I decided to do a blind upper corner because it gave me full double-door cabinets on either side of the corner, which I found more useful than a hinged cabinet with a deep corner. I also didn't want large doors that opened so close to my face. Had that in my old kitchen. I have a 24" cabinet on the stove side and a 28" on the fridge side. The blind cabinet next to the 24" cab has a 12" door, and yes, it's tight. I keep paper towels and napkins in there--large items that I can just grab a corner of--or multiples of items like canned cat food. I sacrificed the bottom corner so I could do two drawer stacks on each side of the corner. Some people will say it's crazy to give up precious storage in a small kitchen, but I found that with cabs up to the ceiling, a pull-out pantry, and a deep refrigerator cabinet, I have some empty shelves in my wall cabinets.

Thanks for the comments so far. Keep them coming! Cindy, yes, I was similarly concerned about the limited space between the sink and rangetop, as well as the lack of landing space near fridge. We originally thought the counter near the dining room would be close enough (within 48" across from french door style fridge), but that doesn't seem to be the case. We might be able to go with a 33" fridge instead (maybe standard depth?), then have enough room to the left of it to put the microwave over there... Something to think about. Moving the door or wall between the dining room and kitchen, however, aren't appealing options. This particular house really calls for a more formal dining space, and the traffic pattern would be too awkward if the doorway were to be significantly relocated. I believe it's also load-bearing, so probably not feasible at this time anyway. Dilly, thanks for the reminder to not rush into anything. Good advice, as we're definitely feeling the urgency. I LOVE the idea of and L shape and an island, but wasn't seeing how that setup would be very functional. I think my initial idea was similar to yours--put the sink under the back window (although it wouldn't be aligned very well), the DW to the right of the sink, then have cabinets/counters all along that long wall. It would be a bit awkward dealing with the unmoveable wall in the middle of that run, but I guess we could have a break in the countertop there and disguise the wall with some sort of built-in hutch or something. The range could then be shifted to the right a bit, with the ovens at the far left (or even a not quite so far left end to the kitchen if we bump the pantry out as you suggest). My concern was that the space really doesn't seem large enough for an island, does it? If we allow 36" space between counters and island (which seems pretty minimal, really), and another 36" on the other side, plus another 12' or so for some open shelving on the wall between the DR, can really only fit an island that's about 3 or 3-1/2' wide. That doesn't seem like much, since we'd also want it to provide counter seating (and in which case we'd need to make that "walk-thru" lane to the backyard wider, too. It also doesn't seem like the island could be very long, since we'd need to allow for both counter depth and walkway at the short L end, and we don't also need to keep the traffic lane open for folks heading to the pantry or basement (guest quarters). Oh, and I was also worried that it would seem impossibly far from the fridge to the sink, even without an island to navigate around. Probably about 15', with a turn. I don't see anyplace else to put the fridge though, or any better use for that little corner between DR and basement stairs. Ugh. I'll think some more about these ideas. Looking forward to hear any other suggestions for this challenging space! PS - We like to use the DR for family dinners, as well as the "adult" dining when we have guests. Not enough room in there for all the kids, so really do want some eat-in space in kitchen, even if only for 3 or 4 people.

You should decide the pantry size by the cab configuration offered as there can be big differences between 18 vs 24, food storage needs, what fits with your island seating and how much counter space is left on that run. It's close enough to the cooking zone that centering it on the aisle shouldn't be the major consideration. Look at the big picture and all the pertinent factors. What are the bottom glass doors on the hutch? Are they drawers? I think it would look better and be more useful as single drawers to mimic the base, reserving glass for the top. Can't tell from the pics, is there a prep sink in the island?

I very much appreciate these suggestions. You all are really helping me fine-tune this design. Do my responses below seem like good reasons to stick with my plan above? I would consider moving the DW to the end of the peninsula This would work for an average household, but as a homeschooling mother of six, I make three home-cooked meals a day. The DW is run after every meal, and a lot of it consists of pots and pans that need to be soaked before going in. you could eliminate the door on the small corner cabinet I did play with this idea, but I am concerned about the trays and cutting boards inside getting splattered from food dribbling down from the prep area above or from loading the dishwasher next to it. It is much easier to wipe down a door than to wash all the contents inside. Whatever you choose, you must have a filler on the left side. This is why the 6" cab seems better to me. It will ensure that I have standard filler size and that the counter doesn't have to touch the slider trim. I know you are looking into the blind base for the sink - I would still opt for the 30" sink base and 36" lazy susan - I think that will be a much better storage option. If I want to have my trash in a base, the only place I see room for it is under the sink, and the only way for it to fit there is if I move my large water filtration system into the corner with this blind cabinet. Though blind cabs are typically terrible storage options, used this way, this blind frees up drawer storage elsewhere that might have been eaten up with a trash pull-out. I also get very useful storage with the 18" drawer base to the right of the stove that I wouldn't get if a susan is in the corner. a corner base with adjustable staggered shelving I'd seriously consider it if a 36" one fit in either corner, but the openings on the 33" corner bases are so narrow that they are difficult to get things out and even see what is in there. Thank you!