I'm LOL because last year when we moved into our rental, I posted a very similar THREAD complaining too about the poor kitchen design.

I hear you! On the bright side, it will make you appreciate your future (GW-planned?) Kitchen even more when you finally move in! :-)

(I have a feeling I will be posting a similar thread in a few years when we start building our retirement home!)

I completely understand because we are going through the exact same thing. We are in rental house while our new home is being built. It is miserable to cook in the kitchen in this house. It's barely ok for 1 person but 2 people trying to cook in here is insane. We are in each others way at every step. My DS is home from college and he will help so then we have 3 people trying to maneuver around . Every time we cook we mutter under our breath "I hate this kitchen". Even DS gets aggravated.

If anyone is standing at range top either they are in the way of the garbage pull out next to dishwasher or in the way of someone opening ovens. Drawer to left of range top skims knob when opening and hits into wall ovens so you can't open drawer fully. Glass cabinets to left and right of range top hit hood when you open them. Cabinet above micro so high that it is useless. DH bangs his head on pendant lights constantly. I can barely get stuff out of micro since it is so high. To see into lower wall oven you almost have to lay on the floor. 50/50 sink is useless to try and clean anything bigger then a plate. Lower cabinet to left of range top is a deep cavern. Getting pots and pans out of there is a feat hence why we leave some pans on the range top. Island is more a piece of furniture then a functional work space. It is butcher block top which stains and that valley routed out around it is what we call the crumb catcher. When you try to wipe up crumbs they end up in there and then you have to take a moist paper towel around the entire thing to get them out.

Can't stand this behemoth. Both are fridges with wine fridge between them. Drawers beneath each fridge are freezer drawers and 2 below wine fridge are fridge drawers. There's actually too much room so you forget what you have. I always choose the wrong fridge and need to go and search the other for what I am looking for. The thing takes up so much space which could have been utilized better. Cabinets above are useless because they are so high. Even my 6ft tall DH can barely get stuff on lower shelf in the front. Forget if anything gets pushed to the back.

My prep space is that small counter to right of sink. Hate the hutch. That counter space in front starts to collect stuff-mail, phones, glasses, pens etc.

This is what we call the Chandelier of Sh*$. It started out with the wine corks. The ends of this light are pointy metal. Someone could seriously impale their head on it. We added stuff as time went on. Oh and notice the ceiling bead board and the wood knot stains coming through.

This area off the kitchen is another nightmare of a space. Good luck finding anything with all those drawers. i cant see into those drawers below the upper cabinets on the right even on tip toe. 2 of them have nothing in them. The other 2 have a few of DH's BBQ things. I have to feel around for the correct thing when he asks me to get something in one of these drawers.

Thats just the kitchen. We hate the rest of the house as well. This is someones retirement house. Hopefully it will work for them.

LOL vinmarks. Honestly your kitchen looks functional compared to the space we are renting right now. I'm just so glad I don't have to live here forever with this kitchen. You have a double sink. We have a butterfly corner double sink with granite separating the two sinks. I can't tell you how many times I've moved the faucet over without turning it off first.

Oh and I forgot that the counters aren't deep enough to sit comfortably either.

Beth, can you lower the shelves in your uppers? Then perhaps you could reach two shelves.

vinmarks - But, but, but - the kitchen is so pretty! It's just beautiful. So what if the function is awful, it's pretty. :-) It looks like that chandelier should be classed as a weapon.

buehl, of course I'll have a GW-inspired/input kitchen. The rough layout is in place and you guys vetted it a few months ago. We're starting to work with an architect for pricing and construction drawings and when we have final measurements I'll bring it back here for input and guidance. I've been dreaming about my new kitchen and have been accumulating questions I'll want advice on!

AnnKH, unfortunately, the second shelves are as low as they can be and still have a functional bottom shelf! I do have a sturdy stepladder--and a husband who is 6'.

It could be so much worse I know--I've seen pictures of some horrible kitchens. And the place is generally quite workable for a rental. Our landlord is great. Our neighbors are really nice. We haven't lived in townhouse-type housing in over 25 years, and we know we're lucky to have good sound insulation and quiet neighbors.

Don't get my husband started on missing his garage, either :-). Or me, my sewing space. Or for that matter, my daughter, who is definitely missing her room--we only have 3 bedrooms so she's going to be sleeping my office until she finds a job and can afford her own space.

Dream dream dream, my new kitchen will be a dream..

Blf - There are twenty four inches of prep space. I'd be pissed even if it were the Taj Mahal

Beth...I could have posted your exact same post. We are living in dh's childhood home with the kitchen that was put in when he was a child. I feel bad complaining since I get to build a new home and my in-laws raised six kids here without a problem...she says sheepishly.

Vinmarks - Your rental's kitchen is an example of the "checklist kitchen" that scores ALL the points for wishes and does not work because no one thought about cooking in it.

Vin...at least it's pretty!!!

Yes pretty is about all it is. That's what this whole house is. It was not a cheap house either. It's in a lake community. Comes with a boat slip. The owners of the house have yet to live in this house. They bought it as a retirement home. The people they bought it from rented from them for a month or 2 and then they rented to us afterward because they weren't ready to retire yet. I think they will be in for a big surprise once they start living here. I saw the real estate pictures and this place was decorated to the hilt. It looked like a place out of a decorators magazine. Once you strip all that down the place really is a disaster. All the flaws become apparent.