Another idea. Hide a wing wall in a refrigerator enclosure. Island becomes useful and kitchen no longer appears to be two spaces.

Did you ask your contractor about 6' sliders? Then the header would be too short. From your diagram it looks like the window is 62", which is 5'. That is why I suggested 5' French doors, so the same header size. If you did that, and converted the existing door on the right into a window with the sink under it, you could fix your layout issues.

Thanks, but no we were going for a 5 foot slider. It’s an old house, and the ceilings are low, and there’s barely any space between first and second floors. No play to increase headers.

I love your ideas though, and believe it or not, that was my original plan, to close that door off and create a u-shape kitchen. I planned to then have the stacked washer and dryer next to the fridge.

Then I would have created a peninsula where the “wing wall” is, and a built in dining area by the far window.

I don't think the dishwasher setup will work. Test it out thoroughly before committing to it.

(Put some crates or boxes where the dishwasher will go at the open door level and try rinsing and turning around and loading into the dishwasher behind you without it tripping you up and getting drips everywhere.

Emilyam819, is the range in the far upper left corner of your design? I do like the idea of the sink under the pass through window. If I’m being honest, though, I am not keen on having in-progress laundry right next to the fridge!!

I hear everyone’s point about lipstick on the pig not being the way to go.

And I wholeheartedly agree with that.

I dont really want the whole space to be kitchen. I guess it’s just wishful thinking to think the 18” dishwasher only 17” from the adjacent counter could work.

I’m going to play around with the floorplan incorporating some of your wonderful insights and ideas, and see what I can come up with.

The header for the slider or french doors, while easily accommodating the width, could not accommodate the height. That was the problem.

That having been said, even with all the dysfunction of the layout (y’all dont know the half of it,) there was a bidding war for this house, and 14 people wrote offers. This was pre-pandemic, mind you. The area is very popular because of the proximity to the seashore and all this city has to offer. That’s why I bought it, and that’s why I want to stay.

If I had enough money to do everything it needs, Id be better off tearing it down and rebuilding. I think there is a middle path between running for the hills and spending a king’s ransom; just making it better than it is now.

Having said all of that, I’m taking in everything everyone has said here, gratefully. I really appreciate all of your time and very smart and creative ideas!!

@Sharon Baker

If you plan to stick with it, let's talk small houses. It's really important with a small house to have an overall approach, rather than room-by-room.

IMO there should be a cohesive plan for the whole, otherwise, you'll be stuck with awkwardness. It might be different than it is now, but it will still be awkward, and you won't have addressed your initial impulse.

You might be able to get away with a mishmash theme in a McMansion, but I wouldn't do it in a small house, especially in a sought-after seaside area.

Yes, that is the stove at the top left in my pic.

emilyam, I 'liked' your plan. Here it is a little clearer, with a second option for beside the fridge:

I like that the range is out of the traffic, and laundry has it's own space across the room from the fridge/pantry or fridge/serving area.

Another huge plus of emilyam's plan is that foot traffic doesn't cross between kitchen work zones.

Thanks, mama goose. Love it with that microwave/snack option!

Here is basically Emilyam’s plan that I just changed a little.

The reason I pulled the laundry surround cabinets forward is because then I thought maybe I could somehow attach doors to stretch across the front of the appliances, but I kind of doubt that will work. The washer and dryer are 33 1/2 inches tall or so. I want to put a countertop above (with an inch of breathing room in-between the counter and the appliances.)

I like this plan for the most part, and I humbly admit it is far better than mine was. I need to figure out the best size for the table, since an island with seating is out of the question with this design.

Ok, so that is better than you started with, but the best prep/cooking space is always between the sink and stove, and there is a dishwasher and a wall (!) there. So even though it would mean moving the stove which is a bummer, you really should do it.

People here hate cooktops on islands, but in your case that is the 2nd best option if it fits. Then you’d have a breakfast nook (shared with a hopefully concealed laundry).

I've had a dishwasher between my sink and range before. Not great, but liveable. Having a wall between that space though seems terrible. I think that would really drive you crazy.

I really appreciate this process!! It’s quite helpful.

Are you hoping to re-use a washer and dryer you already have? I would consider a good-looking stacked set, with the controls up front. Then you could have a cabinet, countertop and upper cabinet next to it. That provides useable folding area as well as storage space.

Another budget-friendly tip: every cabinet costs. Two 15" cabinets are more expensive than one 30" cabinet, at least that's been my experience.

Again, I agree with emilyam about the locations of the fridge and range. Also the view from the LR would be of the range hood rather than the fridge--although the view is not a big deal when function is improved. Another thought would be to move the sink toward the center of the window but leave 36" for prep space. Use a single-bowl sink and center the faucet on the window, to disguise the asymmetry. Since the range would have no adjacent upper cabs, use a hood which is 6" wider to help with capture of the steam and grease plume.

If you're using 15" deep cabinets in the island, and don't mind having legs to support the top, I don't see why you can't have seating. I'd suggest four seats, so knee space doesn't overlap, and since the range is in that corner, traffic will be reduced, allowing you to have a minimum width aisle behind the seat on the short side of the island. Of course, if you need the storage space more than seating, using full-depth cabinets with a seat on each end would work, so that you, or a visitor, would have a place to perch. If seating is important, adding a pantry to the laundry area would provide more storage, and since you plan to have counter over the W/D, that would provide space to fold laundry. The bottom of the pantry could house tip-out laundry or recycle bins, with ROTS above for pantry items.

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@mama goose_gw zn6OH

@emilyam819

I like that the laundry in your plan isn't hogging the light. Now the kitchen workspaces have the most natural light in the room. This is as it should be IMO!

Your layout also looks very "New England" to me, and very versatile in a small house.

Here is my newest iteration. I remeasured and found 4 extra inches on the pass thru window wall, and the one opposite, btw.

I decided I could take out the window on the left wall and put the range there, and I can put a new window on the adjacent wall.

The walls have gotten wonky, so I need to redraw, I think.

You all really opened my eyes to the possibility of moving the entire kitchen. It’s amazing what a different perspective can do.

That looks great. I’ll add more comments tomorrow.

Not sure the table really works though, sadly. Any thoughts on this design?

Good to see you are exploring all the possibilities on paper. I liked the washer/dryer in the lower right corner - out of the way of kitchen work.

I would encourage you to explore your w/d options. Some of them look pretty good, and I think you can save yourself the expense of building a closet, as well as having to open and close it all the time. You will need a stacking kit, which are available with a pullout tray. I've had that, and it can be handy. One advantage of that layout is being able to run laundry while you're watching your stewpot.

Look for user reviews and service in your area. We have had good luck with LG. Samsung reviews are less glowing. High spin speeds (>1400) will leave laundry very dry and save you on dryer costs. You can also get features like water heating (220v). I would rather pay more for features than for a closet.

Space is fungible: every inch you buy can be used elsewhere. Not sure where you are with the dishwasher, but 24" would be great.

So as long as you are changing windows, how about just making the one window bigger? Regardless, you have room to center the sink under the window. And leave the window at least 14” from the corner so that cabinets can go on the adjacent wall.

Well for one, I just got that window put in, lol. Originally it was supposed to be a slider. My first contractor said it was possible to do the slider, but sadly he passed away, and since then I found out it is not possible, as I have told you. That one thing threw all my kitchen plans awry.

The pass through window is basically two even sides with the handle and locking mechanism in the center. So if the sink is centered I will be looking at the center stile rather than out the window. It’s not the end of the world, but I thought it might be annoying if it were centered. I may be wrong.

Wall cabinets in that part of the space would need to be hung at about 80 inches because of the support beams starting at 82 inches.

The ceiling is 88 inches in the other part of the space separated by the wing walls.

I just thought it would be kind of claustrophobic to have wall cabinets.

Latifolia, I appreciate your wise comments about space planning. I currently have a beautiful full sized set of LG washer and dryer that I keep in my basement and hate to use because of the 5 foot ceilings down there.I planned on getting the GE space saver compact stackable washer and dryer for the kitchen space because of their petite size.

They are only 33-inches tall, 24 inches wide and 25 inches deep.

Goodness. 5-foot ceilings is not a basement, it's an oversized crawl space. I'm shocked that delivery people were willing to carry machines down there. Agree with you that with 88" ceilings and 82" high beams, upper cabinets will feel oppressive.

We have a set of GE Spacesavers at our townhouse (came with house). They work, but the big LG ones we have in a rental take bigger quilts. If you are considering vacation rentals, that means washing lots of sheets and towels, or sending them out. Will your current machines stack?

In a small house, everything needs to do double duty. A nice farmhouse table works for folding laundry.

@Sharon Baker

I have a compact stackable, high efficiency, washer dryer. GE. Perfect for a small house, which I also have. If I wanted to wash something super bulky (which wouldn't be often), I'd go to a laundromat.

Really, if you live in a small house, things like large washer/dryers are low on the priority list, because there are more important things like closet space to fit in, room for the vacuum cleaner, place for laundry soap, etc. And your kitchen is a key priority for you.

I fold in the air BTW after dumping clean stuff on the bed. Easy to come and go to each room in a small house, and I can't easily forget about it or get lazy.

Exactly!!

I take all my laundry down there to the basement now, including quilts and sheets. (I figure if I ever fall when I’m down there, that will be the end of me, lol.) But, that washer and dryer are not going anywhere, because who would want to haul them out?! So i can brave the stairs and low ceiling for the few times i need to wash bulky stuff, and the rest of the time i can use the upstairs set.