I agree more drawers. Pot and pans drawers. Are the uppers deep enough for dinner plates? Is there a microwave. Are you thinking of seating around island?

It's standardized mediocrity.

Ideally, the workflow is Ice-Water-Stone-Fire. Translated, that is refrigerator, sink, work counter, cooktop. The dishwasher is best between the refrigerator and sink.

Having the refrigerator past the cooktop is common, but problematic. Firstly, it often means a hike from the sink to the refrigerator. Secondly, if two people are working in the kitchen, and one of them is at the cooktop, there hopefully is enough aisle space for the second person to pass behind. Hope doesn't necessarily design kitchens, however.

Then there are the lesser sins like not having glasses storage near the dishwasher.

Your contractor does an install of the kitchen your kitchen desiner and you have agreed on Yes this needs work for sure I agree with mad_gallica about the placement of layout. I have no clue as to your needs , the walkways look small all should be at least 42' and usually 48" I see no seating at the island and I do agree a 48" one will give you needed storage . I like drawers everywhere for base cabinets even under the sink is possible I like my spices in drawers my olils in pullouts not next the range. A counter depth fridge is a must IMO. I like cabinets to go to the ceiling in most cases with minimal trim above and ideally no space above. Never want to pass cooking area to go from fridge to sink

Does the full renovation include a new window? If it does, make sure to maximize the width and specially the height, even if you have to re-frame and add a new header. The tallest window you can fit will make a big difference in how large/open the space will feel.

Windows that maximized the ceiling height.

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Window that is to short and makes the space feel squat.

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I am not a kitchen designer, so this is just my opinion as someone who likes to cook. It looks like a nice spacious kitchen with great light from the window.

Have you considered adding a prep sink somewhere closer to the range, such as in the island?

Will you not have any island seating? I love having island seating both for quick seat when eating to someone pulling up a stool while I'm cooking.

The countertop space seems very generous, but the pantry seems small to me relative to the rest of the kitchen. I would consider giving up a little space, perhaps around the range, to add more pantry storage if it's something you use.

Personally, I would also consider eliminating the cabinets flanking the window and only having upper cabinets along the range wall. That's plenty of cabinets and I think it would look better without those.

Finally, I would highly recommend more drawers and less doors on the lower cabinets. I finally have a lot of drawers in my kitchen and it's fabulous. Far easier to pull out a drawer and grab pots and pans or dishes.

This is not awful for something a contractor cranked out. Thoughts not in order of importance:

1. How wide from range to island countertop edge (not just from range to island cabinets.)

How wide from sink countertop edge to island countertop edge?

Aisle space is paramount and if you don't have enough, them back to the drawing board for you.

2. No double bowl sink.

3. Drawers on all of your lowers.

4. No diagonal upper. Looks dated, they are terrible cabinets, and reduces spacious feel of the room. Either uppers along the range side only, or an L shaped upper where the diagonal upper is now.

5. An island without seating should at least be a total workhorse for storage. Get drawers on both long sides.

Things I've had in a kitchen that I will never have again:

12" upper cabinet

Angled upper corner cabinet

Lower doors instead of drawers

A fridge surround that doesn't cover the sides of the fridge

Things I haven't had, but still don't want:

Narrow cabinets or pullouts next to the range

Drawers that aren't deep enough for my storage needs (like small appliances, and cake pans stored vertically)

The very best thing you can do right now (while you're looking for a kitchen designer) is to develop a storage plan. Make a list of EVERYTHING in your kitchen, and decide where you will put it in the new kitchen. Often this exercise helps determine the best cabinets to use.

Near the sink: knives, cutting boards, colanders, trash

Near the range: spices, oils, cooking utensils, potholders, pots and pans.

Near the DW: dishes and flatware

Near the fridge: bags and wraps, leftover containers, glasses

Other items that need a designated home: baking sheets, soup pots, small appliances, dish towels, recycling

Food: baking and cooking staples; canned goods, boxed goods, snacks.

We have had numerous friends visit our house (some even cook or bake while they're here), and they rarely have to ask me where to find things - because the basics listed above are in the first place they look. That is the mark of a great storage plan!

I have concerns about your contractor, based on his comment that "vanity cabinet will have no shelves".

I'm not a pro by a long shot, but I do have the tools and the skills to add shelves to a cabinet. If he can't manage such a simple task, how will he build a whole kitchen?

Pull outs by range are personal. We have 8” ones on either side of range. Might be a bit bigger. One side has spices and oils and the other cutting boards and pans. We have an even skinnier pull out by the dishwasher that has aprons in it. I love all three and they were planned. I took our kitchen plan and then wrote what would be in every drawer, cupboard etc. It was super helpful.

Is it the worst plan ever? No.

Is it carefully designed to make the most of the space and the budget, and will its thoughtful design make cooking efficient? No.

But it's as nice as any apartment or tract home.

Thoughts:

- Definitely add in drawers instead of cabinets in most places. You might decide to keep a cabinet or two for a specific purpose, but let that be a conscious decision. Drawers will drive up the cost, but it's a worthwhile spend.

- Do your cabinets reach the ceiling? Most people strongly prefer that look + it gives you more storage, even if some of it isn't as easy to reach.

- I'd like to see a larger pantry for more storage. Pantry cabinets are considerably more expensive than a simple closet-pantry; if you need to cut something, this is an obvious choice. Like another poster, I'd be willing to give up some counter top space to get a larger pantry.

- In an ideal plan, you'd have an upper cabinet for glasses that's near both the dishwasher and the refrigerator. Glasses make up a lot of your daily washing, and you don't want to carry them across the kitchen and back.

- Same thing for silverware -- where do you see it being stored?

- And trash. Where's that?

- Love the big window -- is it a custom size? I know people are saying, "Make it taller", but I'd ask whether you're going to have a valance /curtain over the top, it wouldn't make any difference.

- What kind of window treatment are you using? Consider that a window this large -- so lovely in the daytime -- becomes a large black box at night.

- I would consider moving the sink to the island. The sink is the most-used item in the kitchen, and if you move it to the island, it'll be dead-center and always handy. This would mean moving the dishwasher too. BUT this is a reno, right? If you're on a slab, moving the sink to the island would mean real money. An open countertop under the window would be lovely.

- You're planning storage on both sides of the island instead of seating. I assume you have a kitchen table just past the island? If so, skipping seating is a good idea -- you don't need multiple forms of seating within reach of one another.

- Agree with another poster that you need a large, single-bowl sink. This board is united on few things, but this is one of them.

- Definitely lose those -- are they only 9" cabinets by the range? I've lived with that size, and I kept pot holders in them, as they were not large enough for anything else.

- I'd rather have spices on a lazy susan in a larger upper cabinet.

- AnnKH gave some very good (and specific) details to which you should pay careful attention. Of course you want to run them through your own habits; for example, I'd rather have my wrapping items and leftover boxes near the stove -- but do think through all she suggested.

Lots of good advice above. Adding to what AnnKH said about making a list of your storage needs: measure your largest items- e.g. biggest pot, skillet with handle, baking sheet- and be sure that your drawers are big enough (depth and width) and your vertical storage is tall enough for those items.

Well bless his heart!

So much to unpack here.

- How high are your ceilings?

- Where are any other walls? Open floor plan?

- Photos of the space?

- Is the window existing?

- Walkways look too tight?

- Why is the garbage down by the ref?

- 12" cabinet door next to a 21" door? No

- Not 1!!! pots and pans drawers?

- Is the stove wall exterior? What is the plan for venting outside?

- No to 48" wide cabinets - shelves will bow from being overloaded- same for those 42" wall cabinets ( they will also have a stile down the center of the cabinet ) .

- No to the corner wall cabinet next to a window !

- Personally, I do not like to dummy out the corner - there are great corner cabinets these days. You could easily do a lazy susan and fit a full size garbage to the left of the sink

- What kind of ref are you doing? There are no ref panels on the sides.

- Why is the pantry shorter than the rest of the kitchen and why is that considered ok?

- What cabinet company are you looking at that can't do modified depth cabinets for your island?

- Why is there no seating on the island?

- How many people in the home? What kind of cooks are you? How many people are usually hanging out in that space?

Please post some pictures of the existing space so we can see what is happening.

I see some changes were made and perspectives added. It would be nice to have some sort of response to all the questions people have asked in order to help you more.

Your hood really should be 6 " wider than the stove for optimal exhaust. Also the cabinets on either side should not be touching the hood.

Please try to find a kitchen designer.

Your kitchen design looks so clean and modern—love that bright white style!

For this kind of space, stainless steel pieces can be a great match. A white stainless steel range hood could look especially nice—it keeps everything light and cohesive with your white cabinets.

Allll above, !!

And

Yes to this too as noted above

"Things I've had in a kitchen that I will never have again:

12" upper cabinet

Angled upper corner cabinet

Lower doors instead of drawers

A fridge surround that doesn't cover the sides of the fridge..."

Your best path to help is the scaled drawing of the ORIGINAL condition /all of it.

Can you please add new info to the thread not the original post? It is very hard to follow otherwise.

Here is the current floor plan.

And the new proposed layout. The red X is where i plan to not have a wall and then extend the wall so you aren't looking at the mudroom door from the dining room. Thinking of getting a pivoting door for the mudroom so that it is easy to go in and out with hands full. I want mostly drawers for the bottom cabinets. Will do a bigger island to seat 4 and more clearance between the counters and island. Thinking 54". We are looking in to a large gas strut window that will open up from the kitchen to the back deck. Appreciate all the insight so far. Learning a lot as we go.

It feels more natural to go from existing kitchen to porch than the new one.

Sorry, it is confusing. What is listed as porch is the front porch that you use to enter the house. There is a deck on the back of the house that you get to from the living room and sunroom. The window above the proposed new sink would be a pass through to that deck.