How long have you lived in the home? If not at least 6 months hold off on renovating the kitchen. You don't know what works/doesn't work in the kitchen yet. Post a picture of the kitchen as it is now.

Yeah are you able to share a picture of how the kitchen currently looks?

The windows dictate the design, especially if you don’t want the sink in the island. Cabinets in corners can be awkward, but you want your drink ware close to the fridge. You could actually do open shelving next to the fridge and put drink ware in the cabinet. Wall.

A kitchen designer from.....where? A cabinet company?

YOU NEED as Dani (above in the thread), before anyone can help : )

This:

"scaled 2D sketch of the kitchen area - including dimensions for all walls/windows/doors/doorways/etc.

That means that every single solid wall, every single window, every single opening, has its very own dimension and we need to know where opening LEAD: )

unload the wall behind your stools. Generally you have probably more vertical cabinetry than counter and other wall/base cabinet spots.... let the bar area wrap the corner ..take away a portion of that vertical monster behind the stools for a start on improving this. What is in the vertical set up to the right of the stove? I would extend the counter and drawer storage to the right of the stove.....skooch the stove to the right about 6 inches..it'll make a difference.....then maybe a smaller hutch type storage set up w glass doors to correspond to the bar area. You're suggesting a pretty expansive project just by the sheer number of cabinets. Are you ready for the cost of this? the kitchen would have to be in pretty bad shape currently .....as well , I'd have to feel confident in my experience w kitchen reno projects to execute this. Not necessarily saying dont .....but people usually wait about a year or more before a project like this.

a cleared wall behind the island would be nicer in my opinion then work on something nicer to the right of stove which gives storage and visual focus also.

Worthington Kitchen Remodel · More Info

Waht you have is a design from a cabinet salesperson whose only real job is to sell cabinets. Get an actual independant KD and listen to the advice you will get here if you take the time to prduce a to scale floor plan. Use graph paper only show all the measurements clearly of the empty space . Mark all windows, doorways and where those lead . If plumbing cannot be moved indicate that with an x Thenpost here in jpeg format in a comment and you will get a huge amount of free good advice . The choice after that is yours to either listen or not. Wahy yo show in a mess and poorly designed on so many levels .

Also, that's a really large pantry. Did you request it? I would prefer more counter space, but if you would use that much pantry space, you do you.

In addition to the excellent advice in the comments above, the area that I circled in green feels very awkward to me, like it's only there because the cabinets didn't fit by the window and the designer couldn't think of anything else to do. What is the space between the window and wall in that spot - where I marked the purple X? And how far are those windows from the floor?

I'm another who would swap out the tall storage to the right of the stove, or at least most of it, for an amazing long counter with lots of drawer storage below. The answer to my question about the purple X space above will answer whether you could take uppers all the way across (I suspect not.) If the windows there are high enough you could have your counter and lowers all the way across, move the range to the right a bit, and skip the uppers on that wall altogether. You'd have tons of storage even if you lose the tall storage behind the island seating. The money you'd save on uppers on that whole wall could go toward a gorgeous hood and backsplash.

Featured Answer excerpt from the "New to Kitchens? Read Me First!" thread that describes what we need:

Please post a fully-measured layout of the space under consideration and a sketch of the entire floor. Both can be either hand-drawn, computer generated, or drawn up with computer/app tools.

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.)

Other questions...

• Tell us about you and your family and how you plan to use your Kitchen. All-adults? Empty Nesters? Children (now or in the future)?
• What appliances (& their sizes) do you plan to have?
• Where are you flexible? Can walls/windows/doors/doorways change (move, change size, add, delete)?
• Do you have a basement under the Kitchen or are you on a slab?

I feel like the large doorway into the kitchen needs to be narrower so the tall cabinets behind the stools are not jutting out into the doorway.

Lots of excellent points made above. For me, there is too much tall storage. Sounds crazy right?? This looks like an excellent sized room. The kitchen however is not reflecting that in design or proportion or function.

How long have you lived here since it is a new purchase? Do you need to renovate the kitchen right now? I see a slider to the outside and the windows seem to be amazing. Is this the only dining room area in the house? What are on the other side of the interior walls? Living room? Hallway? Are you ok with be shut off from a family room since this doesn't have an open floor plan or a larger cased opening into another space? ( not that there is anything wrong with that).

Of course, as stated above, we need dimensions and pictures.

Yes, this space can look so much better that what is shown here.

Weird, bad, and not enough room to move around in.

I hope the OP comes back with a labeled overhead floorplan as this is one I'd love to see smart changes to!

I am not sure if I am supposed to answer in the comments or by editing my post, but I edited my post! Thank you all!

You have a lot of space on this floor. It's chopped up by two components in the middle, the stairs to the second floor and the powder room. Because you mentioned raising the roof and adding an extension to the second floor, I would configure a design with those two elements relocated to the garage end of the floorplan.

The open space you'd have would give a much more expansive and functional design for all your square footage. Both inside with views.and likely outside with a patio or deck, landscaping, etc. The whole property.

@dan1888 I hate that the stairs are in the middle of the house right as you walk in, breaking it up in half. But we consulted with contractors and moving both flights of stairs (the stairs from 1st floor to basement would also have to be moved) gets into a lot more structural work (and more $$), likely putting us over our budget.

For me, there are foundational design requirements to do this extensive and costly reno.

I would go out of my way to get more specifications on moving the stairs and powder room. With more info you can break up the components and processes and look for cost savings through getting quotes for different parts with possibly leaving finishes for the future or for diy in order to get these changes into the budget. I've been able to find a way to get the better finished product by focusing on these necessary parts.

You’re in a tricky but fun spot, a small, windowless upstairs bath means lighting, finishes, and contrast are your biggest allies. The fact that the shower and plumbing are fixed gives us boundaries, but that’s okay, it lets us lean into finishes in a smart way. For vanity wood/stain, I’d lean toward a medium warm wood tone (like walnut, warm oak, or a soft teak) rather than very dark or very pale, it gives you warmth without making the room feel heavy. Pair that with brushed nickel or chrome faucets and hardware to help bounce light.

For the tile and wall palette, I’d go mostly light, soft whites, warm off-whites, pale greige, or muted sky-blue, to keep the walls feeling open. Use a bold accent (in the shower or niche) with a gentle color (muted aqua, soft seafoam) so it shows character without overwhelming. On floors, pick a light tile (white, light gray, or white hex/mosaic) with minimal patterning so the visual noise doesn’t eat up the space. Use white or matching grout to minimize lines. For lighting, make it layered, strong recessed ceiling lights + bright vanity lighting (sconces or vertical bars), and make sure finishes are reflective to help light bounce. Also, a floating or wall-hung vanity helps because your floor runs under it visually, which tricks the eye into seeing more space.

So, the floorplan you added to your original post shows me the aisle clearances are bad (as well as an awkward layout in many ways.) You are right to think something is off. This is a new kitchen that will continue to feel as cramped as I imagine the current one does. Your work aisles should be 4' wide, and the fridge one even wider if possible since those are large doors with high usage - basically, the island in the center needs to shrink on 3 sides and delete the seating. Seating needs 5 feet of clear space behind it or nearly so, if people are walking behind occupied chairs - the dining table is cramped too with this guideline.

Not that this is the greatest layout, just trying to make my point! Hopefully I will have some time this weekend to dig into layout.

Do you really have an 11x4 foot dining table to go in the sunroom, by the way, or is this imagination? Also, I wouldn't fret about cabinetry running right up to the tall window in the sunroom. Modern homes with large walls of plate glass do it, and I've seen a colonial remodel with it as well so I know it works in traditional style as well. You only need to leave enough inches for a vaccum hose attachment to get in the gap.

A many hundred thousand dollare re-imagining of a home needs much higher quality design work. You should be talking with a better quality architect for this. Or buying an entirely different house.

@Julie S We don‘t have the table yet, we envisioned a long table there, large enough to seat 12.

I'd be rethinking the whole thing. I'd change the current living room into the dining room, and the dining room into a family room. Keep the kitchen in the kitchen, don't have it sprawl across half the down stairs. If more storage is needed, furniture is a lot more flexible than built in cabinets.

Let's start with how you are going to live in this space. Are you the type of family that will eat and entertain in the kitchen area with the big table or do you like to eat in the living room while watching the game or a movie on tv? Do you have a lot of parties or people over? Will you benefit AND use a table that seats 12? It is often on people's Wishlist but they never use it. Do you need 2 living rooms?

The house looks similar to the center hall colonials we have where I live. It is not the end of the world to have the stairs where they are unless you are really looking for huge rooms and very open floor plan. I would try to open up the stairs as much as possible UNLESS you need a way to control noise from the den/tv room to the living room.

If it were me and how I live in my home, I would open the wall more between the living room and kitchen and have the tv/game/entertaining room in the living room. That way when you have lots of people over there is a connection between the spaces. I would make the kitchen more of a galley - ref, sink, and stove on the one long wall, a nice island and 12-15" deep pantries on the opposite wall but do not connect them around the corner. Make that a separate thing altogether in a fun color. I would then have the den set up like a library or quiet socializing room.

Those are my initial thoughts. If I have a chance - I'll throw in a design so I can get a feel for the space.

@Debbi Washburn I also initially thought to have the tv/sofa on the left side of the house but with the door there leading to the garage I dont see where we would mount the TV and put a sectional sofa. I like your idea of the part that wraps around (which we want as a bar area with wine fridge) being a separate thing in a different color. I just can’t picture how it would round the corner and connect or flow with the 12-15’ panties on the wall behind the island.

@Jordan K

I would start OVER.......To scale / this is close as I can get, because you do not have every single dimension on that floor plan. With 1/4 inch to one foot.........below

Get that (*&^%$ bathroom out of your WAY. It''s the obstacle elephant.

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Note Clearances!! Fridge locale, ( 54" to island ) close to dining, steps from the sink and then to the range/ fire. Fire to island, 48" clearance

DEFINE the end of " pure kitchen" and transition to dining with only lower cabinets/ serving etc beyond the fridge ending wall. Change cabinet finish! If you want tall pantry storage beyond fridge? Step it all back to 18" depth, full height and still......change the Finish!

Blown up down below 1/2" scale.......and the incredible amount of stuff that fits in this island.

Drawers! the best ever storage.

( the lower cabinetry, or tall 18" depth pantry is not shown..it is Beyond THE FRIDGE wall with that change in finish. Very very important,

Other,.....

The entry makes the front "living room" not the best for cozy LIVING. But yes, there is room for a couch/a couple chairs...

There is no living space that looks good, or is available in this house, to seat 12 people , all together, because they ate DINNER together: )

How much furniture do you want to buy?! You'll be broke by the time this is done.: )

People gravitate to the back.......to the kitchen. Put seating, tv where humans naturally gravitate.

I didn't show it here, but with length of bath at

10'6, there's enough length to put a pocket door, a smaller vanity and have "powder room" only on view. Or put the entry differently, depending use of that office.den/library or GUEST bedroom as it can be any of those things.

Twelve FOR DINNER is not nightly!! A 24 " added to a 10' table will get you a dozen.!

There is room behind table ( 6' ) at slider side

A 48" Sub zero is a ton of cooling. Nobody dies with a 36" range on a daily basis.

You're either a HOME that looks as a home.....or a restaurant. : )

Make the kitchen an appropriately scaled size to GO with the house you have.

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noooooo

I do like Jan's idea of moving the bathroom!

My morning appt cancelled :( so I had some time to try what was in my head.

The island is 50 x 114 and the sink walkway is 46 and the other walkway is 47. You could make the island narrower and add inches to those walkways. The stove is just off the end of the island so plenty of space.

Hope all the great ideas that people have brought up help you in your journey!

Good luck!

I do like these ideas!! We were trying to move as little as possible and work within the parameters of what is currently there. That’s where the bathroom is currently so we kept it there to avoid relocating all the plumbing. If we were able to move around everything like Jan suggests, an issue I see with that plan is there’s no closet anywhere on the first floor.

" The issue is no closet".......( it BARELY had one? lol )

Decide what you NEED that lower right corner den space to be, it takes only two feet to make a closet and and you have ONE child.!

You can have a decent office in as little as 6 ' x 11 ' There is NO way on earth I'd keep that full bath in that location, serving what bedroom? if you need an office far more.. Why must it even be a full bath, unless you plan two more kids and need a guest room. It chokes the flow as much as your stair DIVIDES the house: ) reduces your clearances in the kitchen.

You need a sit down with the architect, the "kitchen designer" ( I am being kind ) and separate "I must have from nice to have".

You're in there, we are not.

For more accurate than what I did?

The dimensions for every solid wall, every window, every door, every passage....EACH has their own inches.!

In a cobble together of blurry numbers/left out information, that's the best I could do in three hours : )

@Jordan K @ Debbi Washburn @Buehl @ JULIE S @ Dani Moi.......

Many heads ??

Wake up, please ...xoxoxo and we can talk about elephants in our path?

Also a rainy SUNDAY here.........FORGIVE the "art'

( NO, not suggesting a gray floor, the limits of pencil lol )

What about!! that closet you really didn't have in that weenie closet on your plan? ( the size of a broom closet )

Here you go...lower right corner ( change my door swing to against closet side.

We don't know what office means to you, but a long length of 24" deep desk area is a lot of work space, Library look at the end opposite the nice big window. Floor to ceiling shelved built in and you can buy components....

VERSUS........down below?

Not good for all the reasons virtually every commenter in the thread suggests...

Clearances, crowding, oversized wishes for the space.? and that even means refrigeration. How far do you want to walk when a three year old child want more milk , please!

Traffic defines the real space. that front living area? Once you account for traffic, for walking room space? Is really nothing more than below. PLOP !! I'M IN. No definition to entry. Always makes me nuts.But if you feed 12 people, you need some fanny rests, or all of them are going home after dessert : )

Ten of you can sit and chat and you grab a couple ding chairs. People DO break off into people clusters. Guys will ditch wives for an hour: )

No matter what? I think that bath ( your plan ) a gigantic obstacle. Ta Ta....

This feels livable ....and welcoming.

From this yesterday.......onto yours.....two adults, one tiny child and a lot of entertaining. Ten comfy fanny rests........with living room adjusted.

That "office" for a future owner if you leave?? Is easily a bedroom/guest, with drywall at the hall side of closet, and opened on the other to some or all. Buy the office components...and presto. It reverts to bedroom. Small, but enough for a guest.

Nobody starves in this kitchen.....and remember the pantry in different finish, beyond the fridge wall....and I would step that back to 18" depth, less burial ground for dry food and still plenty of depth for bulky storage.

What can a long wall OFFICE be?

At any rate, I am a confessed space/logic/versatility maniac. Not trying to drive you nuts, either! But MAYBE look at your "team", interior designer and KD...get them back to the house, together.

“I don’t see where we’d mount the TV and put a sectional sofa”.

Furniture should not be driving the bus at the expense of a kitchen layout.

^^

You consider BOTH, simultaneously ( often ill considered in even a brand new build ) and the least versatile furniture is a sectional. A horrible price to pay for a corner seat, unless a room demands that option. Not here : )

You consider your life....within the walls that contain that life.

Comments/questions:

• What does the existing house floor plan look like? Is that an existing breezeway? Are you opening up the Den wall with a new beam? Enlarging the Bathroom in the same spot? When you say "raising the roof," is it a Cape Cod and you are adding a dormer? Where is the 2nd floor expansion?
• Since you enter the house and are presented with an open stair and no delineation between a formal Living Room and informal Den (or better termed "Family Room"), how do they compete and will the Living Room just not be used because of that? Typically when you have both, a Living Room is considered "public" and a Family Room more "private" and separated, whereas a single Great Room is "public."
• Why are you adding a "Mudroom/backhouse" door to a formal Living Room? Why is the formal Living Room, which is smaller than the proposed Family Room that has an informal use which matches the Kitchen+island+informal Dining, adjacent and opened up to the Kitchen+island instead of the Family Room? And, should the Family Room be more adjacent or direct to outdoor living?
• Why do you need a 12 person table dedicated permanent space+4 person island, as opposed to temporarily adding leaves because the Dining Room+Kitchen is disproportionately larger than the Living+Family Rooms?
• Do the original Sunroom addition windows go to floor or are they patio sliders?
• Why does the Bedroom (even if using it as an Office during your ownership) and Bathroom both open up directly to the Family Room? If you have a full bath, that means you expect it to be a Bedroom use.
• When you talk about cost decisions limiting some opportunities which might make your design better, what are the priorities? It seems there are some very expensive line items in your proposed plans thus far, which may not be the best bang-for-buck as presented.

- One of the existing aspects limiting opportunities is the Sunroom addition vaulted ceiling. The change in plane from flat to vaulted defines the size of room, so the Sunroom is somewhat skinny. Luckily, the beam was built flush, so if you were to make the vaulted ceiling flat, the original house would flow into the Sunroom and there would be no more delineation. What doing this offers is opportunity to make a large room, say a Family Room at the rear of house.

Buy one beam for 25 k or tear it down and start over

Bad enough the house is cut in half by a stair, but the bath obstacle needs to go : )

She hasn't been back, so who knows? Either way? The floor plan she posted needs a detail of every window and wall and opening dimension.

Maye they quit before they began , or she fired the KD: ) Who rather deserved the exit ?

Wow I wasn’t expecting such hostility in this forum, this was my first ever post here and was hoping for some constructive feedback about how to make the kitchen design better, and work with what we have to work with. I appreciate those of you that gave me thoughts and advice on this. For the harsher critics telling me to tear the house down because it was originally built with the stairs and bathroom in the center of house must have never heard of a center hall colonial. I’ll be honest, it’s not my favorite either but it’s what we purchased and we don‘t have an unlimited budget, so we are going to have to make it work. There are plenty of beautifully done center hall colonials. I was hoping for advice on how to do that with this space. I do like some of the ideas presented here but a complete redesign of the entire 1st floor is just not feasible for us financially.

To answer some of the last person’s questions, by breezeway I assume you mean the stairs connecting the house to the garage? No that doesn’t currently exist and something we want to add. I understand it’s a bit awkward to have that door right in the corner of what is labeled as “Living Room”which is why we decided to make that room more of a sitting room/library and possibly make that door a ”hidden” bookcase door. This means we would use the ”Den” room as the living room with sofa and TV, so to make that a little bigger, yes we would need to add a new beam for structural support. The bathroom now is exactly the same as on the new plans, we are not enlarging it, but we will be removing the tub and doing just a shower instead. When I say "raising the roof," yes it is currently a Cape Cod and we are removing the dormers and removing the sloped ceilings and extending the front of the house on the 2nd floor to match where the front of the house is on the 1st floor.

Well, we're not IN the house, and of course photos from the household sale make it a bit more difficult midst that clutter

You only asked about the kitchen.... but it does exist as part of the whole.

Maybe a full current floor plan, with every dimension, and an equally detailed PLAN via the architect would help everyone understand your vision ?

Which might then lead to what you asked here, A better kitchen where it doesn't feel "off" : )

Jordan K, I am not a professional, and I like the design posted by your designer a lot. I also like Jan Moyer’s ideas, if moving the bath is feasible.
What you do depends on your family. Do you anticipate needing the big dining table? If not, you can make the room closer to the garage into the dining room, and make the whole back area into a family room with a play area. I assume you may have more children in the future, and your little one will grow, so you will want to be able to watch them play while you are in the kitchen.

This is the existing 1st floor now. I know it doesn’t have all the measurements as requested but this is what our architect gave us. As you can see we are keeping the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and stairs where they are now. We are trying to work within the parameters of what we have. Maybe instead of floor to ceiling cabinets on the wall behind the island and around the corner, maybe we do a walk in pantry where the existing ”laundry” is located. Or would that be too small for a walk in pantry?

Facts:

There was no "hostility" above. You may not have loved the way every comment was worded, or perhaps it was blunt.....but the site is 100% free advice. Yes, you asked for a way to make the kitchen better, as you sensed something was "off"

The kitchen you want, first needs appropriate clearances but the k.d plan did not have them, and included a wine fridge and wrap around bar, with a big island, a dining area to seat 12 , appliances such as cooling at twice the size those found in any house at this size or vintage. Also a library/den and office......without big plumbing moves, or big window changes...also to stay within a budget, connect a free standing garage to the existing structure, raise the roof......but not move the stair due to resources.

Countless posters have gotten amazing results on this forum, in a back and forth dialogue , with threads that have gone on for a year or more.

Every single one of those began with a dimension for every wall, window and passage within the existing condition of the home.

We understand you are not living there, we understand you have one child, and perhaps a huge extended family and a ton of young couple friends as you seem to be.

Please go back to the architect who DID do a hard measure, has the dimensions for everything I noted. We see what he "gave you", but he could not have generated existing or future plan

without the dimensions for everything.

When you do that, preferably before.......ask yourself what you really MUST have; it should not be 72" of cooling as it's just not realistic.

The home has a second floor we aren't seeing. If you are not going to use a first floor room as a bedroom? Then you need no bathing on this floor. A half bath is all you really do need. Sectionals are not the only way to have comfortable seating, and once purchased are incredibly unforgiving as to their versatility, but a dozen folks should have a place to sit down, beyond the kitchen/dining area..

You're a first time poster on site with a ton of Pro's and gen pop with hundreds of years of combined experience - all with a certain amount of passion for good design and generosity of time/talent to help you. But you need to help them do that. It begins and ends with those feet and inches as they are now.

From your architects plan, I gave you this below, with pictures.....

wearing two pair of glasses to discern the dimensions missing and/or very blurry after printing.

It obviously means some structural issues would need to be resolved, it certainly could be beyond budget! The one thing it was not? Hostile. It was a fairly time consuming effort to help you see what might be possible......or not. Please ? Go back to your architect, and then return: ) You may be very pleasantly surprised. The kitchen is ONE aspect of your home, within the whole of that home.