I am the original poster- don't know what happened, but my original garden web account seems to have gotten mixed in with my houzz account. Anyway... not trying to troll or anything here. This is really a fascinating thread, and definitely highlights the challenges of designing for a smaller space when every inch counts! I think the most compelling argument here is focused on what is needed for today vs. what MAY be needed of tomorrow. So, it's not really about functionality but risk and probability. It's too bad we don't have a nice little financial equation that will help us determine the "net present value" of the choices. I really just hate wasting money, and want to do every bit of planning possible to avoid the potential of having to rip something out in the future because it was a poor decision. I think my primary problem is that I really want a 30' x 40' kitchen with high end appliances and all of the bling I could possibly imagine. But, that is not my reality. And, it's really hard to figure out what is most important and how to choose when I can only afford about 35% of what I want. It's really hard on these forums to communicate a budget - I have no issue moving my fridge and range to opposite ends of the universe, but there is a cost involved in that, and I really need to be careful how I allocate my budget. So, I have chosen to leave my electrical and plumbing pieces where they are - and stay within the current footprint. I have to say - it can be pretty intimidating posting and asking for help when you are one of the "I have a small kitchen" folks. I really have no idea what I will end up with. But, I do know that I will post my updates as they occur as I want to ensure future "small galley kitchen" searches have something to reference! Thank you so very much to all of the wonderful comments and advice I have received. Funkycamper, benjesbride - you guys have been providing feedback and valuable input for the past 6 months as I have persevered to navigate the very rough waters of kitchen design. The end is so very near and this is the most stressful process I have EVER experienced!

Kats737- it's heat. We found that when it gets below ten degrees here that the amount of baseboard we put in can't keep the temperature up to its set degrees. We changed from steam to baseboard (unfortunate. I love steam but to replace it all would have cost Almost triple what it did to put in baseboard) and put less baseboard in the kitchen area knowing we would expand in the future. When we found it got too cold we put this little heat blower into the toe kick. It works perfectly.

Here's what I came up with for both Kitchen seating -and- a Foyer "space". I recommend going ahead and doing both at this time so they can be designed to work together. That's assuming you want a simple foyer space and not something "grander". Are you planning to use IKEA or a different manufacturer? FYI...I put in the existing appliances so workflow can be seen. . Foyer: I put in walls that are 12" from the door trim. The studs in the walls are turned 90 degrees to gain a couple of inches of space overall. The overall width of the space is 63". One thing I suggest is opening up the side walls a bit to give a more open feel while keeping the feeling of separation b/w the front door and the rest of the home. I don't know the size of your front door, but I assumed 39", including 3" of trim on each side. Questions: Can you put a coat closet under the stairs? (Just a thought!) Are the stairs "open" to the rest of the floor or is there a wall on both sides? Our experience: We have 11.5" b/w our front door & the wall on one side and a 12"W sidelight on the other side with the stairs to the 2nd floor starting immediately after the sidelight. There is more than enough room for moving around at the door. 11.5" is also enough room for a 4-light switch panel. The only other difference is that our front door is 42"W, including door trim (36" door + 3" trim on each side). Based on what we have, I think the 63" I've shown will be plenty. Note: I'm guessing on many measurements since they were not included in your layouts. E.g., the width of the stairs, the distance b/w the front door & the Den. . Pantry ideas: Pantry storage...Note that I did not put a pantry cabinet in that corner. I did this for several reasons. A seat at the short end of the peninsula is going to get in the way, especially when you create a "foyer space". With a pantry cabinet back there, the aisle b/w the peninsula and right wall will need to be 44" b/c now there's pantry traffic passing behind the seats. Without the pantry cabinet, the aisle can be 36" or so (I made it 39" for a bit more space) Access to that cabinet would be awkward, IMO. Instead, I recommend moving the Laundry Room upstairs and using the now vacated W/D space for shallow pantry cabinets or shelving. I would opt for cabinets just b/c I think they would look nicer, but open shelving would work as well since this is not a public room. You may have to work around the pipes, etc., that you say are in the room. IKEA makes 15"D tall cabinets. You could, optionally, also add a shallow pantry cabinet b/w the new foyer wall and the window -- but not too wide b/c you need a decent aisle to get to the seats and you don't want too much crowding on that wall. I think putting your pantry storage in the Utility Room rather than off to the far right would bring your food storage a bit closer to the primary work zones in your Kitchen -- with fewer obstacles to go around to get to it. . Peninsula ideas: All 3 seats are on the long side of the peninsula -- for the reason I stated above. I put in a 39-inch aisle behind the seats for ease of access. You could probably reduce it to 36", but I wouldn't go any narrower. I show 4 corner options (the rest is the same): Option #1: 27" cabinet turned 90 degrees and facing outside the Kitchen Option #2: Voided corner. Option #3: Corner susan Option #4: IKEA corner susan. IKEA's 36" corner susan is really 38"x38" Which do I prefer? I don't have a clear preference. There are pros & cons to each, but I think they are all very doable and functional. I do know that in my old Kitchen, I stored all my pots & pans and colanders in our 36" corner susan. Others store their small appliances in corner susans. So, if you have a need for those types of storage, I would probably go with one of the of the corner susan options. The cabinet turned 90 degrees is probably not as useful in this situation b/c there's no other room on that side, just a wall, so the storage in that cabinet would not be located where it would be useful for another room. Option 1: . Option 2: . Option 3: . Option 4: .

Yes, I have thought about that.. Ikea only has one depth wall cabinets which are the same depth as their shallow base.. (Previously that wall had the same thing (wall same depth as base.. But the previous cabinets were built in place.. 13" depth instead of 14 3/4.. ) That's why I designed it with the top 21" shorter than base so that the counter will be useable.. Also thinking of mounting the cabinets a bit higher than normal (19"-20") above counter so counter is more useable. If you have a suggestion of where I could get 12" wall frameless quickly w/o doors?? and maybe use ikea doors with them?