Is this a townhouse and you are using the living room as a dining room? Basement set up as a family room?

It looks like there is space for one more bar stool.

A 5' square table will seat 8.

Half of 60" means you can have a different light fixture over the table. 30" gives you lots of choices. Rather than have a traditional hang down light, a semi-flush could make that area look bigger.

Yes, could fit one more stool however contemplating an overall overhaul of the space to modernize the kitchen. Yes, townhouse with the basement set up as a family room.

I think the kitchen and space allowed looks pretty good to me. Do you think a remodel would add value to the property? I don't know what town you are in ( we are on the Cape) and what resale would bring you. It sounds like you may not be in the townhouse for long. I'm going to say leave it as is....add some fun, interesting decor, and save your money. It will probably appeal to the 2 young professionals, but I don't see it as a family home with young children.

How about the yard? That could be an area worth doing something with...that I can see a return on your money. Stone (bigger than the treads on your sneakers), some pavers, etc.

I agree with elcieg--it looks fine the way it is. There's little chance you can fit a cooktop and a separate oven, and the microwave is in a good spot. Placing a microwave over a cooktop or range is very inconvenient, and you really don't have the space for a drawer microwave. You could possibly get a shallower, counter depth refrigerator, but you might lose space.

The only way to add some space to the kitchen would be to close up the door to the outside and have cabinets on that wall. But I don't think that is in your plans.

Hi all - thank you so much for the responses already! I 100% agree that if I am going to use the existing footprint of the kitchen it doesn't make sense to do too much. I suppose I was wondering if it makes sense to 'expand' the L further into the existing dining room or if it's feasible to add an island. I've loosely drawn these ideas below to accompany a little nook.

I am in Boston MA and have no yard, just a small deck with a grill. I am not reselling anytime soon but am interested in A. enhancing the kitchen for my own satisfaction for the next ~3-4 years and B. modernizing the space to compete in the Boston rental market (where most things are new constructions or gut jobs).

If you plan seating at the peninsula, be sure you have 24" b/w the back of the range and the seating overhang. Will you have a rangehood over it to capture the billowing steam, smoke, etc.? This is especially important for two reasons:

1. The range is in the middle of the room rather than against the wall and with an open concept, that means not just spreading throughout the Kitchen, but also the rest of the home.
2. If there's seating behind the range, you don't want that FOGSS (fumes, odors, grease, steam, smoke) in their face. The 24" b/w the back of the range and visitors will help if they're sitting up straight, but if they're leaning in, it may not help much.

If there's seating, plan for at least a 12" overhang if you are sticking with the raised counter. If you plan to lower it to counter-height, then 15" is the minimum recommended overhang. Don't skimp, especially with the range in the peninsula. (One of the worst places it could be, btw.)

You can do better, but if you're not willing to move things around (e.g., plumbing), there's not much you can do. FYI...with a basement, moving plumbing is usually not that expensive. If the "basement" has a drywalled ceiling under the Kitchen, then it might cost a bit more to fix the ceiling, but it still might not be that expensive.

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We need a fully-measured layout of the space to know if an island would fit and whether a table & chairs will also fit with the extended counter & island.

From the Featured Answer of the "New to Kitchens? Read Me First!" thread:

By "fully-measured", we mean a layout with the widths of each wall/window/door/doorway and the distances between each wall/window/door/doorway labeled. See a sample below. If something cannot be moved or changed, label it precisely on your layout (see post in sample) and tell us why it cannot be moved/changed -- we may have some ideas for you.

The sketch of the entire floor lets us see how the Kitchen relates to the rest of the home. It doesn't have to be to-scale, but it should accurately show how the rooms relate to each other and should include all interior & exterior doors. In addition, it will help us see how traffic flows in, around, and through the Kitchen. Label the front entry and family entry. The family entry is usually a garage or side entry, but it might not be. It's helpful to know which door you use to bring in groceries.

Regardless of how you draw it up (by hand, computer, etc.), please be sure all measurements are labeled. (Note: Computer generated layouts often lack key measurements and, sometimes, measure to/from things like the middle of a wall or the middle of a window. Neither are useful. Measure each item and the distances between each item.)

"Compete in the Boston rental market". Compete? Your space will win out. Are you on Instagram? Watch "only in Boston".

Aberdeen Street, $4700.00 a month. I think I like your kitchen.

https://www.apartments.com/11-aberdeen-st-boston-ma/ebx8rgn/

Sam, How long are each of these green lines?

Your little drawing on the left is a nice idea but so out of scale that I don't think it affords you as much flexibility to add an extra table for entertaining as you think it does. I agree that it makes sense to open up the space and have it be one big room with an island - BUT only if you are ok with ditching a dining table. Not enough room to have both.

I suspect the beam is structural and would be very expensive to remove, but can't tell from a picture.

Are you in a complex of townhouses? If so, look on zillow to see how others have redone their spaces.

Cost of an all new kitchen in the city of Boston (not burbs), that needs to include all new flooring on the first floor, and new railings (because ain't nobody moving in a kid with those stairs) I don't know but I'm guessing $75k as your starting point with inexpensive materials.

There is no such thing as a timeless kitchen. But, I get that you want something with the best chances of not looking super 2025 if possible.

In reconfiguring the kitchen, you are betting a lot of money on two things.

1. Your young professionals have no desire for a table for sit-down dining, and are OK with counter seating only
2. Your young professionals are firmly in the camp of an island-at-all-costs, and will choose a badly laid out kitchen with an island over a well laid out, efficient kitchen without one.

Ten years ago, those might have been good bets. Now, I wouldn't be so sure about either one.

Sorry but with the limited space I don't see a viable option for grabbing more space for a remodel. Small kitchens can be great when they are nicely detailed.

Sam, I feel like people are not getting your point - or maybe I am not getting your point. You want to remove the "bar"/ peninsula to have a large open space with an island and separate seating - is this correct?

I think the answer is that there is not enough space for an island and table.

I am wondering if you'd like your current set up more if there were not the raised bar height counter top? What if you kept the same configuration but lowered the peninsula seating area so it is the same height as the peninsula countertop? It would make the kitchen feel less hemmed in and give more of a whole space feeling instead of it feeling so separate. People can sit there while you cook and feel more a part of the action.

I'd get rid of the hood. It is so ridiculously high that I can't imagine it captures much.

What is the black line on the underneath side of the beam that runs across the peninsula?

Black line is from legacy track lights

Without actual measurements and detailed measurements for each window/wall/door/doorway & the distances between each window/wall/door/doorway in the two spaces, we cannot tell whether an island + table will fit in the two spaces. If you want counter seating and you aren't willing to make significant changes, the peninsula may be your best option. BUT, we need the measurements!

You might get more of what you want if you were willing to make more significant changes -- e.g., switching the Kitchen and DR. The DR has significantly more width than the Kitchen, which you need if you want an island.

Tip: Be willing to listen to everyone's ideas and think long & hard about those ideas before dismissing them. Also, sometimes slowing down and taking more time to plan and save money will give you a better outcome. Your Kitchen is live-able as-is for now. This is a big expenditure, so you will want to do it "right".

To have an island in the Kitchen you need:

25.5"D counters

+ 42" aisle (minimum recommended for a one-person work aisle)

+ 27"D island (no seating)

+ 36" aisle behind the island

=======

130.5"

You only have 106" (8'10") to work with, so your Kitchen is 24" or so too narrow. Factor in the doorway and that 36" aisle should really be more like 48". Regardless, your Kitchen is too narrow.

The Dining Room on the other hand, is 140" (11'8") wide. So you would have more space to work with. To get seating, you would likely have to make the island mostly seating, only shallow cabinets.

25.5"D counters

+ 42" aisle (minimum recommended for a one-person work aisle)

+ 24.5"D island (1.5" overhang + 9"D cabs + 14"D seating overhang)

+ 48" aisle behind the island

=======

140"

The "new" Dining Room could then have banquette seating to fit a table with seating and room to move.

Measurements needed:

Huh - I missed the hood b/c it's so high!

Whatever you do, I would leave room for your "dining room" to be used as a living room by future renters. Many people will be put off by having to cook/eat on one floor and having the living room on another floor. YMMV

Thank you all very much! It seems clear that it doesn't make much sense to entirely eliminate the 'dining/living' room component and really 'force' an island. I do believe there are many updates that could be done relatively inexpensively within the existing footprint to maximize utility! Will update measurements shortly.