Thanks, all. I'll try to answer some questions. First, it is just the two of us adults with no youngsters in the house, so no need for a kid zone separate from the main cooking area. We do not do heavy cooking and only 2-3 times per year will there be more than two cooks working in the kitchen at once. Also, this is essentially a budget reno with Ikea cabs, stone/quartz, backsplash all coming in at $10-12K. The galley layout is staying the same, with appliances staying where they are (except for relocation of the counter-top MW). The layout works great as-is. The long bank of cabinets has an indoor garden on the other side, so is essentially an open galley wall rather than an "island." There will be no seating/access on the opposite side. The wall opposite the large bank in the photo has a 30" range (staying) with 30" of cabs on either side and the fridge. The uppers will be gone. Two reach-in pantries flank that wall. Here is a photo that sort of shows it, absent the pantries: 1) trash pullout. I know this is a great idea for most folks, but we tend to push the garbage to maximum density. Also, we don't mind just pulling the can over to the counter for heavy prep needs. (Yuck, I know, but its how we work!). 2) Warming drawer - there is one in the range. 3) Second sink - I don't think it would get much use, and it would be essentially "next to" the main sink, albeit several feet away - a little odd?. There is a bar sink in the living area for emergencies, although it never gets used. 4) Drink Fridge - this is a strong contender, and would remain useful even if we eventually upgrade to a fridge not manufactured during the Eisenhower administration. There is also the possibility of locating this at the wet bar across the room, but it would be less prominent in the kitchen. *The fridge drawers are nifty, but I don't think the benefits would outweigh the cost for us. 5) Pet feeding center -- I hadn't thought of this. Dog food is now in a tub in a closet near the door (they eat outside). Cat food stays in the room where cat's dish and litter box are. A good idea, but I don't know that it would give us any real increased utility. 6) Cleaning product pullout -- all of this will be in the sink base and should fit there. 7) Extra 4-drawer stack. I've got one planned at the "junk" end of the kitchen, and there will be a lot of "top" drawers elsewhere, so I shouldn't need this. 8) Micro drawer -- this is probably the top contender if we decide to expand the budget a bit, It will get the MW off the counter and out of the pantry. _______________ Thanks so much for the input, fellow kitchen folk!

So, maybe this is a crazy idea and really, it's pretty crazy I'd even make a suggestion since I don't have any experience designing in small spaces, unlike palimpsest. But here goes anyway. What if you shifted the fridge and pantry around the corner so that they were facing the sink? You might need to split the pantry into two cabinets, flanking the fridge to make this work but this would put the fridge closer to the kitchen entrance - traffic to the fridge would be less likely to be in the thick of kitchen activity. You could also put cabinets down to the counter in the corner against the wall, avoiding a dark hole or put your microwave here (don't see this in your plan). You'll need to shorten the peninsula, of course but you gain more counter space on each side of your range. You might also want to consider shifting your sink to the corner with the DW about 12" away (so that you have leg room at the sink when the DW is open). Take this idea with a grain of salt since it's based on how much space I assume you have from the drawing. My idea may not work once the actual dimensions are plugged in. Anyway, what I think you'll want to watch is whether the range door and DW door will interfere with each other when open. btw, my idea also assumes that you can remove the "window" to the DR and open that wall up.

Twins- Thanks for the clarification. You definitely need a larger addition, IMHO. Any chance of adding a bigger garage, to match the new addition? I don't know if you need the space, but it would seem to fit nicely into the overall plan...and probably increase the value of your home. I think your living space should be roughly equal to your bedroom/bathroom space. Think of a 2 story home...main floor living space, upstairs is bedroom/bathroom space. So...with that in mind, I would want to keep the layout of your first plan...and add the dining bump out, mentioned earlier. I'd add a rectangular dining room addition, where you have the wall of windows, in the family room. Then, you'd still have all those windows, but they'd be 10' to 12' further back, with a slider/french door on the 'left' side going out to a deck/patio, behind the kitchen. Great place for a BBQ. The fireplace/TV could be on the 'right' wall with the seating area 'as is' and maybe some windows on the TV wall, as you show in your pictures. This would give you plenty of room for the table and the seating area...without giving up kitchen and island space. You'll end up with a great entertaining space that can be flexible, when you have larger get-togethers :) As for the master bedroom (a bit off topic, I know) but I'd think about putting the master bath against the kitchen wall (closer to your other plumbing) and create a nice noise/privacy barrier. The closet could be on the front wall (as is) and the bedroom could have windows on the side and back. Maybe a slider/french door out to the patio...even a hot tub? Just a few ideas :)

You guys are amazing - thank you so much for taking time out your days to answer me. I WISH we could hire a designer! We do use this as a rental but we actually have really not put much into improving it since we bought it in 2015 so it's definitely starting to show wear and tear and the walls look sort of dingey up close IMO. (havent been painted since the 90's!) I love the visual in the photoshopped picture - thank you! What are your thoughts on shiplap? Not worth it? Ultimately we rent this to pay for it but someday we hope to enjoy it ourselves more and we do go a few weeks a year so I am happy to finally be able to do a few updates if we can. What do you think of these lighting options?