Sorry, too TIGHT, island too big ........ inadequate clearances and NO to stools: )

This is bare minimum , below. ....unless you live all alone, cook all alone , all the time.

No island and what exactly is the issue with what you have ? I have never net a client that wanted fewer cabinets for storage. Is that your only eating space ? We need info please and lots of it posted here in comments DO NOT start another post We need to see all the measurements at the bottom and my first objection to this plan would be never a sink directly across from a range I assume that is the fridge in the upper left corner so you have crammed the busy areas of any kitchen into a tiny space where no way can 2 people cook or prep.. Pretty comes way later after function and not all kitchens need or should have an island and yours cannot really improve by adding one . U shaped kitchens are very funtional if designed properly .

"Too many cabinets"????? That is just the oddest complaint ever. I think you meant the trend is no uppers and I like that look. I need the storage so can I put it in an island and take down my uppers?

#1 I second that it's insane to move the sink to the island. The cost alone would blow most modest kitchen renovations.

#2 Your plan essentially pulls the cupboards away from the wall and calls them an island. All that accomplished is creating walkways that are all to small.

#3 I see your seating issues. The raised back of the peninsula is not wide enough nor is there knee room for it to be proper counter seating. The bench thing well that was very hip and mod but does not accomodate more than two comfortably, assuming there's a chair out of the picture.

Perhaps you could remove the peninsula, extend the cupboards along the outside wall giving you the storage needed if you lose your uppers and then a skinny island in the center of it all for working and eating--no stove top or sink. But that would be your only eating space. How many do you need to seat for casual eating?

Do you really have too many cabinets (haven't filled the ones you have), or do you find the dark cabinets oppressive? When you're preparing meals, is there something about the current layout that you find annoying (doesn't work for you)? The solution you've proposed doesn't seem workable because the aisles are too narrow, but you can probably do something different than what you have that suits you better if you identify the issues more precisely. Your inspiration photo is lighter than what you have which is what makes me wonder whether it's really the dark cabinets that are turning you off instead of the layout. Maybe you just need to take from your inspiration photo those cabinet colors. Are you planning on replacing or refinishing the flooring during this project?

Good advice already - not every kitchen can accomodate an island well, I think an island layout in this space is awkward (new flooring, new plumbing, new counters, new cabs is $$$$ without a good ROI)

Appreciate all the great feedback! Apologies, the floor plan is not exactly to scale, more of just an idea.

This is a smaller home, and when you walk in the front door, that is what you see. So the idea was to not have the refridgerator be the focal point. It is only me and I like the idea of casual gathering around an island when cooking, but understand maybe thats not the best option for this space. the bench seating has already been removed. Everything will get replaced and floors refinished!

and yes, many of these cabinets are empty! i think even if they were lighter, with being a smaller home, the current kitchen is very overwhelming for this space.

I have a good sized kitchen + quite a bit of storage space under my island - and I don't have a single empty cabinet. I think it's time for me to "declutter" my kitchen!!!

How many sf is your home? Is your home located in a neighborhood where typically only one person lives in the house?

Why don't take some photos of the insides of your cabinets and post them in a comment - that way we can see how much + the type of storage you need?

A major problem with your proposed layout is that it creates safety issues - you have to have adequate landing space for hot items taken out of your oven (or taken off of your cooktop).

Also, having your cooktop/oven/sink/dishwasher placed so close together (and directly across your work aisle from each other) has the potential to cause tripping hazards when the oven and dishwasher doors are open - and you need to quickly grab something off your cooktop or from the fridge. I've tripped over a dishwasher before (not in my kitchen) - and had a foot with ugly bruising all over it for weeks - I missed hitting my head on the edge of a countertop by less than one inch (and I am a pretty organized cook - so, I'm not running around like a crazy person to grab something I forgot).

I hate when people are always commenting about resale when someone is planning a kitchen renovation (unless the OP knows that he/she/they will be selling in the next couple of years). The comments relate to the aesthetics - and how the OP has selected something that wouldn't appeal to most buyers (or is too trendy - and will be out of style/date the kitchen very quickly). I always feel like a homeowner should love how their new kitchen looks (after making it functional first) - and not worry about whether other people will like what it looks like (again, unless the home is going to be sold very soon).

In your case, however, providing limited storage + creating other functional issues in a renovated kitchen will make it feel small/difficult to use to potential purchasers - and if it's a "buyer's market" - will cause many buyers to not be interested in your home. I don't know how long you plan to stay in this home - but whether it's 5, 10, 15, or 20+ years, lack of storage and functional issues will always cause an issue on resale.

I feel like HGTV/this forum/Instagram has made it appear as if most people are okay with purchasing a home even though the kitchen will need to be ripped out immediately - I think the percentage of buyers who plan for an immediate kitchen renovation when looking for a new home is much lower than it seems at times.

Don't do the renovation. You'll be spending all that money and not recouping a penny on that expenditure. Your kitchen looks great. Don't get hooked on the 'need' for an island. It's a 'want', not a 'need'.

The kitchen you use as an example has a lot more cabinets than you show. If you do your remodel the first thing a buyer will state is there are not enough cabinets to please them.

IF resale is in the near future (< 5years) then consider resale. If not, then I would not worry about resale.

If resale is a consideration, then Dani is right about buyers, especially today with rising home prices and mortgage rates. Most buyers today are barely able to afford the home let alone have to fund an expensive re-work of the most-used and most-expensive to renovate room! When we were looking, we mentally reduced what our offer would be if we had to re-do the Kitchen. It took us over 3 years to find a home and we are still going to have to renovate parts of the Kitchen and attached pantry. (I'll start a thread in a few weeks about that).

If resale is not a consideration, then renovate to suit you. However, I've never heard anyone say they have too much storage in a home! That "extra" storage in the Kitchen could be used for non-Kitchen things (but I would keep them out of the main part of the Kitchen with the Prep & Cooking Zones and probably even the Cleanup Zone).

If you're planning an island, then don't plan for seating because it will not fit.

12'2" = 146"

146"

- 33"D refrigerator (counter-depth (box + doors + handles)

- 45" aisle (3" less than recommendation, but will work for one person with an open DW)

- 41.5" island (counter-depth seating with minimum recommended overhang)

======

26.5" left over for an aisle behind the seats.

Even if you reduce the aisle b/w the island and the refrigerator to 42", it's still only 29.5" wide.

The minimum aisle behind seating is 44" - and that's with no traffic behind the seats. You appear to have at least one door on the left, so there will be traffic. That means you really need a minimum of 48" behind the island.

I know all of what you're hearing from us is not what you want to hear, but we're being open and honest with you. (Something you likely won't get who's anxious to get your business -- they'll tell you what you want to hear, not the truth.)

Other comments:

• The refrigerator will not fit where you have it. Unless it's a true built-in, fully-integrated refrigerator, you will need around 12" b/w the wall and the refrigerator to allow the doors to open fully. BTW, counter-depth refrigerators are around 33"D when accounting for box + doors + handles. Only the "box" is counter-depth. The doors & handle are not included. Also, the doors of most refrigerators must stick out past surrounding items to allow the doors to open fully, that's why you need the 12" b/w the wall and refrigerator.
• Others have pointed it out, but I will re-iterate, you need work & emergency landing space on both sides of the range. You have none. If it's a gas range, it may even be a fire hazard and against Code.

I understand you want an island -- they're all the rage. However, not every Kitchen can support an island and, unfortunately, yours is one of them.

For more useful help on a layout that will work, could you please post:

• A fully-measured layout with all the dimensions labeled (including the ones on the bottom wall that are cut off. The layout should have the widths of each wall/window/door/doorway and the distances between each wall/window/door/doorway labeled (including doorways with no doors - you have at least two unlabeled). If something cannot be moved or changed, label it precisely on your layout and tell us why it cannot be moved/changed -- we may have some ideas for you.
• A sketch of the entire floor the Kitchen is on. The sketch will let us see how the Kitchen relates to the rest of the home. It doesn't have to be to-scale, but it should accurately show how the rooms relate to each other and should include all interior & exterior doors. In addition, it will help us see how traffic flows in, around, and through the Kitchen. Label the front entry and family entry. The family entry is usually a garage or side entry, but it might not be. It's helpful to know which door you use to bring in groceries.

See the Featured Answer in the "New to Kitchens? Read Me First!" thread for more information/

Would like to renovate my kitchen. currently it has so many cabinets. looking to simplify with large island. Kitchen space is roughly 12x13. Is this a good idea for layout or no?

I'm not loving it. It feels like an "island at any cost" layout; that is, an attempt to squeeze in an island, where an island doesn't really fit. You won't have ample walking space on the two island sides -- it would work IF you remove the seating from the back side of the island. If it were mine, I'd stick with the existing layout.

Smaller thoughts on this plan:

You don't want the refrigerator in the corner -- the door won't open all the way. You could fix the problem with something simple like pop in a tall, narrow pantry cabinet.

In a kitchen this small, you should absolutely stick with a 30" range -- you can't "afford" this larger range.

The island is way too close to the wall on the left side /less than the width of the refrigerator. At the least, you should move the door down a smidge so you could enter into the walking aisle -- imagine being squished into that small space with grocery bags as you enter the kitchen.

A large door instead of a window across from the island would be better.

I have never net a client that wanted fewer cabinets for storage.

I'm planning to lose cabinets. Right now I have 14 uppers and 11 lowers -- I have more than I need. My new kitchen will have 6 uppers and 7 lowers, though admittedly, some of them will be wider than the cabinets I have now. "More" is not better; efficient and well-planned is better.

Is that your only eating space ?

Even if that table is the only eating space, no one really needs a breakfast table + island seating literally within reach of one another.

Don't do the renovation. You'll be spending all that money and not recouping a penny on that expenditure.

Agree.

I happen to love this layout for a small home, especially when you have to cross through the kitchen to get to other spaces in the home. It provides a path that isn't through the middle of the entire Kitchen. Helps with flow and elevates the feeling of the space.

Resale is for people who are more worried about value it will bring long term rather than the value it brings to you and your enjoyment of the space now and long term.

This is a cottage, not an estate. The design gives you luxury living on a smaller scale. As long as the walk spaces, clearances and code requirements fit the space, all others thinking the deletion of cabinets is outrageous has outdated thinking.

You also have an eating space that is more than adequate for a smaller home. The option to have barstools at the island is a plus but not a requirement. Even if you kept it all storage with no stools, it would be fantastic.

Overall concept - spectacular, don't let others opinions discourage you!

“Dont do renovation” advice is ludacris… aka nothing is cheap and your kitchen shouldn’t be either - no matter what the reason for renovation!

A peninsula on the other side might have made more sense for traffic

Where do all the doors lead? Is this your only table space? (A full-floor sketch would answer that and other questions!)

Spending 100K to actually reduce the value of your home is not a smart money move. A big island is just wrong for that house, and makes it feel really small. Future buyers will go hunting for inadequate closets, and other poor storage issues if you make the primary space feel so squished and out of scale. It's a red flag reno.

Besides, that is a AFTER kitchen, not a Before one. You just need better lighting, and maybe to paint the existing cabinets your favorite color.

What if you keep the basic layout but remove the cabinets on either side of the window, bring the peninsula down to countertop level and switch stove and refrigerator so you are seeing an attractive stove and vent hood instead of the refrigerator when you walk in. You could also put up some open shelves instead of cabinet over peninsula.

Did you just buy this house? Because no one that has lived in it for at least 6 months would want to spend that kind of money on changin up something that is pretty functional as isl. Start with minor decorative changes that are also functional. Like lighting.

There are some functionality issues in the current Kitchen that I would probably want to fix. E.g., crossing a wide aisle to go from the sink to the range - far from ideal. Off the top of my head, I might just do one of the following, both of which depend on the actual space available to work with - it's not clear in the layout or pics what's actually available overall.

1. Move the peninsula to next to the range, add a prep sink in the peninsula, add 9" cabs on the back of the peninsula (to add space behind the sink and give you a bit deeper prep space), and eliminate the seating.
2. Add a prep sink b/w the refrigerator and range. Drop the peninsula to counter-height - not sure if I would bother with seating, but if so, 15" overhang (min recommended overhang).

If it were my Kitchen, I would probably do something like #1 if I didn't want to do a complete overhaul. (I need more info for a complete re-do - see my previous posts.)

Instead of posting your vision"

Post a fully measured and exact drawing of the current condition. Where every door leads.....and every window exact size,

Leave it blank........ Just the very exact walls , windows , openings, and where TO.

Add pictures of other rooms and more angle of the kitchen.

Everything else just a whistle in the WIND until you do that

A peninsula on the other side might have made more sense for traffic

What you've drawn is pretty much my kitchen (well, mine's larger -- not a positive -- and my appliances aren't in the same spots, but my cabinets are laid out just like this), and I don't love it. Reasons:

- You have a pinchpoint between the wall of cabinets and the peninsula /exactly like my kitchen ... and my dog, who has to be in the middle of everything, loves to lie right in that spot. Even without the dog, it's just too small an entrance.

- The two cabinet runs are too far apart for comfort ... they don't play well together. What happens is, I do all my cooking on the "upper row" /the row with the peninsula, and the other cabinet is just kinda cluttered.

In addition to the great advice you have gotten already, I suggest taking a step back into the ”why” of a renovation before thinking about design. If you have done this already, great. If not, it will inform your plans. Some questions that were helpful for us to grapple with:

- What do you love about your current kitchen? What do you hate?

- How do you use your kitchen now?

- Is there anything you want to do in your kitchen that you can’t do now? Functionality or space you want to add?

- Do you cook? Like to cook but can’t cook the way you want?

- Do you entertain? Big parties or small gatherings? Level of formality?

- How much do you have / want to spend on a renovation?

- What is your tolerance for disruption?

Houzz and other sites have kitchen planning starter kits. I found it very helpful to think through all of these things. The last thing you’d want is to do a costly and burdensome reno and realize you wanted something else or something different.

Since it's just you, I'd suggest talking to a kitchen designer who can help maximize your layout. The consensus seems to be that a full island might not work in a 12x13 space, but maybe a smaller work surface or modified peninsula could give you that open, casual vibe you want.

The advice about understanding your actual storage needs and current kitchen pain points is solid. Maybe start by really evaluating what you use and don't use in those cabinets before making major changes.

Good luck with your renovation!