.

Note that in the plan on the left, the clean-up zone does not cross with the prep zone, which would make it easier for a helper to load and unload the DW, and gather dishes to set the table, without interfering with prep. Also, no open appliance door interferes with another appliance door.