Well, it's too bad she's not ready to move on things yet. Even without fori's amazing range. BTW, did you know those sell for 6 to 8K at the specialty shops on this coast, fori? You could have a second career. In just one day I was able to dig up these--wouldn't they make a darling kitchen? You'd have to have a larger companion or two made to the side piece, but how Florida these colors are. Range (considering electric as well as gas, since gas availability varies in those neighborhoods--not worth it if she has to foot the bill to run service, and unfortunately a lot of the area is the kind of neighborhood where people would steal propane). I just lost my heart to the color scheme here, although we could have something else redone in the same buttercream+sea green, I suppose: Hoosier with side (original paint). Small, but with a repro side or two, could work: Reproduction cast iron sink. There are lots of old ones, but there was a problem with getting iron reporcelained recently, so this would be the fallback if we can't find a real one in good condition or a steel one that can be redone. Would love an old one in buttercream yellow, though. Not bad for less than a day's worth of looking around, and the total cost of everything including modern fridge and re-enameling a vintage table to match would be under 5K, even with repairs and shipping.

Oooh--I just googled that stove. How beautiful. Let's see now. For my 1955 O'keefe and Merrit I would say.... Pros: 1. High btu's (for a residential--non "pro style" stove). Burners up to about 13.000. Not sure how low the simmer is, but there is a teeny weeny little simmer burner on each of the 4 burners. You can also adjust the flames easily. Everything is accessible. 2. Fold down top. Many vintage stoves have covers to make up for the lack of counter space in vintage kitchens. I use this "counter" allllllll the time. So my stove is closed more than it is open. 3. Style (of course!). A vintage kitchen needs a vintage looking stove. 4. The pilot light in the oven keeps the oven at about 100 degrees, which I love for rising bread dough. Also works to keep food warm. 5. The high end of the temp spectrum is great. My oven goes to about 600 degrees, so it makes great pizza (I keep a pizza stove on the bottom all the time. So, excellent looks and cooking performance. And mine was "only" 800 bucks. She is definitely the star of the kitchen. Visitors gravitate toward her, pet her, and gush. Cons: 1. All those pilot lights raise the gas bill a bit. But I have no idea how much. 2. All those pilot lights heat up the kitchen. I live in Northern California. In the fall and winter and spring, I love this. In July and August, it can really add unwanted heat to the kitchen. What I usually do when a heat spell is coming is turn off the gas, and gook via grill, electric kettle, and microwave. The only hassle to this is that I have to slide the 400lb stove out from the wall to shut the gas off. 3. Smell. I don't know what is going on with my stove in this respect. But the exhaust smell (it isn't a "fresh gas" smell) that comes from it when I use can be unpleasant. It isn't horribly strong, but you can smell it. It really bugs my husband. We do not have a stove pipe (which the stove should have), nor do we have a vent hood. Once we have a hood, this problem should be solved. 4. Tiny oven. I can fit a half sheet pan in there, but nothing much larger than that. I can fit a roaster, but it is tight. I cannot fit a ginormous family size pizza. So, big thanksgiving style meals would be tough (I haven't attempted any.) I really really really wish I had held out for a stove with 2 ovens. Two ovens would be a lifesaver, and many vintage stoves have 2 ovens. 5. My stove isn't well insulated, so it gets friggin hot on the outside!! When my youngest was 2, I was a nervous spaz about having him in the kitchen when I was cooking. Especially if I were making pizza! Thank goodness my boys are older now. Unfortunately, I can't really afford to have the stove taken apart, and reinsulated. (Actually, I have no clue if it even has insulation in there.) I think that's about it. There might be other concerns with a 1924 stove (it may not have continuous pilots), but if you are working with a good dealer, he or she can advise you. I have a friend with a 1920's Spark stove (yellow with red knobs!). She is an awesome cook and baker (and has the tiniest amount of counter space I've ever seen!). She adores her stove, and raves about its performance. She has a stove pipe, and I've never smelled any exhaust in her kitchen. But that remind me: older stoves with a stove pipe sit at least a foot (or more) away from the wall. this is a problem in a tiny kitchen, so you might want to look at younger stoves... Hope that helps! Feel free to email me if you have any questions! :-) francy

Welcome Annet! How much are you willing to do with it? Are you planning to gut it and start over? That would probably be the best way to "fix" it. As a short-term fix, I suggest clearing off the counters. That will not only make it look less cluttered, but will free up valuable counterspace. I would also consider putting all the things hanging on the wall someplace else - in a closed cabinet, if possible. Finally, the open shelves are part of the problem. While open shelves can sometimes work, they can also make a room look cluttered if there is too much going on on the shelves. Long term... I recommend checking out the layout help FAQ. We need more information to be able to help you find the best layout for you and your family. How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include? http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2767033/how-do-i-ask-for-layout-help-and-what-information . We also have a "read me" thread that may provide other useful information for you. New to Kitchens? Read Me First! http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3638784/new-to-kitchens-read-me-first .

Carolina Kitchen and Bath - the trash is not next to the range. There is a cabinet between the range and the window. The trash is under the sink. The distance between the wall and island is supposedly 30 inches. As there are other doorways in our home that are this wide (and some smaller) this seemed OK to us. I think the distance from the front of the range to the kitchen island was 36 inches, but I will check.