Nice kitchen.

"To Me" it is a "Shame" to replace "Mother Nature" (Wood). with a "Chemistry Factory" (Paint), I didn't!!!
I mean after all, I have gallons and gallons of paint in the rest of my house, I sure did not want to look at more paint, on my kitchen cabinets.

Just a different point of view!!!

Gary

Move the fridge to where the pantry is and get rid of the desk in favor of having the pantry there. A corner range like that eats up space and you have very little space between the sink and range, which is the most used counterspace in any kitchen. Moving the fridge will allow you to center the range on that wall, giving you a MUCH improved layout.

hollysprings, thank you for the suggestion. We talked about that very idea, but decided against it. First of all, we use the desk area A LOT for computer and meal planning. Also, it seems like the opened fridge doors would block the "hallway" to the laundry room/garage. Putting away groceries looked to be a challenge. We realize the corner range is not ideal, but we felt major layout changes were difficult. Do you think we will regret the corner range down the road?

put the fridge where you have mw/oven listed. it's closer to the table and family room there.

who uses the window seat and how often? I'd think about taking that out and put the desk there.

put the mw/oven where you have the pantry and the pantry where you have the desk.

When bringing in groceries you can drop them on the island and put away into pantry and fridge - both right there then and no blocking the doorway.

Those do look like very nice cabinets.

"First of all, we use the desk area A LOT for computer and meal planning."

There's no chair there now. If your computer usage and meal planning don't require a chair, these activities can be conducted anywhere in the kitchen on a flat surface.

"Do you think we will regret the corner range down the road?"

You have a corner range now, so you know how it works for you, but I would would want more counter space between the sink and the range.

Your proposed desk area - the opening is too small space for a chair - which seems to be ok, cause you don't have one but...

If you really need a desk or just a place to keep a laptop plugged in all the time, think about two things. You can make the desk area deeper and taller.

Use the entire depth of the opening for the counter top and pad behind the cabinets to suit. Then perhaps make the base cabinets 40.5" inches tall instead of the normal for a desk height of 28.5". This would give you a "standing desk" with the keyboard etc. at a pretty decent height to be used while standing.

The bottom cabinets can be outfitted with some pantry storage and some filing. The wall cabinets could also be made a littler deeper than normal - like 14-15" with sort of an appliance garage on the bottom for when you wanted to hide the laptop and/or printer, phone gear, chargers from view.

So, I would think and talk to cabinet makers about sliding doors on those uppers or lift doors because I'd like to get the calendar, a note pad or magnetic chalk/white board or small persons art on the front of the uppers instead of pinned to the walls. Or maybe make the wall cabinets shorter and the opening above the desk taller so those things could fit on the wall immediately above the desk. That way, they could be seen for everyday use but closed up when desired.

Of course, if the height increased, you could think about getting one of those tv-monitor combos if you were also interested in having a tv or being able to read that recipe from the island.

I wanted to say also that blue tape and cardboard is your friend in trying out layout changes. It lets you wander around your new layout without committing to it.

Try taping your new layout to the floor around oh, say your table space. Then use either cardboard or some other furniture temporarily moved to the kitchen to sort of pad it out into a 3D object. Move your table into its new position and try out having stuff that close to your table for about a week.

Be assured that you would not be the first person who used curse words after using the tape.

You might not regret changing the corner range, because it's what you have. You don't know what you're missing until you find something better. More counter space in that area = much better!

You'll also have room for more upper cabinets, and it would allow you to widen the 24" base drawer cabinet into an even more functional, wider base drawer and add a lazy Susan into that corner. Look at all the storage in just this paragraph!

I second the idea of moving the desk to the window, swapping the fridge & micro and moving the pantry over.

Desk ideas, though: Besides the window space, there's also the option of turning the existing pantry into the desk area. Don't I see a plastic-y desk/table thing just inside your family room? Is that for the kids, or could that area against that wall be turned into a computer/tech area for the whole family?

Something in me wants to
1) rotate the island 90 degrees so the chairs are in the dining room.
2) ask why you want a 62" deep island? You can't wipe it from one side... Are you stepping the island for the seating area?
I also see where turning the island would allow you to put the micro opposite the moved range, and still keep what I believe you've drawn as dish drawers towards the sink. You could still have an end drawer cabinet. Again, more cabinet space.

I can see where it's time to update the cabinets. You've got an awful lot of wood going on there. And despite all the quotation marks, sometimes wood is just worth painting to make a very inexpensive change. Proper preparation would make stripping it again later, easier. That said, please consider donating your cabinets. They look like they're in good condition.

Another question is where you could actually reface your cabinets and have inset doors made. No, it's not as difficult as nay-sayers love to moan. If I can do it, anyone can do it! Anyway, some of your cabinets would fit your plan and reduce what you'd need to buy.

Are you keeping your black granite (?) for anything? Those would be some nice pieces elsewhere, perhaps in that family room, computer/tech area? [LOL]

I admire someone who likes the corner range. I just moved into a house with one. I love to cook, and used to love standing at my range fussing over the gently browning garlic, the curry getting fragrant, the real live exhausting vent fan sucking up the HOGS...now, I pitch the onions in the pan, turn on the rattle trap recirculating hood, wander away from the prison of a corner stove and stare out at the wisteria vine on the back deck. Then I notice my onions are more caramelized than translucent, I turn off the @#$%! microhood, and hope for the best with dinner.

What I'm saying is that I would love to break free of my corner range. If you can, I'd bet you'd appreciate the improved function almost immediately.

Focus your efforts on getting rid of that corner range. That will get you more usable counter space as well as actual usable corner storage. Imagine being able to cram this much into that corner!

{{!gwi}}
You could even do toekick drawers in the cabinets beside the range for all of your potholders or other shallow serving spoons.

{{!gwi}}

That means moving the fridge out of it's location to across the aisle where the pantry is currently located. And, I agree with Christine to rotate the island 90 degrees. Make sure you put a power outlet on one end that's easily reached by a seated person, and that will become where 90% of your "desk" stuff is done on your laptop. Make the old desk area into a pantry, and put your printer there. You could do a pull out or flip up table in the pantry if you need additional space, but with laptops being so prevalent, there really isn't much need for more horizontal "desk" area. Your entire island or kitchen table or even just a recliner in a den can serve as "desk" with a laptop. And the back or side of an upper cabinet door cans serve as a bulletin board and takeout menu corral, ala Diamond Cabinet's (Masterbrand) Message Center.

{{!gwi}}

Also, with that window seat there, I'd be strongly tempted to turn it into actual seating for the table, ala a banquette. That would give you much better traffic clearance for your table.

{{!gwi}}

Wow! I had no idea that the corner range was THAT unpopular. However, I think you guys have me convinced to center the range on that wall. It will give me more storage, a better layout, and the hood/uppers will fit nicer together. I also have to look at the idea of turning the island. I never even thought about that. I guess I'm really going "back to the drawing board"! I appreciate the help because we want to do this right the first time.

hey.
Am I missing something?
You're putting in a range that has an over, and a wall oven?
I thought you didn't cook all that much? Do you really need two? Is one convection?

I'm glad you're moving your stove. What a BIG waste of space! :)