I should have said that our needs are: more storage (especially for small appliances), better ventilation, and more light-- but it's already narrow, so not making it more cramped.

people tend to zero in on layout issues. you have a few. Do you think a bigger remodel would be in some time in the future? It might be warranted. for now a reversal of fridge and stove . you could panel the side of fridge so next to stair case would be better than a hot burner. Gaining 12 inches of counter or so on left of stove at other end would help things. A lighting plan for the ceiling for certain. You have to look at the work triangle and all the doorways but thats a bigger project. I wouldnt say to avoid spending the 10k for a couple of improvements for the near future....but that would be the issue for your space.

Can I ask why you put the flooring prior to the remodel? I hope you have some extra. I would be closing the passthrough up, widening the dining entry and possibly closing up the entry doorway ( unless that is how you bring in groceries) So we also need to know that.

The cabinets look pretty nice. The white appliances aren't the best color for this kitchen and the backsplash isn't doing it any favors either. However, the major issue is the layout which is less than ideal. You can't solve that problem with $10K, so as @herbflavor said, I would keep saving up for a major remodel. Save a box of the flooring you just installed so if you need to patch after moving things around you're able to. Flooring is discontinued quickly so you're unlikely to be able to find more after a couple years go by. The lighting looks inadequate, maybe you could address that in the meantime. If any of your appliances die in the near future, buy SS as that goes with everything.

Paint the cabinets white, add crown molding and recessed lights, buy a niece antique armoire for storage where the white cube stands. 10 K spent for a brighter kitchen with little more function. If there is any chance for a full remodel down the line save all the money and drastically improve the layout in a few years. This has a bunch of classic mistakes- corner sink, range on an end (so dangerous!) and fridge shoved in a corner.

I agree it is a tough layout - so for an inexpensive refresh without layout and cabinet changes, I agree with the suggestion for a nice shallow armoire where the white cube shelf is - that would be lovely.

I would also replace the lighting fixture with 2 schoolhouse fixtures with more wattage - FWIW for an old cottage kitchen, we got some from fixtures Rejuvenation, had them upgrade the wattage and then put them on dimmers - so we could get crazy bright light in the kitchen for clean-up but then tone it down when we didn't want it

I'm not a fan of can lighting. I recommend a couple track lights in your existing fixture locations.

This space has a lot of potential!

I’d start with new paint.

New countertops and backsplash

New hardware and new light fixtures.

If you paint on your own, you’d probably be at about $6/7,000

Id use the rest for new appliance. Especially understanding that you’re an avid cook.

In terms of light and storage,

Id personally open up the window area. I’d have it as a cased opening. And then maybe you can have space for a little island or something.

Idk if you are willing to have that type of work done… but I think it’ll really open the space.

sheloveslayout’s idea of wall hung cabinets topped with a countertop is excellent! You would retain all of the floor which makes the space feel larger, and gain all that storage and prep space. The countertop could be shaped to include the cutout area with barstools.

What is the room beyond the doorway (red question mark) and what is behind the fridge/range wall (green question mark)?

@sheloveslayouts she explained that in the details above.

Thanks you @RL Relocation LLC. I missed the mention of laundry/pantry. I thought there might be a garage behind the fridge wall.

@Pamela Gould Is a separate laundry room behind the fridge/range wall?

Floor plan would be great to post as well.

Hope this inspires

Sheloveslayouts has a great plan for immediate improvements. Combine those wall cabinets with removing the backsplash, repairing the wall, and painting everything (backsplash area too) in a soft white.

For a larger future project, I would consider moving the dining room doorway down to where you have the bookshelf and stand mixer, and walling off the passthrough. Sink in front of window, DW to the left of it, and cabinets wrapping around the corner right of the sink with range roughly in the middle of the space that is the doorway and passthrough. Fridge and pantry cabinets on the wall stretch that currently has the fridge and range.

I also like the idea of expanding the kitchen into the laundry room. But I see steps down to that space, which might make that kind of expansion much more difficult.

You got the cart before the horse when you installed the flooring first. As suggested, go get a couple of boxes of it for use when you make major layout changes down the road..Two new ceiling fixtures and use of 3500-4000K LEDs will fix the lighting issue. Don't forget to replace the current lights under the uppers with LEDs for a brighter white light on your counters. Is the front door the way you come into the kitchen with a load of groceries from the store? Unless that's the only way in that's close to the kitchen, I would close that door, as well as the pass through window; you'll automatically have more wall space to work with. You might consider that end by the front door for a pantry and fridge similar to the pic below for; more storage and a new, bigger fridge. You can also do a full wall of small appliance storage once the pass through is closed. For better ventilation you'll probably need to have a real hood above the stove; microwaves just recycle and don't vent properly; kind of a sales gimmick to market them as the real deal. When you start planning for a bigger reno, think about incorporating the small seating area into the kitchen if possible, especially if it will allow the stove to be vented on an exterior wall.

The Social Kitchen · More Info

Wow! Thanks for all the comments and ideas. To start with, for context, this is a small concrete block 1950s house in a great area. I love it, it's adorable-- but it's a challenge. We recently got the foundation repaired, cracks repaired in all the walls, and the plumbing replaced. Now I'll try to answer all the questions. 

First, the floors are stained red oak and we put them in when we did because it turned out to be a minimal cost when the rest of the house was getting the heavily worn 70 yr old floors sanded/repaired/refinished. Also, we wanted them to match the rest of the house. I can probably buy a can of the stain to have on hand.

Behind the refrigerator and stove wall is concrete block, then a small garage that is used as a project room. The opening on that side goes down three steps into a laundry room/ pantry that also has the only entrance to the garage from the house.

The currently blank wall is plaster and lathe, about 5 inches thick with a living room on the opposite side. That living room also has a small dining room that you can see through the arch window opening in the kitchen. A previous owner opened up between the living room and the "dining room" (originally a bedroom). But load bearing columns had to be left. I'm concerned that opening up that wall in the kitchen will create an open floor plan, which I'm not a fan of, and even more columns.

Last, it don't think that we can possibly block off the doorway because it's the main access into the kitchen for groceries etc. It would also make the entrance to our home incredibly tight. People commonly step into the kitchen when coming in as group.

This is all to say that we have had a tough time coming up with a way to move walls and doorways that didn't create as many problems as it solved, though we have had several architects and kitchen designers etc come out to the house over the years.

I do like the idea of putting cabinets along the blank wall. We've had a cute kitchen cart over there for years.

It makes sense that the present dining room was a bedroom. I suspected that it's possible at one time the area where your sink is may have been a dining nook and the sink was actually over on the pass through wall; maybe a small original galley kitchen.

If you can post a rough drawing with dimensions I'd like to draw up an idea for you.

Personally, I'd press pause here. Put that $10k into savings, and keep adding to it. Live with the kitchen, keep track of your wants/needs/gripes and then sit down with a kitchen designer to work through possible solutions. Build a bigger budget to do this once vs. in small doses over time.

Love your floors! And, I hate to say this, but I know because we are in the midst of a new build, a garage addition with a 1 bdr apartment above, $10,000 does not go very far these days. I think you need a master plan, because “better ventilation “ is going to be a big ticket item..and I hear you, because we cook with grease…not all the time, but when you basically eat three meals a day at home, there’s always something in the air! That will drive other layout changes. That would be on my “someday” list. I agree with those who say for now, change up your storage solution..the IKEA unit is very efficient, but adds nothing to your vibe! And a nice piece of furniture has life beyond the kitchen. Visit a real lighting store, or two, or three, until you find someone who is creative! My nephew just replaced his butt ugly 80’s kitchen track lighting with some wonderful led light bars…with the advent of led fixtures, there are some interesting alternatives out there….but again, not inexpensive. I would lean into your green countertops, they are very functional and green is having a moment! the back splash is very busy and distracting and could use some love, and that is an excellent DIY project….just go for whatever you love. The cabinets could be painted, but if they are a solid wood they could be nice, just sand and refinish and some new hardware.
I think you have done wonders with what you have!

I guessed the dimensions of your kitchen and drew it up just for fun.

I have no idea what's involved in block construction, but if it's feasible I think moving the doorway to the garage/project room would really improve the function of your kitchen. We had a small home with the only access to the laundry room through an attached garage and it never felt like a problem.

This layout prioritized continuous worktop between the sink and the range. No upper cabinets on the window wall to try to maximize natural light. I rotated the fridge to make space for a base cabinet next to it for your microwave - you could have a proper exhaust hood and not lose counter space for microwave.

It's not a popular opinion, but in small homes I enjoy having a separate kitchen and wouldn't have a problem closing the pass thru back up to further improve workflow and increase storage space.

I hope this sparks useful ideas for you...