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I cook from scratch at least 5 days a week, with the intention of making leftovers for lunch and the 2 days I don’t cook. At least 3 of those dinners are elaborate. I use both the oven and the range top equally, as well as a microwave, toaster, coffee machine, indoor smoker, crock pot, and instant pot.

There is currently no pantry storage that isn't upper cabinets, and one is awkwardly located over the peninsula corner. There is no where else in the house that works for pantry storage- the original “formal” dining area and original kitchen area (which is now a throughway to the extension and the basement, as you can see on the layout) are quite narrow.

I dislike the two awkward/useless corners the peninsula creates and want to get the microwave off of the counter (but not over the oven!!).

I think the glass cabinets are crowding the window. I’d love to give it more breathing room. I would like to have a place to hide the microwave and other less attractive appliances. The current fridge cutout no longer houses a standard size fridge, and is too small for a 36” counter depth fridge, which is a must for me.

The cabinets are builder grade late 90’s oak doors with plywood interior. I’ve seen worse quality, but I’ve also seen much better. The countertop is hideous - I hate the wood edge, the faux marble laminate really shows how far digital printing has come since the 90’s, and I hate the knocked out corner. Very time stamped, but at least the cabinets have a classic shape that isn’t completely out of place in an old home.

A U shaped kitchen with an island would remove one of the corners, but the island would be impossible to center to the window & sink unless everything on the exterior right wall was 9-10” deep (floor to ceiling pantry storage?? But then where does the oven go?) A U shaped kitchen with a dining table instead of an island?? Just a U shape? Keep the stupid peninsula and shell out extra countertops? It’s currently 58sf of countertop, and the shape makes using remnants impossible. If we were buying new cabinets, there is opportunity to change the layout.

We have considered painting the current cabinets, removing the cabinets that flank the window, making the current fridge hole into a covered appliance garage/pantry area, moving a 36” counter depth fridge to the new wall on the left with floor to ceiling pantry cabinets surrounding (with doors that match the current ones), and adding a new countertop, but are worried it would be throwing good money after bad.

Thanks for your time and interest!