Are you moving range/sink/fridge in this remodel?

If you can draw up the existing layout of the entire floor with dimensions it'll be easier to help assess your floor plan.

Please post the layout of the entire floor your kitchen is on. Draw it on graph paper where 1 square = 1 sq. ft. If you don't have graph paper, there are images of graph paper on the internet. Either use Microsoft Paint to draw on the image or print the image of graph paper and draw on it the old fashioned way.

We need this because it provides dimensions of everything at once and gives us context for your kitchen so we can advise about traffic/flow issues (between the kitchen and other rooms) and any other ways to maximize the space.

You will get the most and best responses if you post that. People who do not post a graph paper plan and people who only show the kitchen (versus the entire floor the kitchen is on) do not receive as much advice, nor as relevant and helpful advice.

Thanks benjesbride & Jillius, but I'm not really looking for layout help. More for finishes/design/colors.

If you can put together a 'mood board' you might get more help with finishes. Use Paint to paste in pics of your cabinet choices, flooring, appliances, etc. on one screen, so that no one has to go to multiple links. Make it easy for us. ;)

ETA, Alex, since you're in the photography business you might be much better at this than I, but I wasn't busy, so I put together a board with your choices. You can use it to post on the Home Decorating forum, too, where there are a lot of folks interested in color and design. Good luck!

Your tiles and cabinet options look very similar. I'd be a little concerned that they might look like you tried to match and failed. Have you seen them in person together?

"...Any and all help/critique/whatever is greatly appreciated!..."

So, no layout help wanted (despite the above comment)?

Your pictures are very hard to see - they're distorted and blurry.

buehl,

The only reason I'm not asking for layout help is that there isn't much room to move things around without significantly increasing my budget. The small corridor that's next to the oven and the blank wall leads to a laundry closet. The wall opposite the oven has the electrical box, and there's nowhere for me to move it without tacking on an extra 10k to my remodel. The wall behind the sink (yes, it's going to be the existing wall with the plumbing in it) is only going to be covered by a sheet to match the cabinets. I have a rough layout up in the first 4 linked photos, but here's the actual plans, so if you can see something that I should move, please feel free to tell me.

Existing and proposed plans.

-AT

Thanks for posting your drawings. My first thought is... do you need both a shower and a tub in your bathroom? personally, I'd rather have a laundry closet in the bathroom than in the kitchen, sacrificing either the tub or the shower space to fit it in there.

Moving the washer/dryer would free up storage space in the kitchen.

Also, just tossing out ideas... I can't imagine guests will want to use a powder room next to the kitchen more than they'd like to use the more private master bathroom toilet.

You could eliminate the powder room and create a hallway that leads to the bedroom and bathroom. In turn, your master bedroom is more private (not off the living room) and you create a niche for the refrigerator thus expanding your kitchen square footage a bit.

Again, just tossing out ideas. It's all personal preference. I'd rather have one bathroom, a private bedroom entry and a larger kitchen, but many others would gasp at the thought of giving up that powder room.

ETA: That's a really unfortunate location for the electrical panel!

Thanks for the suggestions benjesbride, but I like my stand up showers and would also like a tub. I also don't want to lose the value of a 1/2 bath to gain a little bit of storage space.

Your hood has mesh filters - baffle filters are better because mesh filters get clogged quickly with grease, making the hood very inefficient. Baffle filters don't have this issue. Unless you are willing to clean the mesh filters every time you fry something or make hamburgers or the like, I'd try to get a different hood with baffle filters. I am also not a fan of those flat-bottomed hoods. A canopy-shaped hood captures steam and grease much better.

i just did a quick search on the website you linked for a wall-mount 30" wide hood with canopy shape and baffle filters in the same price range: http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/AK7500BS.html

a little more expensive than the one you picked: http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/DHW301.html

Moving the fridge to the old 1/2 bath location makes the kitchen so much nicer. Are you sure? I can't imagine why a 1/2 bath is necessary in addition to a full bath in a one bedroom apartment. Especially when you are giving up a superior kitchen to keep it. Just curious.