New to Kitchens? Read Me First!

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5500754/new-to-kitchens-read-me-first#n=540

A 70K gut and redo. It’s a terrible layout.

That's the reason I'm reaching out for advice. Any specific thoughts on improving the layout?

I like the window by the sink, which is wonderful. I disagree about the 70,000 redo, and agree that you should use it before redoing things. There’s a houzz story about a chef blogger who knew exactly what would work for her .

I moved into our current home and spent a year, researching, planning, replanning, shopping, comparing, and replanning. As we lived through that year, I tweaked, and sometimes discarded, ideas, colors, choices. Before we started demo, I had all the fixtures, appliances, vent, lighting, paint, flooring, sink, disposal—everything. The actual gut to finish was seven weeks. Had I gone with the first plan, we both would have been unhappy. The kitchen would have looked great, but not be as perfect for the two of us. You are not living an HGTV show, you are living your unique life. There is no rush. Get a notebook.

Definitely live with it for a few months to determine what you like and hate about it. Also, it's impossible to answer your post without a budget. We can give you advice for a $5,000 bit of improvement, a $40,000 makeover, or a $80,000 showstopper. Decide what you want to spend. Layout comes first (sadly, people get swept up in dreaming about gorgeous countertops and the latest appliances, foregoing focusing on layout--a big mistake they will be paying for for the lifetime of the kitchen).

Get the cooktop off the island, and set aside budget for exhausting to the outside. It's not too expensive if you ensure that your cooktop is placed against an outside wall or close to an outside wall (so the duct makes just one 90-degree turn to the outside). Indoor air quality is more and more of a hot topic. You need proper exhaust.

It just so happens there is a thread going that at this moment is directly beneath yours. Read it.

Thread called "Must-haves in Kitchen"

Think about whether you want a range or to keep the separate cooktop and wall oven in your new kitchen. Regardless, move the cooktop/range to the wall where the wall oven is now. The wall oven can move to the refrigerator wall. Remove the desk and add a tall pantry cabinet. Keep the island and add seating at the end only.

A floorplan showing the dimensions of the current kitchen and how it relates to other rooms/the outdoors would be very helpful.