I had a galley kitchen at my old house, and you are definitely right, there are not enough cabinets here.
I can't tell how many upper cabinets there are, but with all those windows and the stove against the wall, there can't be many.

The only thing I like really, is that the refrigerator is near the table.

The dishwasher is on an island and the island doesn't appear big enough to have dish drawers to store things afterward. That means lots of steps to put everything away.

I would definitely wrap the cabinets around the corner. If you do wrap the cabinets, you are nearly creating a peninsula. Or, you could rotate your island 90 degrees. I'm guessing as I don't know your clearances.

Finally, seating for six on the island, was that her request? Does she host a lot of Pampered Chef parties or what?

Is this supposed to be to scale? There's no room between the fridge and the table. It looks like the island overhang is too shallow for seating. The aisles are too narrow. The fridge and oven stacks close in the stove area.

There's no prep surface. There's practically no storage. There's nowhere to put a trash can.

I know your friend has a deadline, but this "designer" isn't doing her any favors. It looks like she didn't measure anything.

The layout you've shown is what we usually call a "before". It cries out to be remodeled. You were very right to be concerned.

I agree with plllog, the designer did think much about this plan. This is a very inefficient plan . She will not be happy with the kitchen as is down the road.

I agree with the others...Its hard to know what this plan is really like because we don't know any dimensions or aisle widths or anything....I agree that the best idea would be to wrap the cabinets under that window and then have the sink there. This would create a peninsula with barstools on that side, which I think would be really nice. Can you create a layout with measurements and everything we need to know so the layout gurus can do their magic? :)

This layout is a flat-out disaster.

I'd much rather have counterspace and storage than a wine fridge. Do these people actually cook?

There is walkspace between patio door and wall oven + microwave. Very useful if you eat a lot of pizza on the deck. Otherwise, what's the passageway for? No one will seat a family at stools when there is comfortable dining table seating so close by; stool seating here is only for casual use.

Does this client know that children grow up, fill space with their bodies, and bring home acquaintances and spouses?

person at range is fannybumping person at sink

Thanks for your comments - I felt the same way, but thought I was over-reacting!

As the drawings belong to the designer until the contract is complete, I was respecting the copyright by not posting the original. Here's an "excerpt" from the drawing with some clearances. The distance between the island and "mainland" (i.e. range) is 40"; the patio doors cannot be moved but the windows are 48" and have been ordered but not installed; therefore they can be moved. My concerns are that you'd be hiking over to the dining room cabinets for your mixing bowls, dishes, food, pots and pans, due to the inadequate cabinet and counter space in the working area.

I was wrong on the island - it's seating for 5. Her architect assured her that the cupboard space is sufficient - clearly they don't know how much food it takes to keep three growing boys... growing!

She will likely add a pantry next to the fridge, but I still have concerns about the function. I don't know about you, but I love having a large piece of counter in the open - peninsula, island or just somewhere without uppers - for prep. She will have a bit on each side of the sink, but for my style of cooking, I would want that island to be an empty expanse of counter and would have placed the sink under the window. Well, it DOES take at least 3 homes before you build your perfect one but... sigh.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

ditto marcolo.

re-do it.

start by thinking about your desire to have both a DR table and "seating for six". This may put you on a different path.

For such a small kitchen, with a relatively large family, I think the appliances are wrong. I'd do a range and the dreaded OTR MW to pack the cooking appliances into a smaller area, giving more counterspace versus the wall stack. It should also come out ahead in storage space as well. I'd let her keep the wine fridge only if she really would need/use it.

Looking at the dimensions, I think a galley design is not bad. An L shaped kitchen would have a really short leg, and the corner storage is harder to use efficiently.

I'd think really hard about the island seating. Again, you could pack more storage into the island, and the kitchen table is so close by, you really don't need to be at the island to be close to the cook. If you don't have to leave room for seating, the passageway on the right side of the island could be a bit smaller as well, more like a "cut through" to keep people from feeling closed off in the galley. (There may be a code issue here, though--I have a neighbor who got caught having a too-narrow hallway in her new kitchen, so double-check this before ordering cabs.)

A tall pantry cab next to the fridge is another great idea.

My initial response was Marcolo's as well - I think they're placing far too much emphasis on being in the house for the kids starting school vs doing it right. I'm not aware why they've gone with the rangetop vs a dual fuel - personally, I think a conventional range and a drawer microwave would be a better option. Adding the pantry shifts the dining room even further into the living room.

I've seen this kitchen style work well in lofts, which have a wall of 16' windows and can't work with L or U shapes. However, this is a reno of a ~80 y.o. home for a family, not for a singleton whose culinary skills consist of juggling a career with wine tastings and laying out platters of prepared canapes. I'm in a tough spot here, as both her KD and architect are assuring her that it's all fine, and throwing changes in now will slow down the process.

Sheesh, why do GCs promise unrealistic deadlines for people? Do they not understand that many clients will have NO idea of the number of decisions that are required? I was hoping that someone would post that they LOVE their no-corner kitchen and that I'm delusional in thinking this is wrong... now I have a major moral dilemma to deal with. Throw a wrench in the works, or just sit quietly and let it all unfold...

"No one will seat a family at stools when there is comfortable dining table seating so close by; stool seating here is only for casual use."

Each family is different. My island backs up to the living room and the dining room is adjacent. Still, we sit at the island 95% of the time. This appears to be the case even when we have guests. Maybe the difference is my stools are comfortable and/or the island can see everything in the great room --- the food, the TV, the patio outside, etc. *Shrug*

Anyway, I agree with the OP that this layout is not good. Maybe in a tiny apartment..... but not in a home with enough room for a living room and a family room!

I think she needs to merge the dining room and kitchen areas. Either pick a dining room table or pick an island and move from there. I don't see room in that kitchen for dishes/pots/pans/etc., let alone for food storage.....

Positions #3 and #4 on the island will have their plates in the same spot on the table.

I don't think there is enough storage, or at least enough storage in the right places.

I would at the very least suggest that the cabinet run over by the table be turned into all pantry/all storage, (and maybe keep the beverage fridge as well.

Currently the dishes and glasses alone could take up the entire two cabinets on each side of the cooktop.

This would probably be a good space for a galley or parallel counter run layout.

I think they will be making a big mistake on settling because of a deadline that will come and go regardless and then have an inadequate kitchen to deal with for years to come.

There really is very little storage. Suggest to her that she decide now which stuff goes in which cab/drawer to see if she has enough room for it.

Your simple drawing did justice to the rendering. I stand by all of my comments. And those of the others.

You might lose a friend in the process, but do a good deed and talk your friend out of this!!

This never works. The kind of layout you've seen in lofts is much better conceived and executed. In "loft apartments" which are basically poky little condos with all the guts hanging out including the upstairs neighbor's waste pipes, there might be just the same kitchen as pictured, which is the first thing the new owner wants to rip out because it doesn't work, or is seen as a good staging area for deli trays, pizzas, beer and cereal.

ditto florantha
ditto plllog
ditto marcydc
ditto palimpsest

you could get a nice corner kitchen here.
(the windows are not floor to ceiling).
i usually try to galley-ize.

i don't know if i might have read too fast and missed something:
but I'll ask: is it clear where the traffic flow and sight lines are?

the drawings show a lot, but hide important things.
like a bikini.

Well. You can't stop a friend from drinking, or using drugs. They have to want to change. You can't force it on them.

So, you could do one thing: Ask questions. Tell her, Go look at your plates--where will those go? Now cross out the cabinets you've used. Your pots and pans--where? Same thing, cross out the "used" spaces in the drawing. Then maybe walk her through a few functions (like actually having everyone sitting at the island, or getting something from the dishwasher while mom is taking a turkey out of the oven.

If she is willing to sacrifice years of outright torture so she gains a few weeks of oblivious peace, it's her choice.

Ah davidro1, you make my sides hurt with laughter!

Thanks for all your comments and constructive criticism - it's hard to stand by and watch injustice committed against such a sacred room. OK, it's intervention time - who's with me? ;o)

I should have mentioned, she's more of an acquaintance, so my usual forthright manner will have to be tempered a bit, but I feel I definitely need to make a gentle suggestion or two. marcolo - excellent suggestion. I will ask her if she feels all her kitchen accoutrements will exceed her available cupboard space. Maybe she doesn't cook...

Thanks again for your input - I'll let you know the outcome!

Maybe bring up that the resale value of the home could be compromised if the kitchen layout is poor.