In option B and C - the cook top and wall oven are on different sides.

In such a small kitchen youd typically get a range and even a 24 in one at that . why dont you want a range . you mention a reheating zone ? can you describe that? i need a little counter to plop things out of mwave, but stovetop can work or even right to the table . reheating zone is not clear…appliance selection needs to be clarified

stove is too close to the wall in B and C the glass doors in A are too busy for a small kitchen.

@herbflavor The reason why I do not want a range is that it will stick out 4-5" (when including the oven handle) into the narrow 36" aisle.

The dedicated reheating zone is in Option B to the left of the refriderator. This reheating zone will have the microwave in a 15" deep upper cabinet cubby, toaster oven ona shelf below. There is open countertop below to fix plates with leftovers/ lunch, etc. This will also allow the microwave to be lower than an over-the-range microwave for one of us who is short. The width of the reheatinz zone coutnertop will be 27" to 30". The main prep space for cooking is on the other side of the refriderator and will be about 46".

The rough appliance dimensions would be: 32" wide counter-depth refrigerator, 30" cooktop, 30" wall oven (placed under counter), 24" dishwasher, 24" under counter combo washer dryer.

@Lyn Nielson - glass doors can be ignored, just a placeholder here. Not sure if the induction cooktop in B and C is too close to wall for me, but it is a consideration.

@katinparadise - Option A also uses a seperate cooktop. No additional counter space is being wasted compared to a range in any of the options. The range would stick out into the narrow aisle about 4- 5". If I use an OTR microwave, I must go with option A, as the vent in Option B/C would make OTR placement too high.

In Option A - the landing pad on either side of the range is probably about 15" -16" - we could offset the cooktop/oven more to the right.

Yes, if we go with option A, it will be drawers on the lower cabinets, thanks.

A is the best of the option, good countertop workspace. counterdept refrigerator so it doesn't bump out into the space. Base drawers rather than cabinets.

cabinets and walls same color, no trim contrast to add chaos to an already tight space.

I sticking with A, with modifications.

The cabinets under the sink are pretty much useless. Consider a Rear-Outlet Drain Kit which will increase storage under sink.

Can you put the W/D at the doorway end of counter? That would give you decent folding space for the laundry and a larger cabinet at the hallway end.

@Lyn Nielson Thanks again. Unfortuantely, even a counter depth refridgerator is going to protrude about 4 or five inche into the space. The only way to get no protrusion is to use an integrated refridgerator which will be too expensive.

@HU-383335436 THe W/D cannot go to the doorway by the alcove. It must stay on the hallway side. This is due to plumbing constraints. Yes, the cabinets under the sink will not hold much.

@katinparadise I don't have a good place for the trash. There will be a receptacle under the kitchen sink, but I don't have a good place for recycling/composte.

How much do you cook or have meals at home? Do you need a full-size dishwasher? or would an 18” do? In C (my preference), doing so would allow the cooktop to move away from the side wall a bit, which could be convenient, with a canister of most-used utensils on the narrow bit of countertop, saving drawers for other items.

The most valuable prep space is right beside a water source, so option A hands down. (Ideally it would be between the sink and range, but you don't have enough prep space at all if sink and range are on the same wall).

@bpath I cook all the time. We eat at home most of the time. I think a smaller dishwasher would be hard given the volume of dishes. Thanks for the idea.

@tracie_erin Thanks for your thoughts. In option B and C there would be 24" of counter space between sink and range. And then, in B there would be 30" to the left of the fridge and the 47" would be the main prep space to the right of the fridge. In option A there would be about 33-36" of total counter space to be divded on the left and right of the range, with a 60" run from sink to end of the room.

A if those are the only choices , without seeing the whole space layout we can only guess.

Your main prep space is the space next to the sink, not empty counter space across the aisle.

I agree with others that "A" is the best choice of the three you show.

It has plenty of prep space next to the sink as well as landing space on the other side of the sink.

The minimum recommended amount of prep workspace is 36", not 24". I had 24" in my old Kitchen of my previous house and I hated it! (It was b/w the sink and range.) I was constantly shifting things around trying to find room to work. I couldn't wait to change that! When I remodeled, I had 45" - so much better! I recommend at least 42", if possible. And that 42" should be right next to the sink to minimize constantly moving back & forth b/w spaces.

I also recommend going with a range instead of a wall oven mounted under the counter. Unless you are getting a small wall oven, the oven in a range is higher off the floor than a wall oven mounted under the counter. Don't the handles of the wall oven also stick out into the aisle? FYI - ranges do not stick out an extra 4" - 5" into the aisle. Most are around 27" deep, including the handles. The surrounding counters are 25.5" deep when accounting for doors/drawer fronts and the 1.5" counter overhang. (It's only the cabinet boxes that are 24" deep - that depth does not include doors/drawer fronts, hardware, or counter overhangs. The standard depth when all things are included is 25.5". This is also why aisles are measured to/from the items sticking out into them the farthest, not cabinet-to-cabinet.)

The refrigerator will already be sticking out into the aisle farther than the handles of a range/oven. If the refrigerator is on the same side as the range/oven, the aisle in front of the refrigerator will be the narrowest, not in front of the range/oven. (Most counter-depth refrigerators are 30" to 32" deep when accounting for the refrigerator box, door(s), handle(s), and required air space behind them.)

MW - I can see both points. However, note that the top item in the "warming zone" is the same height as the OTR MW. I would not put the toaster oven in the top location.

I'd keep the oven and cooktop together so the range hood can work with both of them (at least to some extent for the under counter wall oven - it would be a lot better with a range since the hot air in a range is usually vented through the top and under the hood vs through the front in a wall oven. It's one of the things I dislike about our wall ovens - no range hood to capture heat/odors/etc., from the ovens.

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"vent cannot be moved"

Aren't you moving the vent in B & C? In A, is the vent externally vented or is the hood a recirculating hood? What about in B & C?

@Patricia Colwell Consulting

I am partial to B or C. Refrigerator wall is 113". Sink wall is 118". I have uploaded the current floorplan to my original post. We essentially have option A right now. In option A - I find that the position of the range creates a bottleneck fif one person is standing there cooking. The other person can't reheat lunch in the microwave or work on a counter, because the person standing at the range is there.

Additionally, the passive vent, which cannot be moved is on the opposite wall. The curret kitchen is a 20 year old renovation and they moved the cooktop from it's original position under the vent. I thought it would be a good idea to return the cooktop to under the vent and put an over the range hood there. The room has no venting to the outside, but I thought the hood would at least protect the cabinets from grease and provide some better recirculating air with the charcoal filter not to mention the passive vent which will be better positioned to take up air.

In addition, by placing the cooktop on that side and near the doorway there, it allows a second person access to the countertop created on the other side, allowing two people to be in the kitchen.

FYI - the counter space to the right of the sink (when facing the sink), in options A, B, or C is 36" - there will be a dish drying rack there and I will put our one gallon water distiller there, so I am not focusing on that counter space as such a usable space. It will also have an angular cut to allow better ingress into the room from that hallway, and allow for the creation of a 7" shallow cabinet on the structural wall.

I appreciate any more insights you have.

@Buehl -

We are not moving the vent in any the options. That is not part of the scope of the project. The current kitchen is a 20 year old renovation and they moved the cooktop from it's original position under the vent. I thought it would be a good idea to return the cooktop to under the vent and put an over the range hood there. The room has no venting to the outside, but I thought the hood would at least protect the cabinets from grease and provide some better recirculating air with the charcoal filter not to mention the passive vent which will be better positioned to take up air.

In Option B - The prep space would be 39" of countertop to the right of the refrigerator, the reheating area would be 39" of countertop to the left of refrigerator. Between the sink and the cooktop, there would be 24" of counter top.

In Option C -There would be about 70" of countertop to the right of the refrigerator and again 24" of countertop between the cooktop and sink.

Option A has 60" of counterspace from the left of the sink to the end of the run.

The counter space to the right of the sink (when facing the sink), in options A, B, or C is 36" - there will be a dish drying rack there and I will put our one gallon water distiller there, so I am not focusing on that counter space as such a usable space. It will also have an angular cut to allow better ingress into the room from that hallway, and allow for the creation of a 7" shallow cabinet on the structural wall.

My research has indicated that for a 30" range, it will stick out between 2 -5" from a standard 25" depth countertop when including handles. Specifically, the Ge Cafe Induction range will stick out 4.5 inches with the handle and the Bosh Benchmark Induction range will stick out nearly 4 inches including handle. My aisle is only 36". This is why I favor a cooktop and 30" wall oven under counter.

Yes, I have calculated that the best refrigerator I can get, a Fisher Paykel freestanding French door will still protrude a touch over five inches into the room when accounting for door, handles and rear air gap leaving me with an aisle at the fridge of a touch below 31". I don't want to create two pinch points in the kitchen by using a range.

@Buehl- I have uploaded the current floorplan to my original post. We essentially have option A right now. In option A - I find that the position of the range creates a bottleneck if one person is standing there cooking. The other person can't reheat lunch in the microwave or work on a counter, because the person standing at the range is there.

Full disclosure: This response was formatted with the assistance of AI on behalf of Rabbitt Design. The recommendations and opinions are from Rabbitt Design.

I would go in a completely different direction and treat this like a proper New York City apartment: limited space, a healthy budget, and every appliance needs to earn the space it occupies.

Start with a full-height, 24-inch-wide European-style refrigerator. These are narrower than a typical American refrigerator but still provide a practical amount of storage because they use the full height of the cabinet.

For laundry, use a compact, all-in-one washer and dryer combination unit under the countertop. It washes and dries in the same machine, so you do not need room for two separate appliances. A cabinet door can also be installed in front of it to keep the kitchen looking clean and built-in.

I would use a smaller sink and choose one that includes accessories such as an integrated cutting board. This allows part of the sink to double as usable countertop and food-preparation space.

Instead of dedicating permanent cabinet space to a full-size dishwasher, consider a compact countertop dishwasher that does not require a permanent drain connection. Many are approximately 18 by 18 by 18 inches or smaller. It can be stored inside a base cabinet or pantry and brought out when needed.

For cooking, use a portable two-burner induction cooktop. It can be stored away when it is not being used, giving you significantly more uninterrupted countertop space for preparation, serving, or everyday use.

Finally, eliminate the separate microwave and traditional range. Replace them with a high-quality combination appliance that functions as a convection oven, steam oven, and microwave. The better models are expensive, but they can handle most everyday baking, roasting, reheating, and steaming needs in one appliance.

This approach would create a highly functional kitchen while providing considerably more storage and preparation space than a conventional layout filled with separate full-size appliances.

@Rabbitt Design Thanks for this creative proposal. I really enjoyed reading it and looking at the renderings, and I appreciate that you took parts of the options and reformulated them. Unfortunately, I don't think it will work for us for the following reasons

1. We do a lot of cooking. We need a dedicated 30" cooktop. I love the idea of combining appliances to save space, but we will likely need a 30" oven as I use two trays of 18" x 13" for the oven. This will neceissate a 30" oven for air flow.

2. The full height 24" refrigerator is a problem for two reasons: I believe capacity is capped at around 12 - 13 cu ft. This is just not enough even for our two person household. We buy a lot of fresh produce and I batch cook. We need at least 16 cu ft. or more. While I am over 6 feet, my wife is a little over 5" and she will not be able to reach the top shelves of the refrigerator.

3. Regarding the laundry - Yes! We are going to buy the under-counter combination washer/dryer by LG, 24" wide.

4. We are getting a d-shaped sink that has an internal cavity of 21" in a base cabinet of 24".

5. We need a 24" under-counter dish washer. We go through lots of dishes each day and do a full dishwasher load every other day or every day.

My primary goal with option B and C is to let two people accomplish work in the kitchen. Primarily - I will do the cooking at the cooktop and oven and the prep space on the opposite side of thsoe appliances, while my wife can make lunch, a smoothie, get a snack and asemble it at the same time. I don't think Option A allows this.

If you or your AI have any reply to my comments, I'd love to read it. Thanks again!

From the horses arse, not Ai - helpful tone but I am opinionated :)

How are you using the existing kitchen? the volume of cooking usually matches the volume of storage needs. If that's out of balance you are spending a lot of money for a kitchen that doesn't work..something has to give.

I am not sure if you get to buy a lot of food, have a lot of cooking appliance, have a laundry, and have a lot of dishes...some habit has to change IMHO.

You batch cook.... awesome!.... bring your food home from the grocery store and start batching, no fridge needed, then mise en place my friend, and clean while you go, dishwasher issue solved, use an 18" washer if need be, or get a bigger sink with integrated bowls and block..a workstation sink..we can integrate a drying rack in your upper cabinet.

yes you could size up to a 30" tower. you could even add a second oven.

Do you really need 4 burners? have you ever owned a steam oven and do you know about its magic tricks that would have you spending a lot less time at the cooktop? Buy a cast iron, get your sear, throw the cast iron in the oven, get a separate induction single for boiling water as needed, bam, 2 burners still available

Regarding the fridge..that is up to your preference. I really dont enjoy feeling crowded in a kitchen, I would much rather trade off more grocery store runs for a more calming kitchen. Some place that keeps it a joy to work in. The amount of time i spend cooking is far greater than the amount of time it takes me to go to the grocery store two more times in a month..I would much rather have the greater amount of time enjoying my experience...food for thought.

@Rabbitt Design Thank you again for your reply. We have a dry pantry in a closet that is not actually in the kitchen, so dry food storage is not an issue. I don't mind losing a lower cabinet to a proper dishwasher.

Option A is our current kitchen. I find that if I am standing at the range, this creates a bottleneck where my wife cannot use the microwave or any prep area to reheat/make her meals.

I have never owned a stem oven and would love a combination unit. My issue is that I think a steam oven is too small for my two 18 x 13 trays.

Thank you for making me think about the idea of four burners. I don't think I've ever used all four at once. I've regularly use two, and rarely burners at the same time.

One thing about your renderings - the measurements are not correct. On the refrigerator side, the total measurement that you have as 108" is actually 113.5" On the sink side, the measurement that you have as 96 3/8" is actually 120". Do these updated measurements change your thinking?

I love the idea of a wall oven that is actually at a height where I don't have to bend, but that would take away a lot of counter top.

What do you think of the idea to put the fridge smack in the middle of the countertop run, dividing it equally in two which would yield the reheating area on the left and the prep area of the right (opposite the cooktop)?

Thanks again for your time.

I cook a lot too and the wall adjacent cooktop would drive me crazy. I understand the need for separate cooking/reheating. Keep layout A.

1. Move refrigerator to far left to maximize countertop.
2. Reheating station to the far left of the sink side. Q: Is the counter space under the TO shelf really usable? I would put the TO on the counter and maybe put a small shelf over it.

I like option C and I think that's what you like too, so stop trying to explain your reasons for wanting it and just do it.

I like option C and it appears that you do too, so stop trying to explain why you like it and just do it.

@jeannie_sang Thanks.

I can't put the reheating area to the far left of the sink side (the area where the vent is). This is because the vent cannot be moved and it will mean that a microwave in a top cabinet will be too tall for my wife to reach. I do not want an under coutner microwave as it will be too short for me and I do not like them.

I can't put the refriderator to the far left. There needs to be at least a 12" pantry to the left of the refriderator so that the left of the french door built in refriderator can swing outwards without being impinged upon. by the wall corner that sticks out approx 5in from the cabinetry.

Regarding the Toaster oven shelf - I am abandoning that idea. I will further amend Option B to have equal width countertops. This means that the first shelf of the upper cabientry can have a microwave and toaster oven on it. I am going to change Option C so that the taoster oven is also on the shelf next to the microwave. Also, Option C is in accurate now, as there does need to be at least a 12" Pantry to the left of the refriderator.

@Jody Hall My favorite is actually Option B - but I may being too wary to do it. Option C still seems to not allow two people to work in the kitchen, and I have to shorten the countertop from waht is pictured because the refridgerator requires a 12" pantry to the left due to the wall corner on the left bloicks that side of the door.

Whatever layout you chose, do not put the microwave over the stove - not sure why people started doing that crazy thing. You want to be able to drag hot bowls out of a microwave directly to a counter, not lift them from eye level.

And - think about the stove being up next to a wall to your left - are you left or right handed and how easy is that to use? The other one with the stove not butted up next to a wall is better. There is plenty of space ON the counter for the microwave in any layout.

Think about how you cook and how you move around in the room and what works best for the way YOU cook or prep food. Have fun!

@terrib962 Thanks For your comments. The wall to the left of the stove only extends 24 in deep to the cabinets. Then, the wall turns to the left 90° and extends 8" into the doorway cavity. So, it is not a wall in the sense that my body will not be banging into the wall. If I stand there. There will also be about 5 in between the left of the cooktop and the wall. I believe all my pots and pans will fit. I am right-handed, so I do not believe that this would be a big impediment. For better or worse, we would be restoring the cooktop to its original location in the apartment which is under the passive vent.

We would not use an over-the-range microwave here, but I do not believe that there is enough counter space for the microwave given how we want to proceed.

@HU-383335436

I am thinking of your arms when you are stirring food on a burner - looks like the wall is right there next to the stove in the photos. . ..

Your current (design A) plan is already well designed with good counterspace to the left and right of the cooktop and sink, and higher cabinets above each that avoid a closed in feeling. There is also a nice symmetry to the current opposing sides of the galley. And the current cabets are nice and wide, which accommodates more than skinny cabinets would. If your current cabinet ry is in good shape and you like its style, you may not need to tear it all out. I nstead of a major overhaul, how about just replacing the far left cabinets with a base cabinet with a countertop for a small toaster oven (and maybe a coffee maker or electric kettle too) and a microwave shelf above? Then you have a one-stop morning or reheat area out of the way and still retain central placement for the kitchen's main work areas. If you do want to replace all the cabinets, I'd still recommend changing the layout only by adding the snack/reheat area to the side, but you may want to replace some base cabinets with deep drawers. They are very efficient for storage.

I have lived with a galley kitchen for 40 yrs.

Go with A, it’s the most functional also if that is a small pantry to the left make it bigger if you can.

@terrib962

There is a doorway here not a full wall. My arms won't bump into a wall. Here is a picture.

@NE Broe Thanks for your message. I'm not sure which cabinet you are indicating. You think I should replace with a shelf. The cabinets are not in great condition. The problem with our current kitchen is that if I am standing by the range, my wife cannot do anything in the kitchen. With the redesign, the hope is to get two people to be able to use the space at the same time.

Different tact: What size appliances: 24 or 18 inch dishwasher; 30 inch or 24 inch range;, what size refrigerator?

@LJ thanks. It's going to be 24" dishwasher, 30" cooktop/oven, probably 36" integrated refrigerator, 24" undercounter combo washer dryer.

Post a complete floorplan to scale with dimensions, please. I'm feeling there's a better solution here.