Any chance on making the window higher? What is on the wall opposite the island and sink?

@Jamie Unfortunately no chance of that...HOA prevents any modifications. There's no wall, it's an open space past the island connecting into dining/living space.

Tangential but important: do you really want to live somewhere where you can't even adjust your windowsill? I can't imagine putting up with that kind of petty tyranny over my own property. But I know everyone is different and in some places HOAs are hard to avoid.

At the very least I would move the frig to the other side of the window and center the stove on the wall so you have some prep space on each side of the stove. I would also look at making the island all one level.

@Isaac: it's a townhome and in this area HOA tends to be very restrictive even for some single-family homes. Hard to avoid!

Do you eat at bar behind sink into next room? Do you have a dinning room? If so the put base cabinets under those corner cabinets. More storage still would be a bench under the window...tie it into those corner cabinets. You will have to get crafty with stoping befor the oven....unless you move it to opposite corner and then add another cabinet there As well.... if you tied them all together the microwave would need moved but you would have more storage still! Just make sure the cabinets under the window are drawers or cabinets With drawers.

@add50317: it's a big open layout so the "dining room" is directly ahead of the kitchen island. We'll probably replace that island with something newer. Where do you think would be best to move the oven/microwave and the fridge?

What kinds of things can you do and not do? Can you redo the window so it's not so low and put base cabs/counter there? My guess is the powers that be will want to see a detailed floor plan w/measurements and how it relates to the rest of the house.

Oof. That is tough then. Can you post a rough sketch of how the kitchen relates to the adjoining rooms? Especially the dining room (if any) as add50317 noted? Do you have access to the basement or crawl space for plumbing changes?

@Isaac: have posted a picture from the living room. We have access but the more changes necessary, the more expensive.

Since you can't change the window, could you get a top down-bottom up cellular shade the width of the window? Pulling the shade up from the bottom would disguise (on the outside) the fact that you had a set of cabinets sitting in front of the window.

I wonder how expensive it would be to go just directly across from where it is now? The water I mean. I don't know, maybe it would be a ginormous pita and break the budget. Does't hurt to check tho, you know?

Are you on a slab? Or do you have a basement? And if you have a basement, is the ceiling finished? All of those issues will impact the cost of moving the sink.

I would put cabinets in front of the window. It can be done, and it would really improve your functionality. This image if from Laurel Bern's blog and shows a kitchen with a good solution, I think. (More photos in the post here).

Yours will probably sit down lower, but I'd still do it, and just style the ledge with things on stands, as they did in this kitchen.

While there is an additional cost to moving electrical and plumbing, compared to just replacing it in its original place, you may find that the extra cost is relatively insignificant compared to the cost of the overall project. We were warned about this when we renovated our bathroom, and were surprised that it wasn't really that much. Definitely worth it.

Kristin S is correct - there are lots of examples of counters in front of a lower window. Very common in old homes.

What is your budget? You’ve said you are replacing the cabinets and appliances and need to do so inexpensively. Hard to make recommendations without at least some kind of idea of what you have to spend. Are you hiring a contractor or attempting DIY?

This is a difficult space. It’s very strange that they would put the kitchen in that location. I wonder if it was originally in another spot.

Can you provide dimensions and scale drawing?

MW seems awfully high.

Wow....a developer paid someone to design that?! Be careful of moving the island, there may not be flooring underneath.

I would add more storage in the corner by the front door. The vent might make it a little tricky, but the corner isn't really being used for anything. I agree with the suggestion to make the island all one height as long as you are ok with your dirty dishes being on display. You could really beef up the island and add cabinetry on the living room side, thus increasing both counter space and storage.

The window behind does give you a lovely flood of light, and I don't really mind looking over the sink into the living room rather than having my back to the action. However, I would have to put up cafe curtains so I didn't feel like every person who walked by the window was looking at my backside.

The handy thing about a condo complex is that lots of other people have dealt with this exact same question. You could probably post something on the neighborhood nextdoor (or old fashioned community bulletin board) and get a peek at your neighbors' kitchens. I live in a housing tract where a third of the houses have the same floorplan as mine. We often chat about potential renovations with people who have already gone through the same decision making process.

Wow. That's an odd layout. Having a stove right next to a side wall has been labeled as trouble in some other threads, but maybe that is just when it is a gas stove? (cant tell what yours is).

That window is really too low to have anything useful there. If you can't change the window, you are definitely limited.

You also have very little counter space between your sink and your stove, which is where you need it most. Maybe a moveable cart would help?

If you want the best input from the kitchens gurus, it would help to draw out a plan of the as-is kitchen with all the dimension of the space shown. I'm not an expert, but I think you can come up with something MUCH better if you're willing to move appliances and plumbing. My first thought cabinets in front of the window (with a low ledge behind for the window) with the sink in front of the window. Counter depth to the left of the window (might be able to fit a full-depth that would look like counter depth, once you account for the ledge), then center range on the wall it's currently on (rather than tucked into the corner). Nice wide aisles and then an island. Replace microwave/vent with a real vent hood and either have microwave to the right of the sink (where stove currently is) in an upper cabinet, or in the island.

Do you think this was remodeled itself? It just seems odd to have the kitchen in that position, so you have to walk through it from the front door. Looks like it could once have been to the left of the stairs? Don't know if your association allows that big of a change, does it?

Put a pantry or pantry cab where the weird corner cupboards are.

Good question from bpath. Is that the original location of the kitchen?

If it needs to be done inexpensively, I'd add a bottom up blind and put a row of cabinets in front of the windows. How wide would that make your aisle? And where would you put the fridge? In the current nook? It's hard to see, but it looks like the pics are kind of stretched out.

If budget is your limit on doing more, I'd probably just live with it and save a bit longer to do what you really want. I wouldn't want to throw money at a half-fix that's going to mean you want to redo it *again* in a few years.

Maybe something like one of these freestanding islands would help make it more functional while you save for a full remodel?

https://www.crateandbarrel.com/furniture/dining-kitchen-storage/1

Or you could add the Ikea version? https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/ikea_kitchens/10471/

In either case, I should clarify that I was thinking of it for in front of the windows.

I like the suggestion of putting your refrigerator to the left of the window where the upper cabinets are and shelf below....might have to raise or get new cupboards there. Then move your stove to where the refrigerator is now to give you more prep space beside the stove. As far as the windows, they are beautiful. If you have room to walk in your kitchen if you put a window seat with storage in or below, then I would do that. What a nice light space to sit with a cup of coffee.

Echoing Lady Driver's suggestion. See what neighbours wth same layout and HOA restrictions have done. Good luck!

saw this kitchen with shelves in front of the windows and thought of you! Something to consider. Makes the problem a feature! Perhaps adding closed in cabinets from the bottom of the window down.

Photo by Shirley Meisels - Search kitchen design ideas

You will need to add some supports to them somewhere and get the stove out of the corner for this to work. Making the storage below the window large drawers will make it much easier to use the space and you will be able to fit more into it.