Do a blind corner cabinet. Diagonal corner cabinets are a pain and hard to organize. Without it, you'll have improved head room too. It'll feel roomier.

What brand of cabinets are you using? Some brands offer a WIDE STILE mod. If you don't like blind corners, you can do a 6" blind instead of 9-12". You won't as many things in the back.

Or, you could void the corner or pull the Easy Reach out by 3" on each wall like in the picture below:

Personally, I'd want to see if I could work on the layout to make it more functional. In particular, you don't have enough workspace where it's needed most -- between the sink and range.

Thank you, Buehl. I am actually inclined to go with a stock 24 x 12 easy-reach, pulled forward. The more I think about it and the difficult reach we have right now with the angle cabinet, the reduced depth makes a lot more sense. Plus, it is a stock cabinet.

I had considered a blind corner, but only for like a hot minute. That space is totally useless. And you are correct about lack of counter space, one of my wife's chief complaints. With a fairly narrow kitchen, just over 10' wide, the refrigerator wall is right behind where these photos were taken. My plan is to move the refrigerator closer to the doorway from where the penninsula picture was taken, giving me a 5' stretch to the right of it, an easy turn around from the oven.

This was one of the early sketches. Cabinets choices have changed since then, but the overall concept remains.

I think that you will find that frameless cabinets are just easier to access everything inside.

I agree with just pulling the easy-reach corner forward - that's a great solution.

Is that a window or doorway to the right of the sink?

If a window,

• How high off the floor is it?
• If it's a window that's less than 36" off the floor, would you be willing to replace it with a shorter window so it ends at or above the counter? (See pics below for windows counter-height.)

If a door/doorway,

• Is there another door that leads to the same place?
• If a door, would you be willing to change it to a window and make what appears to be a window farther to the right into a doorway?

Do you have a Dining Room elsewhere? If so,

• Would you be willing to forgo the table here and use your Dining Room full-time? (We did that and have absolutely no regrets!)

.

Counter-height windows:

Buehl,

Again, thank you for your comments. I did misspeak however when I sais I had settled on a standard 24 x 12 easy reach. I meant 21 x 12. I knew 24" wouldn't fit. That still has about 16" front to back, and pulled forward to the 15" cabinets on either side, isn't as bad a reach.

This was a traditional 6 room cape style, front door entrance into the living room. From there the doorway into the kitchen is shown on the bottom of my diagram. Just before entering the kitchen is a hard left staircase to the second floor. The bump in the lower left of the kitchen is the stairway to the basement, which sits under the other staircase.

The current penninsula is opposite the kitchen doorway, so you can see it interferes with everything. The refrigerator is currently much more to the left, providing walk room into the kitchen. This is why I need to get rid of the penninsula, and place cabinets on the far right wall.

The doorway to the right of the dishwasher was the original back door. In 1986 we had an addition put on, so that is now a hallway, with a laundry room & 1/2 bath to the left, behind the kitchen sink. That window was replaced with a fixed plexiglass sheet, to provide some natural light into the kitchen.

To the right, opposite the laundry room, is a full size dining room. The hallway extends down to a side rear entrance from our driveway, with a mud room area, and continues down to a family room across the back of the house. There is also a doorway from the dining room into the family room.

I just want to throw this out here in case it sparks more ideas for you...

If my mind's eye is correct in understanding your floor plan, I'm thinking you'll get a much improved overall layout with more bang for your buck if the dining room in the addition and the original kitchen+dining nook swap places.

If you're willing to toss around the idea, just post a picture of a drawing with the first floor layout and dimensions.

I also was thinking that a "swap" of spaces will allow a much more functional kitchen.

In addition....I'm not sure where you live but verify the codes of upper depths by the range.

Most of the time 13" depth is the maximum

Good point Tischler...not to mention it may feel more intrusive when standing at the countertop

Yeah, a space swap is never going to happen. The existing kitchen, both work area and dining, is about 10 x 18-1/2'. The dining area portion of this is about 7-1/2 x 10'. The formal dining room is 12 x 18'.

Besides, our current 14" deep cabinets were set only 51" off the floor, not 54" like they are supposed to be. Remember, this was a 1934 build. We are well accustomed to limited workspace, not even being able to pull a knife out of a knife block. The proper 54" height will be a blessing!

Also,even if the kitchen was bigger, who would want to eat their regular everyday meals in a separate room, and have a formal dining room in their kitchen?

I suggested you explore moving the kitchen not for more space, but rather about a better functioning space that doesn't have a triangle of walkways in the middle of it.

I don't know where your pantry is, but some variation of this fridge and pullout configuration on the south wall might be helpful. Personally, I would prefer the dining wall be lower, slim cabinets that are a bit more dressy, yet still utilitarian for storing small appliances out of sight and some of your better items that are more decorative above..

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Again, a swap is neither possible, or practical. The kitchen has two doorways, the entrance at the bottom, and the exit to the hallway and addition, at the top, if you look at my diagram. If the dining room was put here, one would have to walk around the dining room table, after entering the room from the front entrance/living room, in order to reach the hallway and everything down there.(including the kitchen). And remember, I already mentioned the laundry room is off that hallway too. So, bring all the laundry through the dining room and around the table? What?