What are the dotted lines in your peninsula layout?

If you can, avoid putting a dishwasher in a location like the one shown in the second picture. The door will make it impossible to unload the dishwasher into the cabinets near it and you will have to unload into the cabinets on the other side of the sink.

I know because that is how our dishwasher is located, and it drives me nuts.

Also, if you have a fridge with two doors, you need a landing zone across from it (the island in the last photo may work); the doors will get in the way of unloading the fridge onto a counter right next to it. A single door fridge works well for unloading onto an adjacent counter.

Where is the "36" Door you have noted....the graph paper copy indicates one wall while the design has it on another wall

I like the peninsula layout better.

Any chance you could recess the fridge into the 9'11" wall a little bit? (there appears to be a space 21" deep currently). If so, you could consider:

• Fridge and pull-out pantry along the 9'11" wall
• Prep peninsula
• DW and sink along the window wall
• Range on the 10'8" wall

This would give you a nice prep space on the peninsula as well as between the sink and range.

Tyler -- what are the dimensions of the fridge?

• Width
• Depth excl doors
• Depth with doors and handles

I like the plan with the peninsula. You can solve the DW-in-the-corner issue by keeping dishes in drawers at the end:

Just one note of caution with a peninsula. I had a dw that close to a peninsula in my old kitchen. The lower peninsula cab next to the dw door was ruined long before any other cabs looked bad.

I would play with an island design a bit more, especially if seating is optional. If I figured correctly, you should be able to get a 60” long island at a minimum with 48” aisles.

I am confused about pictures versus plans. Are you closing up a doorway or hallway entry? One of your pictures shows a short wall with two door/hallway openings but that does not appear on the plans???

I had a small kitchen with a penninsula very similar to the layout you posted....hated the peninsula for many reasons, but the most important was it contained the only place that was over 24” to prep 78 inches from the stove/fridge area. I rarely worked on the peninsula and prepped in the 12”x12” area between my sink and stove. My 65” island is now 48” from my cooktop instead of 78”, and I prep at it all the time...love it.

Think about how you cook, maybe even mock things up to see how layouts look and you move In them. It is a tough decision to make that will not be the same for everyone....good luck.

I did some designs of my own here. Please advise on the pros and cons of each. Also, if i have fillers in appropriate places.

On the island design, consider moving the fridge (counter depth looks better) next to the dishwasher. Dish storage can go in the island across from the dw...love wide dish storage drawers! You would have room for island seating if you eliminate that short cab run; it also makes a straight cab on the end with its storage logical. Those angled cabs are going to be expensive and not gain much storage....better to put straight cabs in. That short run could have 12”-15” deep reach-in cabs instead which helps the walkway.

I would also consider voiding the corner instead of a corner susan cab....unless you love susans. I am not a fan of them so that was an easy decision for me. Doing so will allow larger drawer cabs on each part of the L’s corner Instead of that skinny one next to the sink. Since you are closing off a hallway, would you be able to get at the space in the void from the backside of the new walled opening?

I would also move your stove down toward the door. Give yourself as much space as you can between the sink and the stove but still have enough landing space on the other side of the stove.

If you eliminate the short wall full depth cabs, you could run the island the other way and could make it wider than 24” cabs deep even with seating. A lot of people prefer the long side of an island across from the cooking surface. I prep on either side, but I have recessed area all around my island where it meets the floor. If the short side went straight to the floor, both might not be as prepping friendly.

Just chiming in to say I agree with the corner solutions proposed here:

• Void the corner between sink and range in favor of larger drawers
• Access the corner between DW and peninsula from outside the kitchen

Do you have the ability to recess the fridge into the wall?

A 36” aisle is too tight.....42” for a one person kitchen, 48” for multiple people. On the plan you first posted, when I counted squares I thought you could fit in a 60” island parallel to the stove with 42” and 48” aisles In the L. Are your last plans to scale?

Yes to all that! Any chance of switching out your full depth fridge for a counter depth one? Scratch and dent sale??? If not, there are a few tricks that can minimize the amount a full depth fridge box sticks out into the room, but both have costs and constraints to them...not sure if the costs would equal the price of a fridge. By framing out the wall behind the fridge...think like a doorway with sheetrock on one side...you can push back the fridge into that cavity about 4”. Putting a 2x4 betwen the wall and cabs allows the counter to deepen to 27” with a 1.5 overhang. Thus the fridge does not stick out past the lower cabs as much. However countertops will need more material and thus cost more; plus 3” of floor space would be lost.

You orientation has not been the same throughout so it’s confusing with all the doors. Are the two walls marked in red the only doors that will remain? The doorway in the upper right corner is being removed? Trying to interpret “there currently is a 36inch opening to the back door at the top (getting closed off) as well as a 35” opening to the rest of the house (staying and in pictures)”

A better to scale drawing on graph paper with surrounding spaces would be helpful.

Here is a cleaner drawing as requested.

With some of your suggestions i have come up with the following island (only 54") design with 42" walkways around all sides of the island. The areas between the fridge and island; as well as the island and where the wall sticks out 21" seem cramped. I am sure one of you with far superior software than what I am using can come up with something similar that works. Thanks

I would think twice about the 21” pinch point. That is your major throughway. I usually prefer an island facing the range but turned the other way is less cramped.

I’m not sure the walkway is 21”...wall jutts out 21”...it’s why I asked about measurement for the angle at both points of the walkway.

The above plan I posted has a 40.5 x 63 island with 15" overhang and two 30" drawer stacks. The aisle to the 21" wall is 32". The sink run aisle is 43" and clearance at the fridge is 34". 42" for range run.

For comparison, with the island turned parallel with the range and reduced to 38 x 54 has clearance at the 21" wall of 25". The other aisles are the same as above.

Thanks for your 3D images. No matter which way the island is facing I think it just doesn't fit the kitchen. I think the peninsula may be the way to go. It would open up the walkway, provide a "divider" between kitchen and other room (my wife likes that idea). However, i lose counter space next to the range and the obvious corner dishwasher issue (oh well). What do you think of this?

Because of that 21” wall, if you do the island, I would run the island as bbtrix shows. Having had a peninsula which meant the largest counter prep space was clear across the kitchen from where I wanted it (by the sink and stove), I would and did choose an island design in my remodel. I also hated walking around it all the time...definitely like my direct acces to the work zones now.

I did not see anything glaring in the penninsula design other than the loss of nice prep space between the sink and stove and loss of large cabs which would negate that design for me. The area between the sink and stove is “prepping gold.” Thus, I might consider sliding the stove toward the fridge using a 15” cab and an 18” in the corner. You lose the 24” cab but gain inches at the corner.....a good trade-off??? I had 12” in a corner with a stove....hated it. Using regular cabs instead of the angled ones helped the design.

Picking an island or peninsula is a personal choice, and hopefully the comments here have covered the pros and cons. I think both the island and peninsula fit your space. Is it possible to mock up a penninsula and an island for a few days each to give you a sense of how each option works and lives? I did that in my partially demoed kitchen to help decide island orientation; one way looked better while the other functioned better....I chose function. It might help you decide.

The peninsula design is currently what is in the kitchen. The main entrance to the kitchen is next to the fridge so the peninsula does not interfere with access to work zones.

The other idea that I had about this design was to switch the fridge and pantry. That would allow for larger cabs on the stove wall and more prep space between the sink and stove. However, I think the walkways would be cramped by the fridge (but i could save some $$$ not having to buy panels and over the fridge cabinet).

I agree with rantontoo. I personally dislike prepping in that cramped corner between the sink and range. That is the configuration I ripped out of my kitchen. It all depends on how you cook, your storage needs and your traffic patterns. Where will your microwave, toaster and coffee pot go? Your counter space will be eaten up fast. You'll want your kids to help in the kitchen so you need room to spread out with helpers.. Will everyone congregate in that center section? The fridge drop zone is a small space shared with the range. I would be unhappy with the compromises in that peninsula plan.

Do you have a need for counter seating? Previously you mentioned eliminating it. Eliminating seating at the island will make a difference. You have physical limitations in the space that cannot be changed so you’ll need to really analyze what’s important for the cook, the family and how you want the space to function. I see the island as a way to better define the space with more usable storage and prep space. It also creates a great grocery drop zone and keeps traffic out of the cooks zone with the fridge and pantry on the far sides. The passage path is clearly defined. I've made changes. the island is 63 x 27. This plan has (1) 36", (3) 30", (1) 18" drawer stacks and (2) 15 x 24 pantries.

The only way I would do a peninsula is a variation on one you suggested earlier. It has(3) 30", (2)24", (1) 15" drawer stacks and a 24" pantry w/MW. There is no crowding of walk zones and lots of prep space. The peninsula serves as drop zone for fridge and pantry.

Your cabinets will be slightly different sizes than the Ikea I used but the planner is great to visualize.

I was logged into a browser with my prior Houzz name prior to the GW/Houzz merger. I made that last post. I also would not eliminate the side panels for the fridge. They make such a difference for fit and finish.

You can do what I did then...demo out just the penninsula portion and used that as an island to mock up an island design....you could even move your fridge into the island layout to get an even better idea of the work flow.