It would help to know the original/current layout and your goals for the remodel. But even without that info it looks a bit awkward. I’m concerned about the location of your refrigerator. Check the specs for your refrigerator model to see how much space is needed on each side in order to open the doors fully (enough to pull out drawers for cleaning.)

I don't know what you are starting with currently - floor plan and photos with all measurements could generate lots of helpful ideas - but I suspect you are working with some awkward spaces and making the best of them. For example, your entry is nice and roomy but there are no views to the rest of the house, just the wall across from the front door. (That is your entry in the lower left corner, right?) Is that a fireplace in the living/dining room? Are you putting it in, or is it pre-existing? Or is that the television? Regardless, the L shaped sectional seems to block off the living room, and I think you would be better served with a sofa and chairs. Likewise your peninsula seems to make a pinchpoint, allowing one person through at a time. I would consider shortening it a bit.

Regarding the kitchen, the space is a bit of a challenge, eh? The wall oven is in a problem location because of the safety of opening the oven in the heavy traffic spot. The refrigerator is in the heart of the kitchen so everytime someone wants a drink or a snack they are interfering with the person working at the stove. I would consider putting a counter depth fridge where the oven is, move the oven where the fridge was. Or I would have a range and eliminate the wall oven and gain back that storage.

Could you put the microwave at the end of the peninsula? That way the snack monsters could grab from the fridge, microwave just behind them and not be in the way of the cooks.

Definitely show what it looks like now and you will likely get some good ideas.

At a minimum, the fridge needs to go where the oven is. If a guest or kid wants a drink, they will have to wind their way through that maze of a kitchen. And you have dinner seating for 10 but if that’s your only living room, you really only have comfortable seating for 3 adults there. That ratio feels off.

Thanks for the feedback!

I am including below the current layout of our house. It is a weird space with some unused space in the entrance.

- Our main goal is to open the kitchen to create a warmer place that feels more welcoming and functional to host friends. We want a functional kitchen (since I cook a lot) while still being able to interact with people around. My husband has a strong desire to have a large peninsula that can seat four people. Finally, we dislike the current layout of the house with the doors (for the access to the garage and the basement) inside the kitchen. So, we would like to move all the doors to the entrance. Hopefully, this gives you a better idea of what we are looking for.

Regarding the other comments:

- The rectangle against the wall in the living room is a fireplace that already exists.

- The L-couch is the size of the couch that we currently own. I tried to put a sofa and chair instead as suggested. I also decreased the length of the peninsula by 13" to prevent the pinch-point. Do you think this is enough?

- I removed the wall oven (the safety opening was indeed a problem. Thanks for pointing that out). We will consider a range instead. For the MW, we will either put it on one of the countertops or at the end of the peninsula as suggested.

- Good call for the fridge! A quick easy access makes more sense. I moved it to the entrance of the kitchen as suggested. However, I am concerned that having the stove close to the fridge would not be very functional. So I tried another design with the stove closer to the sink (see both attached designs). Does that sound reasonable? The downside of it is that the fridge might feel far from the sink and stove (although there is now a prep area beside the fridge that will most likely be appreciable)

- Finally, I would appreciate some feedback on the location of the dishwasher. Any reason this would not work? And if this is the case, where should I move it?

Thanks again for your help. This is so useful!

Current layout:

Design 1:

Design 2:

Out of curiosity, is this work that you plan to do yourselves, or are you hiring a contractor? Changing the orientation of the stairs and changing the door into the house through a (presumed) firewall are another level of complexity up from a kitchen renovation. I won't talk to those issues as they are out of my wheelhouse. Having an architect in on this project could be a very good idea. Do you have a budget in mind for your kitchen?

How did you like your sink location before? You could gain even more functionality in your kitchen by putting the sink against the stairwell wall and your stove as shown in design 2. That would give you the great workflow of food from the fridge, prepped at the sink, cooked at the stove, and would make room for two cooks in the kitchen. Shortening the peninsula as you suggested and putting the fourth stool at the short end would work and be better for conversation.

Regarding your dishwasher, it can easily work there as long as you are paying attention to room for the door to open and clear the cabinet handles. Our kitchen here was clearly built without a lot of attention to detail, so we are completing our kitchen renovation soon. The old kitchen had the dishwasher door rubbing against the refrigerator, the fridge against the wall so the doors could not open to take the bins out... I could go on but you get the idea.

If you decide to move the sink and dishwasher, you have another choice. The U shape of the current design makes for two corners which are a challenge for useful storage. Often they get closed off and that space not used (or the peninsula side gets a door from the stools side to access that space). Your alternative would be to put no cabinetry across that window wall, and to then be able to put cabinets all the way to the corners.

if this were mine I would add the wall to make the entry foyer...but bring it in for a bit narrower foyer ...closet can stay in the plan..... on kitchen side of this new wall I'd make a seating area....either a round dining table or an island and the second seating area would be an island near sliding door [sink there?] or banquette built on wall left of fireplace. figure out which spot would be better for each..... but I dont think the peninsula backing up to the table is good....way too tight...and better to use the bit of garage wall.....keeping garage door and staircase as is......an L shape in other words w long outside wall . Your very convoluted plan while spendng lots of money would not be as desirable as simplifiying everything. Just narrow up the foyer and you get a nice spot on the other side for one seating zone if you want two seating destinations ...better to separate and differentiate the two areas ....

What would you think about switching the dining and living furniture? As is, it seems like it will be difficult to enter the lounging zone.

For the kitchen, my first thought was just what you came up with later,, moving the cooktop to the actual kitchen working area, and refrigerator to near where the rest of the food will be stored.

Thank you for all the feedback!

@Jenny:

We are planning to hire a contractor. We would ask for professional opinion on the design before any major construction plan. Our budget is not set yet but I have to admit that the significant structural work that the design requires worries me in terms of budget.

I tried another design with the shorter peninsula and the sink against the stairwell. I agree that it seems to increase the flow and seems more functional in term of storage.

I am also adding another design that we considered before with a galley kitchen. In this case the sink and the stove are against the stairwell. I think that it includes a lot of the elements that you mentioned with a better flow in general and it would not require as much structural work (no stairs modification, and no change of windows and sliding doors). However, my husband is very concerned about the awkwardness of the garage door arriving in a corridor.

@Chipsa:

I admit that we haven't thought much about the living room. I don't have a very good vision for it. I thought that we could figure it out as long as we have enough space. This might be a beginner mistake though. I will think more about it.

@herbflavor:

I am trying to play with your suggestions but this will require me more time to come up wit something.

@ bpath:

I tried to move the living and dining furniture as suggested. I moved the couch near the fireplace, so there is still an easy access to the sliding door, but I am concerned that this would be less cozy (no divided spaces). However, it definitely feels more open to access the backyard.

I like the galley design option the best by far! It is much more logical, better flow, less construction, and it gives you a little drop zone/coat hook area as you come in from the garage. I would consider a banquette or bench in the dining room corner, so you can expand your living room area a bit. Your island is pretty big in proportion to the space you have to work with-- could it be a bit smaller?

I think perhaps you should ask your contractor to offer their suggestions rather than saying "we want you to build exactly this". For example, I wonder if turning your stairs 90 degrees would allow you more room upstairs for a rectangular kitchen and larger entry. I don't know what your structure is, where your weight bearing walls are, what the layout is in the basement. I also don't know what budget will be a dream killer. I think it would serve you well to have a couple of well-vetted contractors come out to talk about what is possible with your home, what makes sense in your community, to do to your house. For example, is putting on an extension a better choice? Is spending $150,000 on your house in a community where houses sell for $250,000 (randomly picking numbers out of the air) a wise investment? And is it a better idea to buy a different house than to make these changes to this house? I don't know any of those answers, they are specific to your needs, your home and your community.

The galley design could be great! a few thoughts:

can you move the door from the garage down so it opens against the back wall? then you wont block the stairs. currently it looks like it will interfere with the exterior door but that could be address.

i would consider extending the bench wall like your earlier layouts to get a full L with island. i would then consider moving to a reach in pantry behind that bench to get rid of the pantry cabinet and have a straight shot from mini mudroom to LR. alternately move the fridge to that side of the L for easy access.

i would consider putting the sink on the island to make it feel even more spacious.

Is this your only living space? Will a TV be in the space? Is it/will it be a play space for kids? You mentioned not thinking about the living space while planning the kitchen, but the entire space and its functions should be considered while in the planning phase. The ratio of kitchen/dining vs living feels off to me but maybe there is a living space in the basement?

Of all the designs, I like the galley the best. But I think it could still use some work. Hoping a pro will chime in!

Here are a couple of possibilities. The first one is a version of your 2nd plan. I didn't wrap the lower cabinets around the lower wall because i don't think you really gain much in cabinetry and it kind of sqeezes the living room area. I also moved the sink to the peninsula because it gives you this nice long stretch of counter for prep between the sink and the range. My 2nd plan is a U-shaped kitchen with the peninsula at the bottom of the kitchen which allows more space between the kitchen and living areas. I also put in a pantry cabinet and a coat closet at the bottom. I, of course, don't know your actual room measurements but, hopefully, these give you some more ideas to ponder.

Maybe this has already been discusssed but reversing the stair will mean the new stair must meet the code for new construction and there's not enough space unless your code has been amended to allow steeper stairs (like my state does).

The end of the peninsula should be rounded for ease of movement in the tight space.