Have you thought about just making it a galley style? By the time you recapture that dead corner space, you will gain a similar amount of storage back and have more floor/ body space. For example, it means you could move the dishwasher to the right of the sink so it wouldn’t block the whole kitchen when open.

I did not think of that with the galley style and dishwasher move, but that is definitely worth considering.

Hi. Good to gather up all your info to be ready! Would also be nice if you could claim those dead corner spaces… There’s some very unique cabinets nowadays that make use of that very well…. Also I have been very happy with lots of deep drawers… Some of them measure about 40 inches wide with varying depths…That can fit pots and pans. When we were planning our kitchen I looked on a lot of sites and gathered a bunch of information like you’re doing and then sat down and thought about where I wanted to reach for everything on an average day. Like near the stove I want to drawers that could fit tinfoil and Ziploc‘s… Along with a set of drawers that had all my cooking utensils. A giant spice drawer drawer… many many drawers! I’d Avoid cabinets that you open and then have pull outs if you can… They’re quite annoying.

Thanks for the comment/reply. I definitely like the idea of a lot of drawers. I have been intrigued by the wall cabinets that have drawers at the bottom; seems kind of neat for spice tins and linens. Maybe those are more for custom cabinet builds and not semi custom cabinets. I am not sure which way I’m going to go yet. I got a custom quote and it was very high with no soft close or countertops so I’m a bit discouraged with that.

I have so little storage now that I cannot really be organized, which can be frustrating. I’m hoping with the addition of lots of drawers and some kind of pantry system and dedicated areas for spices, utensils, and small to medium appliances (e.g., instant pot / air fryer), getting in there to cook will be a lot more efficient and enjoyable. Appreciate the tips and feedback.

Everything is getting very expensive right now. But you’ll love it when you have a place for every thing.

I’ve seen some posts about the blind corner storage solutions, and it could be a good idea for things that I don’t use much. I am not a huge fan of lazy Susans because we had one when I was a child and it was the worst. Then again that was like 100 years ago so surely there’s progress. I have to wonder how well something like this would hold up ….

I’ll definitely be mindful of pinch points with a bit more research. I think I did a terrible job of the drawing and placement of the table because I just put it on to show the general layout with little regard for size. For now, I have empty space on both sides as seen below. Was hoping to swap out the stands and carts for real cabinets as part of the redo. With such a small kitchen/house, the eat-in dining space may get in the way. It would also help if I could draw better but maybe this gives an idea….

Additional pic

Unfortunately, there’s no separate dining room. It’s a small eat-in kitchen in an older home 😞. I agree that I keep hitting road blocks at least partly because of the lack of separate dining area, and the home is too small to create one.

Where do the doors lead? Can any be closed off, moved, or can the double be made a single or a slider?

There’s a single door leading to the laundry room which is also pretty tiny. The double doors lead to the deck. I am planning to get a new door so that double could be made into a slider with no problem.

I like the suggestion to make the kitchen a galley, but if there's sufficient floor space I'd make the counters extra deep, by using custom cabinets, or by pulling standard bases forward a few inches. I just filled in the basics here, but it will give you some ideas. Notice I cheated the sink to the right as far as possible, and centered the faucet on the window, to help disguise the asymmetry.

NKBA guidelines

New to Kitchens? Read me first.

Discussions--Extra-deep counters

Discussions--all drawer bases

Discussions--dishes in drawers

Oh I do like those ideas mama goose. They’re very helpful. Just for curiosity’s sake, I have a “rough idea” drawing that has the dishwasher side mostly as you have depicted it, but it has a 12 inch tall pull out pantry and the fridge directly across from the dishwasher and sink. Then the range kind of directly across from the trash pull.

Do you think it is a terrible idea to put the fridge across from the dishwasher in that galley style. Essentially swapping range and fridge.

It's better if the fridge is on the edge of the kitchen, so it's convenient for others coming from the living areas. No one has to walk by the range to get a snack or cold drink, and for your prep tasks, that location is not going to make much difference. It does cut off the view of the range, and close in the kitchen somewhat, but that's a trade-off I'd make.

As for the narrow pull-out pantry, the side-loading pantry I drew will be less expensive and much easier to access. If you think it crowds the fridge/range wall, the MW could be moved across the aisle, to the sink wall.

Great. Thank you for the additional info. I like it with the fridge at the end near the opening as you showed initially.

I think I can do it without a big issue. Currently the range and fridge are swapped so if I kept the fridge across from what will be the dishwasher with this new layout, I’d have basically no appliance moves. Surely it’s not super expensive or difficult to move a range about 30” and the fridge water lines further down the wall. My range cord may even reach or if I don’t have a 6’ cord, maybe I can get that and have more of an extension to move the range without having to get another220v outlet put in.

I like mamagoose’s layout. Could you make the pantry deep enough that you could put the microwave in there? Would keep the cabinets cleaner looking in the small kitchen.

I could try. I will look into that. I rarely use a microwave so it would be nice to not have it breaking up the look of the cabinets .

I spoke to the custom cabinet maker about deeper cabinets. It seems to be a viable option. I’ve read a few posts about the range needing to be pulled out from the wall too. I have a freestanding one and wonder if it’s common to have a small strip of countertop behind there or just a gap?

HU, I pulled the cabinets out on my range wall, but only 3" (the depth of two, sistered, 2x4's, used to support the counter). The range is free-standing, with a high back, so my solution was to make a 3" deep wooden shelf to go behind it, mounted at the same height as the top of the back guard. I used separate pieces of wood, attached vertically, to fill in the gap, to below the surface of the counter. I was afraid that if there was a gap, items would fall behind the range. The shelf is just the right depth for salt and pepper shakers, or a small bottle of oil. My cabinets are painted the same color as the walls and beadboard backsplash, therefore I painted the shelf the same color. I don't think anyone who has been in my kitchen has ever noticed the shelf (or the extra-deep counter) until I pointed it out.

There are extra-deep hoods available, but as I had to use specially cut pieces of wood to attach my hood to the back wall, I just added another piece of wood to fill in the gap at the bottom, then painted it to match. I could have covered it with a piece of sheet metal, but it blends by being matched to the wall color--and paint was a less expensive option. My kitchen remodel was mostly a budget DIY, with help from a few family members, so I had to get creative.

I don't have access to my OneDrive albums and can't download new pics (using a borrowed computer), but I think I've posted pics in the GW era; I'll try to find one of the threads.

Oh. That’s great information. Thank you. I’ll convey this to the cabinet maker and make sure he’s on board!

I found a couple of pics; the one on the left shows a close-up. At the time I remodeled, my range was bisque, which was another reason I painted the shelf. The corners were contoured to match the back of the range, and even though I had to replace the 10-yr old range a couple of years ago (a few days before Thanksgiving the oven wiring/sensors self-destructed!!) the corners on the new range are almost an exact match. I took what was available, since bisque is usually a special order, but the new stainless steel range looks OK with the shelf.

The pic on the right (during salsa season a few years ago) shows the piece of painted wood trim at the back of the range hood, covering the gap left by pulling the range hood forward. Pic was taken at an angle to show the wood--at eye level it's not visible.

This is the thread from which the pics were copied: Gap behind range

If you scroll down, someone posted a link to a speed rail, which serves the same purpose, but I would still want the vertical gap covered, to avoid losing items behind the range.

Oh I really like the idea of having that kind of shelf so the oil dispensers and grinders etc have a spot. Thanks!