I don't like a sink in the island, but I prefer Option One

with the frig. inside the kitchen, not on display. (just move it inside)

Take the stools out of it if you keep the sink in the island. No one wants to cozy up to a stinky sink!

Thanks @Lyn Nielson can you say more about the moving fridge inside the kitchen? Do you mean making it counter depth rather than full depth?

you could move the dishwasher to the left side of the sink and put the refrigerator/counter depth on the end, next to the door.

Got it, thanks @Lyn Nielson. The fridge in the middle of the living room was seriously bothering me as well. I've playing around with shifting the door down a bit to make room for the fridge. If I can get that to fit, option 1 might be the winner

A small kitchen(Option 1) needs work zone space for two, if possible. To prioritize for that I'd go to a 30" induction range over the 36 on the plan. And I'd prefer a 24" sinkbase with a 24" undermount sink with a 21" width by 18" front to back. I'd move the sink to the right edge of the window to get prep space to the left of the sink. Task lighting from 4" led cans positioned 3-6" in from the edge of the counter for 450+ lumens at the counter using 3500k bulbs.

A lot of rowhouse kitchens where I live are laid out like 3. Some are done like 1 and 2 but there is not really enough room to do the island that way. There is somewhat of a pinch between the island and living area. And you need a console table or something by the door for a drop zone.

You could also try a little u shape but the utility of corners is debated here.

I don't know how much of a remodel this is, but it might be nice to explore exchanging the kitchen location with the living room area. Then you could have a u shaped kitchen or g shaped kitchen with seating.

You would gain a larger living room.

and likely occupants

Is this a spec house or remodel to sell?

What percentage of the sale price do good comments get?

Thanks for comments everyone. Current thinking is to do a partial U shape. 30" freezerless refrigerator and 24" sink to allow for fridge/sink/dishwasher all along the back well. Place a drawer freezer in the U across from the fridge. I'd like the small space next to the kitchen to fit an expandable 3'x4' dining table and this arrangement would still allow for that. Will send images in case anyone is curious.

@Karenseb I tried really hard to look at options for a kitchen in that living room area. It's only 10' wide, so that would mean entire kitchen would be laid out in a single line against the wall and no island could reasonably fit there unless it was 2' wide. I actually lived an a loft with that type of layout and loved it, but don't think it's great for a 3-4 br home. If I'm not visualizing it the right way, let me know! The living room in a 10' space is ridiculous.

I greatly prefer number 1 because of the increased counter space and circulation around the island. However, the aisle is too small between the island and range wall. Can the island be made more narrow to gain more aisle space?

I actually like the fridge on the end of the run close to the living space - especially if you have an attractive fridge. It makes it so much more accessible for someone who is sitting in the living room to grab a drink or snack in the fridge without getting in the way of the cook. It will keep kids out of your way!

Option 3 is not ideal because someone gets trapped in the kitchen corner. Not great with kids running in and out and a parent probably ends up being the only one in the kitchen.

I'm not following your half you description but would love to see a drawing.

Option 1 is the only real option.

However, I would do something like the design below. Some comments:

• In a small home, don't duplicate or use space-hogging appliances/fixtures since storage and other functional items are at a premium.
• Plan for more than a tiny freezer space in a freezer drawer. Instead, put in a counter-depth, french door, 36"W refrigerator.
• Reduce the sink base to no wider than 30", less if that would work for you. If it's a single-bowl, 30" is plenty wide enough, even 24" is pretty wide. It's when people use 2-bowl sinks that a wider sink is needed. I would also left-align the sink with the window to maximize both storage and work space for what will be the cleanup zone and secondary Prep Zone.
• The space b/w the sink and range will be your primary Prep Zone since that's the most useful space for prepping.
• A tertiary Prep Zone is in the island. It's "tertiary" b/c there's no direct water access and direct access to water is key to a successful/functional Prep Zone.

Work Zones:

I echo Kendrah's comment about not following what you are saying in the latest post.

Are you eliminating the island and putting in a Kitchen/Dining table instead? That might be more flexible than a fixed island.

Don't forget room for a MW. It's likely that a MW will be very important in a space designed for both all adults and a small family.

Is this an urban area and designed for an urban household?

BTW...is this a new build or is it a remodel? It's not clear.

Where are the bedrooms & bathroom(s)?

There are two doorways -- where do each lead? Is the one on the left in the Living Room a front/exterior door and the one on the right from the Kitchen for bedrooms?

Thanks @Buehl attached is the option 1 plan with some notes give some more context. The renderings are confusing becuase they incorrectly swap the positions of the front door / front windows and also mis-represent the rear door as a solid panel rather than full-lite glass.

The front door and stairs locations cannot be moved.

The one thing I worry about in your suggestion is that it shrinks the living room significantly.

Option one for the number of bedrooms, option 3 for the size of the house.

Reevaluate spatial proportions and allocations of the design. A lot of sardines can fit in a small can, but you are not accommodating sardines.

Island clearances are way to tight. They need to be 48" all the way around minimum.

"The one thing I worry about in your suggestion is that it shrinks the living room significantly"

Why does my layout take out too much room from the Living Room? My layout actually takes less than your Option 1 layout does when considering the refrigerator. Granted it's only about a foot or so less, but still less.

Minardi is right - it seems the house has a lot of private space (4 BRs) and very little public space.

I think forgoing the island altogether may be a better option. Stick with an "L" and then have a movable table & chairs in the Kitchen. This way, you can maximize the space for the Living Room.

There is still plenty of workspace, at least in the layout I did.

Table-height seating is much more comfortable than counter-height (which is more comfortable than bar-height). If you think a family will want this, then definitely plan for table seating as that's better for children (and older people).

Layout 2

Great points @Buehl and thanks for the visual. I'm starting to think that space for a table is the right way to go. One factor I can flex is to shift the rear entry door (the front door can't shift, but the rear door can). Could still have a 36" for the door/frame + 12" for a shoe/coat area. That would allow for a longer kitchen run on the back wall. Could do the "L" or possibly a peninsula.

Seating in the living room for only two people and seating for dining for four people is not right, considering the number of bedrooms. You need seating for four people in both areas. Make the kitchen area smaller and the living room area larger.

Do not give up any windows in a tiny, crowded space.

Option #3 with shelving

Nice, thanks for that modified rendering @Celery. Visualization, Rendering images! I hate to give up a window, but it does add functionality to have more storage

Open shelving is not adding functional storage; it's adding decorative storage only - especially in such an open space as the one you're proposing. Open shelving requires the items to always be neat, look aesthetically pleasing (colors, arrangement, etc.), not look cluttered or "full", and weekly dusting.

The reality is that Option 3 is the worst of the three. People will be trapped in such a small space (there's only one outlet) and it will not be easy for more than one person to be in the one aisle at the same time.

If you decide to use Opt 3, then do not put the DW in the opening b/c an open DW door, combined with the refrigerator, will create a barrier.

Oh, and don't put in an OTR MW, especially in an open space. OTR MWs are not very good rangehoods - they're not deep enough to cover the front burners (and sometimes they only cover half the center burner, if there is one) and they aren't very good at exhausting effluent (or FOGSS - Fumes, Odors, Grease, Steam, Smoke). Open spaces need good ventilation so the FOGSS don't travel throughout the space and land on furniture, etc.

Other variations with the door moved, but it doesn't move a lot b/c you want 12" b/w the door and bottom wall.

I think I like Layout #4 the best.

Layout 3

Layout 4:

Layout 5

FYI...in our Kitchen in our previous house, we had double-bowl sink in a 36" sink base. The large bowl was 21.5" wide, which was big enough to fit all our pots & pans (including handles), casserole dishes, cookie sheets, roasting pan, refrigerator shelf (except the 36" wide shelf), and the squirrel cage from our Vent-A-Hood rangehood.

A single-bowl sink of similar size would fit in a 24"W sink base and would be a very functional sink. As I mentioned above, space is at a premium in a small space, so a smaller sink base would add another 6" of workspace & storage - especially in Layout #4 above.

Oh and about the MW. If you're renting it out, you might not need to include the MW, just include a shelf to house it & plug to plug it in and let the renters bring their own MW.

Thanks @Buehl this is all great for consideration. I"m irrationally resistant to having the fridge next to the living room. Are you thinking it's just not going to be viable next to the rear door?

I'd love to do something like #4, but with fridge moved next to door in order to create more living room space. Can always have a shallow credenza along the two windows on the bottom if more kitchen storage is needed.

Let me work it up later today. We're going out to explore our new neighborhood this afternoon, but I'll look at it tonight.

However, having the refrigerator next to the Living Room makes it easy for people to access it from the Living Room without getting in the way of those working in the main part of the Kitchen or having to dodge the table. Since people naturally take the shortest distance b/w two points, that means cutting through the Kitchen and getting in the way!

The best place for a refrigerator is on the periphery where it's easily accessed from, in priority order: (1) the Kitchen, (2) the table, and (3) the Living or Family Room.
Another consideration is how its location impacts the (1) workspace around the sink (especially the non-DW side) and (2) storage near the DW.

Again, let me see what I can do tonight.

I've played around a bit with the layout trying to shoehorn the refrigerator onto the right wall along with the sink & DW. So, how do you feel about a sink that not only is not centered (or right/left aligned) on the window, but also is only partly in front of the window and partly not?

Trying to cram the refrigerator + sink + DW in addition to the 36"W door and 12" for shoes, etc., on the right wall means less than ideal workflow, workspace sizes, and locations of items (e.g., sink & DW).

If, instead you try to put the range + sink + DW + workspace + landing space on the top wall, either the range or the sink/DW is moved close to the Living Room -- neither of which is ideal. I would not want the range practically on top of the Living Room or the sink with dirty dishes.

Honestly, I think having the refrigerator on the top wall not only puts the refrigerator in a location that's easily accessible from all parts of the house without people getting in each other's way, but it also acts as a divider b/w the Living Room and Kitchen and hides some of the working part of the Kitchen, which is useful in such a wide-open space.

Another thought but not something I've looked at -- what about putting up a wall b/w the Living Room & Kitchen? Even a partial wall would "hide" the refrigerator since you don't seem to like the idea of the refrigerator being seen from the Living Room?

Karenseb is right. A huge kitchen and a tiny living room makes no sense. A simple galley kitchen on the left side, perhaps with a short peninsula bar for eating, seems to me a far better use of the space. The larger living space would have room for a small dining table as well as many more seating options.