Good to get the desk out of the work area!

I'm afraid your peninsula isn't long enough to seat 3 or maybe to do the group projects you envision. Have you considered eliminating the peninsula, creating more of a galley and having a table or banquette that might double as workspace?

How large is the dining room? Is it tight or is there an extra couple of feet to steal? Have you considered opening the spaces to each other?

Rhome's suggestion is much like we have in our slowly being reno'd kitchen. We have cabinets to the end of the wall and are building a built-in window seat and a table for the wall where you show a table.

You have the distinct advantage of having that wall of cabinets and sink on the opposite end. Our kitchen has your dimensions, the proposed two doorways and two more on your sink wall! Yikes! Our pantries are also in the kitchen. Your space sounds like it will be great!

We put in toekick heating to replace our radiator. What are you going to use?

Also, don't rule out moving a window until you get it priced out. It may cost less than you think!

Can you do the window yourself. Read about framing in a window from DIY websites or books at Home Depot. If you do it yourself, it's just the cost of the window and supplies, and I heard from our former contractor/cabinetmaker, my grandpa, and my dad (who have built homes and can do anything) that it's not at all difficult. We are doing it and bumping it out 6" in the process.

Where does the top right door lead? If it's a family entry/exit then I don't think you've solved your traffic problem...people will still enter/exit through the work area.

For seating, you need 24" per seat. So, for 3 seats, you'll need a 6' long peninsula. The seating overhang should be 15".

If you can take down the wall b/w the DR & Kitchen, I think you'll have many more possibilities...

I agree on getting the desk out of there & increasing your workspace!

Regarding the window, make it counter-height...it will let more light in and give your kitchen more of an open feel. Consider bumping the window out 6" or so like MamaDadaPaige & ErikaNH did for their windows (see thread linked below). Could you do the sink window as well? (I know, more $$...but it might be worth it...think about it.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread: counter height window pictures please

This is a concept sketch showing two alternates - one in black line and another with pale gray. Dishes and ref are towards the existing hall/dining room entrance, the range moves down and to the other side. The long outer wall is partly a tall banquette with a counter height table in front of it.

The range and a sink of some sort move to the right hand wall - if I remember correctly, the large windows on the lower wall (your front wall?) are taller than counterheight - so the part in front of the big windows is either an actual furniture piece - like a hunt table - or lower height or just low counter.

The gray is a slightly different way of working out the kids devoted surface, different sink placement, storage and has nothing in particular in front of the windows. I'd maybe have a chopping block on wheels that parked there.

{{gwi:1929041}}

If you have more time now, you might want to wait a bit longer before permanently choosing.

Here's a floorplan of the first floor.

Blowing out the kitchen/dining room wall. I feel myself strongly resisting that, and I'm trying to figure out why. I love that it's a 1935 home with defined spaces, intimate scale (smidge under 8-foot ceilings), and great details. I'm concerned that a giant room would not fit the rest of the house. Also, when you enter from the front door, you could then see almost the entirety of the kitchen from the foyer. Not my fave. I'm okay with seeing a sliver of kitchen through the new cased opening. I guess if I blew down the wall, I could have a great island though.

Peninsula: note taken for knee room. Could four of us stand at the peninsula for baking? Two one on side, one at the foot, one on the other side? I know the peninsula narrows an already narrow room. If I lost the peninsula, wouldn't I lose counter space and the base cabs? We really need counter space. Is there a better solution? We'd thought of a window seat along the window wall with a narrow refectory table, but I don't know. My kiddos are wiggly, and already no one wants to sit at the breakfast table by the windows.

I'm not quite as concerned about the actual moving of the window than I am of moving any wiring/plumbing that we find back there. I don't think anyone could give me an accurate estimate without tearing out the range wall. We could bump out that window, but would it then look odd on the facade? Also, is it okay to have different window heights in the kitchen? We cannot bump out the sink window. There are narrow stairs right outside the window leading to the main rear entry deck.

The top door leads to a rear hallway which accesses the mudroom, powder room, entry hallway, basement door, and family room. Yes, family members probably will still use the existing kitchen door, but I'm hoping to cut down on the traffic.

There is another radiator under the windows in the current breakfast area. I hadn't considered more heating in the kitchen. How does one incorporate toekick radiators into cabinetry? I'm from the south. It's fair to say that I don't appreciate how much heat I'll need in the winter.

Thank you, and please keep 'em coming!

Oooh! Bmorepanic, I hadn't seen your post before I posted. I need to drink it in. Quick question...so it doesn't bother you to have just one entry/exit to the room?

I wonder if putting the table by the door might solve some of the traffic problems? That would mean moving the sink though.

Regarding putting a second door in your dining room and creating a circular traffic flow through that room and kitchen/breakfast: Excellent idea! This does not eliminate the possibility of the dining room being formal (that's a decoration issue) but does tremendously improve the function of all spaces, making them more inviting and useful as they become more easily accessible, and that includes the dining table.

Of the plans offered, I think #2 could be designed to look very nice and wouldn't bother to move the window for that reason. I love symmetry but just don't see a problem--unless your need is to have a kitchen that looks just like the models in the cabinet brochures? Often little issues like a hood next to a window trigger better, more interesting and individual designs. And you'll love still having your light right there as you work.

P.S., if there were a pleasant view outside I might at least consider lining a window up with the new dining room doorway, and replacing that with a French door if there were a garden outside...

Be aware of one thing...and I speak from experience...you have a good chance that you will be encouraging circle running. Kids like to run around in circles, so there is a possibility you will get them running in circles like this:

My mom warned me about this when we built, and she was right. However, if you can live with it for a few years, it will stop! [Hmmm...unless you have a dog...our dogs still do it sometimes...usually when my DH or the kids get them riled up!] It didn't bother me too much & I would not change what we did, but I just wanted to warn you!

Beuhl, I am lauging on my end cause I have a circle path in my house and I USE it for running! We homeschool and when the kids have a little too much energy, I say 20 laps, and off they are running round and round till they happily collapse and are ready to sit still and pay attention :-).

I do have to say that the kids rarely do laps on their own, probably because it's no longer quite so fun when it's "mom's idea" instead of theirs, but I remember doing it as a kid at my friends house (actually it was marching and singing at the top of our lungs round the loop). I personally love having a circle, and pickle2, I love the concept of putting a doorway in that area of your house. I agree the functionality would be greatly enhanced, and I don't think it would take away from the period layout at all. The kitchen is still basically closed off from the rest of the house but has some connection with the doorway. It's so deeply recessed right now that it feels wrong to me to have a room going so deep with no way out except the way you came. You could even further close it off with a set of those swinging doors.

Does it bother me? No - but I might be weird or something. One of my favorite kitchens was a galley in an apartment that ended right before a bank of windows.

I'm cracking up about running laps. In our old house, I did that with my son when he was younger. He'd get frustrated while practicing piano, and I'd tell him to run some laps. It was awesome for venting frustration and pent-up energy. Part of the reason we chose our new house was because it had some great running laps space. I thought it might be important when we're snowed in and feeling antsy. We also have two shelties who are herding dogs so also big on running in circles. Now, I'm not too excited about the kitchen's getting included in the lap count. Is it wishful thinking to think I could gently encourage them to run laps through the dining/entry/family?

Thanks all. I'm feeling encouraged by the positive feedback on adding the second doorway. Worried about the peninsula. I'd never thought about moving the table toward the original door and having the cooking space further down. I'm going to have to mull that over.

Regarding blowing the entire kitchen/dining wall, am I being stupid in dismissing this idea? Would the result be spectacular? It's so frustrating to be working with fairly stringent space and budget constraints. Really, if I had a huge budget, I think I'd push the range wall much further out and put a single car garage underneath. Sorry...just dreaming...back to reality!

Hi Pickle2,
I have a similiar layout to your galley, only mine is 10.5 x 17 feet. We went with a similar layout to your second drawing. Although, many warned us about the penninsula, I decided it would work best for our space and use. The kitchen is scheduled to be installed in the next few weeks and I'm hoping I'm right.

I originally was going to make lots changes, such as closing windows, adding doors and moving plumbing. However, as with any remodel, we were already over budget. We decided to keep the galley with a small penninsula for seating. I don't have a door behind the penninsula, so it won't obstruct traffic.

If I had your space I would go with your second drawing, or even better open up the wall to the dining room and add a large island (perfect for baking). I didn't have the option of taking down a wall, or I would have done that. Good luck with your decision, I know how difficult it can be.