That’s a small kitchen. I hope that’s not a major thoroughfare along the right side.

I don’t like the way the range aligns with the upper peninsula. Could you move it to the end of the lower peninsula (so it’s IN the peninsula)?

thanks, that's what i'm thinking of doing... but may need to extend the peninsula so there is adequate countertop on either side of the cooktop, so thinking of shifting the opening to the dining room to the right.. maybe i should show a larger drawing.

at the top left are sliding doors to a solarium. at the top of the drawing is a family room (which you can't see.. there is a wall there now, thinking of removing it). the doorway at the top right is to the front hall, planning to open the kitchen to the dining room at the bottom (at least that's the plan.. there is a wall there right now)

Hi - I’m not an expertly, but I don’t love the way the range lines up with the upper peninsula either. Would most people with this kitchen layout put the range in the lower peninsula so that it’s on the same counter run as the sink?

I take it back - I see now that the lower peninsula is open to the dining area. That won’t work. My parents’ kitchen (around the same size) has the sink and range on opposite walls like yours and it’s fine. It just wouldn’t be my preference. I prep everything next to the sink and then it goes in the pot on the range.

Thanks Val, it's nice to hear that it's possible to work. i dread the idea of having the cooktop so far from the sink, but it would be awkward to have in the peninsula open to the dining room... am thinking of keeping that wall there, and not opening it up... ideas keep going around in circles!!

First of all, is it a cooktop or is it a range? You’ve shown it as a range. It matters for clearance—look how far it projects, and it matters because where are you going to be pulling out a scalding hot casserole? Either way, please don’t put it into the peninsula.

You do have a challenging space here. And you’re probably trying to get too many things into it. Is that a desk to the left of the “cooking thing?” Hopefully one of the experts will weigh in.

Show how the kitchen relates to the other rooms

Can you show more of the plan? Currently we are operating in a vacuum. So to speak.

Could please post a fully measured layout of the space? One with the widths of each wall/window/door/doorway and the distance between each wall/window/door/doorway shown and marked? Like this:

A sketch of the entire floor will greatly help as well. It shows how the Kitchen relates to the rest of the home and how traffic flows in, around, and through the Kitchen.

I have an idea, but I need to see what's going on around the Kitchen and the measurements to draw it up and see if it will work.

Oh, and no to the range IN the peninsula.

Is it a range, rangetop, or cooktop?

In a small Kitchen, it's usually better to go with a range than a cooktop/rangetop/wall ovens. That's not to say it won't work in your space; it's just a general observation until we can see the measurements.

Wow - I am so grateful for the help and interest in looking at the whole floor. Here is the existing layout - perhaps this is what will help the most? the only thing cut off is the garage at the top right. To the right of the dining room is a sunken living room... we played around with the idea of raising the floor and widening the dining and kitchen areas but then we get into moving structural walls and it just becomes a massive job, instead of just huge :) we have also thought about moving the kitchen to the dining room but i just cant wrap my head around not having the kitchen in the middle and so far from the front door/garage entrances...

i would say the top priority is to have lots of counterspace..

oh and i should say it's a slide in range/cooktop - one piece

and we are likely to get rid of the desk

I agree we need to see how this space relates to the rest of the house I would not do 2 peninsulas if it can be avoided and for sure that range needs to move down the wall and ideally on an outside wall so venting is simple. Please post a detailed floor plan this could be agreat galley style kitchen but I need a good idea of the space.

My opinion is to shift the stove and refrigerator to be centered in the U and there’s no conflict/ bottleneck at the peninsula. Number of steps from sink to stove is not ideal, but is a reasonable compromise given the constraints of the space.

Shockingly similar layout in my kitchen. It’s not the distance per se, but the fact that you have to cook in the walkway that is the problem. For ergonomic reasons the range would be better places at the bottom of the U opposite your bar stools.

Can you shift the fridge and range further “south” and then switch the positions of the fridge and range? Like salex mentioned. This way folks sitting at the counter could access the fridge without having to cross your path in the kitchen. I have 6 feet between my sink and range and for me (I’m short) it’s not too far at all. Actually it’s a nice distance.

What is the room on the top left of plan?

I’m not sure you need to get rid of the dining room wall, but not sure. Can you post the plan with labels for the rooms?

Since you're ditching the desk, you could do an L with the sink and DW on the peninsula, and put the range on the exterior wall. Prep space would be in front of the window between the sink and range. The base cabinet in the corner would open under the peninsula seating.

I drew shallow cabinets on the opposite wall, with the fridge closer to the DR. there is a side loading pantry to the right of the fridge, with a MW shelf to the left.

thanks everyone. we were thinking of the two peninsulas to have more counterspace. but why does everyone think that 2 peninsulas are bad? for flow? or because it prevents you from having something bulky like a fridge opposite? thanks. truly appreciate these ideas. have never posted something like this before.. this is amazing help.

not technologically savvy, so couldn't figure out how to label the rooms, but here is the plan. The far left room is a glassed in solarium, then down the middle starting at the top is the family room, then kitchen, then dining room. \next to family room is mudroom and powder room, then front hall, then living room.

The two peninsulas are really making your kitchen seemed boxed in, and it's giving you two awkward cabinet corners to contend with (you'll either have dead space or lazy susans down there, or a cabinet with a shelf that is difficult to access). You'll likely need more countertop seams too depending on how this works out. I would eliminate one peninsula. I'd also keep the two cabinet runs in line, this seems a little off-kilter currently with that desk sticking out.

I'd keep the sink under the window- there isn't enough clearance on either peninsula for that (especially if you want seating on it, who wants to eat with a sink full of dirty dishes in front of their face- yuck). I'd center the range across from the sink and move the fridge all the way to one side. This doesn't chop up your usable counter space around your range so badly. I don't think 6' is too much room between the sink and range.

If you're wanting a pantry cabinet you could add that at the end of the cabinet run to the left of the range (it would balance out the fridge).

Sometimes less is more.

If you're not attached to having the dining room open to the kitchen, you could have the fridge on the bottom wall and then semi-center the range on its current wall. A small pantry could go the right of the range.

The advantage of the fridge at the bottom is that you'd have a landing spot b/w fridge and sink for food. Then move to the sink for rinsing/washing. There's a small prep space to the right of the sink with more prep space to the left of the range. There's a landing spot to the right of the range for plating and allowing food to rest, before it's whisked into the dining room. So, basically working clockwise.

I guess what I don't like is the open sight line the entire length of the house from dining to family room. It's nice to have separation between kitchen and dining - especially since the dining is already open to the more formal living room. I actually like having the kitchen open to the family room, though. The empty area between kitchen and family room could be a nice spot for a breakfast table.

Here's an entertaining and insightful discussion on kitchen layouts. Grab a cup of tea and give it a read when you have a chance.

Ice. Water. Stone. Fire.

I'm not much help.. my house came with almost this exact kitchen and it was awful. The huge space (which was also a walkway) between sink and range was intolerable for me. I have ripped it out and am moving the whole kitchen to the former dining room.

lose the peninsula with the seating then put stove on same wall as sink

My first choice would be to move the range to the dining room wall (keep that wall intact...no peninsula) extend the countertop and shift the door opening. That would keep your sink and range on the same run...and avoid the awkward 6’ between them.

In the original plan, your range is in the worst possible spot--the blue line is through traffic, and the oval is the cook. The outlined rectangle represents the open oven door. Think about turning to cross to the sink with a pot of boiling pasta water or removing a heavy baking pan from the oven. The range should be in the most protected area. Even if you switch it with the fridge, you still have traffic passing by. On the same wall with the sink, or on the adjacent counter, the range is out of traffic, and will be more convenient for moving prepped items along the counter, or for moving hot pots to the sink.
The layout would be better if the fridge and range were both moved down, centered on the U, but that's still a bad location for the range:

thank you everyone. lots of great insight and personal experience here - both very helpful. i am leaning now towards keeping the wall to the dining room up and putting the range there.. although it makes me a bit sad since that is what we have in our current home and we like it a lot (the reno is for a house we haven't moved into yet)

I love my home. I have lived in it for 42 years. But the one thing I have always disliked is the 6 foot walk from the sink to the stove. No problem re pathway, but lugging things back and forth is a pain (sometimes literally as I get older). I have always said that no one who actually cooks would design a kitchen this way. My fridge beside the sink with a small landing and cutting board in between is perfect, however.

Manon: The sight line right through the house is what I like best. Mine has that and it brings me joy. (I have 4 windows at the back end of the house and can see through to my back yard).

If you haven't moved in, and the budget could support changing the slider to a single door and moving the window on the sunroom wall, you could take some of the space above the kitchen and extend the peninsula to where the desk ends now. That would give you a bit more counter space, and you could have the range on the back wall. I kept the idea of shallow pantries, which could be standard 12" deep stacked uppers. The drawers beside the fridge are labeled 'dishes', but you could also store dishes, glasses, and cups in the shallow cabinets beside the MW cabinet--maybe have a couple of cabinets with glass doors.

Scroll down in this thread to see cindyandmocha's shallow pantry wall.

I'm curious about some measurements....

How wide is your kitchen from wall (sink) to wall (range)? Is it exactly 11' or do you have some additional inches?

And how far is it from the corner wall to the edge of your sliding door?

Hi ccwatters,

from the sink wall to the range wall it's 11feet 1 inch... from the corner wall to the edge of the sliding door it's 11 feet..

Mamagoose - that is definitely food for thought.. and i do like those shallow pantries! stuff won't get lost at the back there!

The refrigerator bothered me..I really like where Manon placed it...facing the peninsula. Then You have straight line of sight....dining room to living space.