Not with that floor!!! NO NO.

What is happening with the floor and what flooring is in the rest of the house?

How do you fully open the left door on the fridge?

European Oak is a flooring option for light engineered wood floors.

Monarch Plank. Link

Hakwood. Link.

In a galley, you can increase the depth of your counter on one or both sides to 28-30" for added function by spacing the standard size cabinets out from the wall with 2x boards the top row also supporting the counter material.

IMO the cart before the horse First that kitchen needs a much better layout , better lighting so basically a rip out and redo . A counter depth fridge for sure proper venting for the range if possible . Is this an apartment or a single home ? I would rip it all out do the flooring after you have anew kitchen plan figured out . I do not agree thta a busy counter makes a space look smaller it depends on many things . I like Taj and for me the backspalsh the same is nice . I hate quartz BTW. So give us a bit more info and maybe even a to scale floor plan of this space .

She doesn't care you hate quartz, and she already stated she prefers a real stone,.

She actually mentioned quartz as a last choice . but I did answer the question BTW

Thanks for all your comments. I live in a townhouse. I am planning on moving my washer and dryer (you can't see them in the pic) into the garage and adding a 24 inch pantry and additional cabinets and moving my microwave to that area so that an outside fan can go over my stove. The refrigerator is next to a closet that contains my heater so even if I get a counter depth refrigerator, the wall is still going to stick out. I was considering installing the wood flooring in the attached picture but may go with one of your other suggestions because the flooring that I was considering won't go with the rest of my furniture wood tones but I'm also considering repainting my walls because they may be too warm to go with white cabinets and start replacing my furniture. Also, I read that your fireplace should be married to your kitchen - I'm not sure how to do that. So much to think about but I want to make sure this turns out right because I'm only going to do this once. Attached are additional pics. Thanks so much for all your help.

Jan,

There are couple of extra inches to the left of my refrigerator so I can open the door but wasn't able to get a 36 inch refrigerator because there isn't enough room. If I want to get a few more inches, I will need to get narrower cabinets so I'm not sure if that would be worth it. My refrigerator is large enough except for when I am planning a camping trip and it is packed with food.

If you post an overhead view with all the windows and doors, and every dimension, you will get lots of great ideas on how to plan a functional, beautiful kitchen. That is the first step - finishes are the last.

What are your specific goals for the remodel? As an example, here were the goals of our first kitchen remodel:

- improve prep space (by moving the range 12" further away from the sink)

- improve storage space (by adding drawers and taking cabinets to the ceiling)

- get things off the counter, by improving efficiency of storage (canisters of dry goods, toaster, chargers, knife block)

- Add a pantry - ours was specifically designed to include the functions of a desk: file drawers, drawers for pens, stamps, scissors, etc., as well as outlets inside a cabinet for a charging station

- thoughtfully consider where everything should go, so things are near their point of use: knives, cutting boards, colanders near the sink; potholders, cooking utensils, spices and oils near the stove; dishes near the DW.

You do not need an "overhead" view of anything.

All you need is the "flat on paper" galley all of it from entry to wherever it goes, with all walls, window, how many inches right and left of the window in exact feet and inches, the closet, etc.. All of it bold and legible and upload as a jpeg.

A GOOD Kitchen plan rarely if ever will mean calling a contractor: "I'd like white cabinets now, please......."

You may be a able to do a lot better than than that, but some homework is required on your part: ) Fill in all we can not see or know-inches: )

Where in teh country are you located? If you're in an area with cold winters, I strongly suggest you don't move the laundry into the garage. If you're not going to heed that advice, make sure the garage is heated and the area is elevated enough to keep the melting slush out the work area/machines. And be aware that the laundry in the garage WILL affect your resale. If you're in a part of the country that never sees snow and it doesn't get below freezing in the winter, then disregard what I just said.

I'm located in the Bay Area in California where everyone gets excited if a snowflake falls from the sky because it is extremely rare so my garage doesn't get very cold in the winter. Attached are drawings of my kitchen.

Decide on flooring first before deciding on tile/counter combinations and maybe look on line for inspiration.

I would address the lighting first if planning to update it since it has a big role in the appearance of finishes in the space. Consider including under cabinet lighting too. Then gut the kitchen and install all the flooring. Then cabinets. I think the Taj would be beautiful with the white cabinets and would consider doing just a 4-5" backsplash with it. Paint will be selected last.

If that's the garage door facing the kitchen, consider painting it the same as the wall color so it recedes somewhat.

It depends on what floor she’s goes with in terms of when it’s installed. Most floors these days go in after cabinets not before. So yes floor decision first.

Can you show us the relationship between your dining area and the kitchen? It looks like they are open to each other and you need to consider that view in the visual choices you make.

Yes, flooring first. Your white cabinet choice will go with any wood floor. But, your countertop will not.

I too have a galley that I wanted to make feel spacious. The visual key to galley kitchens is paying attention to contrast and the absense of contrast.

I love stone and had marble counters in the kitchen in my previous home. I hate quartz and plastic counters. I did months of research, looking a pics of every galley kitchen you can imagine. Boy was I surprised at the end of my search when I ended up with corian counters! As plastic as it gets.

I did corian on one side and walnut counters on the other. Why two different counters in such a small space? Because the same counters facing each other just end up looking like you've created a bowling alley down the middle, or like the flooring is a landing strip for a plane, or the peanut butter sandwiched between two slices of bread. You get the idea. It highlights the most narrow area of your kitchen. My small galley actually looks much bigger having a different counter material on one wall.

Why corian? Having a lack of contrast on one wall makes the space feel so much bigger. I wanted a countertop that would completely blend into the cabinets and not be busy. Impossible with stone, I couldn't find a solid quartz. I looked at everything. In the end, I fell in love with the look of a solid color corian that is a perfect match to my cabinet color.

Can you post some inspiration pics of kitchen you love the look of? And living rooms you love the look of? Knowing your style will help.

For what it is worth, I like the flooring you selected. It is timeless and beyond any trend. It will look great with your white cabinets.

It looks like a number of your base cabinets are not drawers. Do you have a specific plan for those cabinets? Drawers are far more efficient. What is planned for the narrow base cab to the right of the range?

Is that a super susan in the corner? What do you plan to store there? Depending on your needs, it might be better to put drawers on each side of the corner, and access the corner itself from the other side of the peninsula, either with drawers or a big cabinet (again, depending on what you need to store there).

What is the aisle width? If it is wide enough, you can pull the cabinets forward a couple of inches on the sink side, to provide more counter space.

Here is a pic of my dining area. Im planning on changing the lighting and hanging a mirror on the wall.

What a beautiful view!

What a cute condo and great views!

Are you replacing flooring throughout? I kind of think the counter is too busy, but I love the shaker cabs.

Yes, I’m installing wood flooring in the living room, dining room and kitchen with the same waterproofed wood. I’m also having pot and under cabinet lighting installed. I was feeling that the TM quartzite is too busy but am now thinking the honed version would work because it is much calmer. What do you think? The honed is on the left.

Thanks Kendrah. Good to know I’m not the only one that finds these decisions challenging but I would rather take the time now and minimize the chances of having regrets later.

There are literally thousands of gorgeous galley kitchens in Manhattan. My parents had two homes in the NYC area and both kitchens were galley. Nothing wrong with them.

Having drawers in your basement cabinets will make your life easier. Depending on the depth,drawers can hold silverware and soup pots. My refaced kitchen has all bottom drawers and it’s much easier to live with. I also planned a 36” wide drawer for my silverware and serving pieces and it’s wonderful. Think of everything you own that needs to go into the kitchen so that your uppers and lower drawers can hold everything. (Now is a good time to donate what you don’t really use. )

Here are some stunning galley kitchens for inspiration.

I mistyped - base cabinets, not basement.

Thanks for sharing the pics. I like the lighting - they look warmer and more interesting than pot lighting but think they need high ceilings to work. You and several other commentator stressed the importance of having drawers and a good storage design so I’m going to spend time researching options. It would nice to have access to my pots without having to get down on all fours to reach pots in the corner cabinet. I appreciate everyone’s help. This is extremely helpful.

This is the sink run of cabinets. Most of my pots and pans are here. The drawers next to the sink are 36” and below the silverware are frying pans. The deeper drawers hold all my pots.

I just put Taj Mahal in our kitchen (on new cabinets). I don't think it's too busy.

If your counter has a pattern your backsplash should not . Do not do a back splash in Taj Mahal. Pick a single color subway tile that matches in color . Keep it simple but elegant . The counter should coordinate with the floor .

Taj Mahal is a lovely stone, not what I would characterize as busy at all. I had it in my last home with off white cabinets and wood flooring very similar to what you are showing. I loved it. Easy to care for, easy to decorate around and so lovely. I do like a different backsplash tile with this stone but as the photo above shows it looks nice all the same too.

and you only asked about worktops

Yes. All the comments and info have been super helpful. Thanks so much to everyone.

My brother and law and his wife painted their kitchen cabinets a light greyed out green color and chose those countertops in a polished stone and it’s gorgeous! It doesn’t look busy to me at all, and I dislike busy patterns. They also chose a tall backsplash in the same stone. Sorry I don’t have photos to share.