Hi, Molly - good question. To expand on what Rina was saying - one of the ways you can tell whether or not the author of a comment has a good grasp of the topic (s)he's freely discussing is how that person's remarks are qualified. If someone makes a sweeping statement such as, "When repotting or potting up, you should increase the pot size in small increments to avoid over-potting" or "You should avoid fertilizing houseplants in winter" or "Never water on a schedule - always water on an 'as needed' basis", you should be on guard against comments that stand so naked in front of the world because you can be fairly sure the author is very likely doing nothing more than repeating what (s)he read somewhere ...... most likely over and over again ..... and with nothing more in the way of qualifications than (s)he left you with when parroting the advice, which was nothing. I often double, triple, or more than quadruple the size of the pot when repotting or potting up. I fertilize my indoor plants every time I water during the winter, and I water on a schedule. All that and my plants are always extremely healthy ........ and I'm not expecting you to just take my word on that. You can find hundreds of pictures of some of the plants I tend or have tended that are enough in themselves to illustrate the validity of the claim. Almost all advice given in sweeping statements needs some form of qualification (explanation) in order for it to ring true. Some qualifying statements about the topic I mentioned might include a short discussion that delineates between water-retentive soils and soils that truly do drain freely. What good is advice if the giver makes assumptions about your growing methods and gives advice based on a narrow set of assumptions? E.g., if I'm growing in this medium: I can water on a schedule with impunity. I can fertilize every time I water, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly if I choose, and I can do this all year long, and there is no such thing as over-potting - I could plant this tiny little start in a 55 gallon drum filled with the soil in the image I posted above and not be burdened by the worry I might have over-potted. I said all that so I could say, "Be cautious about putting too much faith in advice that takes a set of circumstances (yours) for granted, and/or seems overly broad, and/or isn't qualified in a way that takes your specifics into account. Al

The arrangement of your uppers needs to be tweaked. If it were me, I'd take the ones on either side of the hood out and use an easy reach cabinet in the corner by the sink. The hood width looks the same as the cooktop and you'll want to increase it by 6 inches for good capture. Put one over the countertop next to the fridge. If open shelves are the way you want to go, they'll terminate nicely between the uppers instead of losing storage in that corner. You'll need filler next to your oven cab for those doors to open. It'll move everything to the left enough that the flying cab will look especially awkward. You want to pick either bringing cabs down on either side of the hood or give it some breathing room (depends on the chimney). The over-the-fridge cab is unusual. Not sure if that's just a place holder but think about how the lines are going across the room, from the cabinet doors. You'll want to maintain that continuity. Do you really want no trim at the ceiling for transition? I'm going minimal, myself, but I think the top of the cabs need something. It doesn't look like you have enough leg room for all of the counter stools, looking at the corner closest to us, so that's something to address if the number of seats is important to you.

Thank you all for taking the time to consider my dilemma. I really appreciate it. Artistsharonva, I know it's hard to imagine that anyone can cook in an aisle that narrow, but we do it in NYC all the time. Here's the floorplan of the room, with the old galley kitchen we're ripping out. It will go right back into this footprint, but we'll annex the back wall of what's now the dining area. The kitchen and dining are on a raised platform that I've indicated with the dotted blue line. I'm not worried about the dimensions of the aisle. I've been cooking in this kitchen for four years now. The new design will at least be better than that: Herbflavor, the sink can't be moved. Given this, I don't think moving the pantries to that wall will help. I'd rather keep them flanking the fridge. Dan1888, the board won't even consider it, and I can't blame them. Since the gas explosion last year, any NYC building that touches a gas line these days has to be stress tested - and almost all prewar buildings will fail. I know a Brooklyn co-op that had to replace a hot water heater last March, their building failed the stress test, and everyone was without hot water until September while they tango'd with the conflicting demands of various inspectors. Mamagoose, I like the idea of the sink there and turning this galley into a U, however the water and waste pipes can't be relocated there. And there's an exposed steam pipe and a gas pipe that can't be touched where the dishwasher would be. I think I'm stuck with this: Instead of a wall of tile, I'm considering a curved marble backsplash right behind the sink. I'm not a fan of open shelves, but I have enough storage given all the wall cabinets on the opposite side. What I'm having trouble visualizing is the countertop material. Because of the proximity, do the two sides have to have the same material? If I want marble on the cooktop counter and backsplash, can I have white quartz on the sink counter? Thoughts, anyone?

Oh my dear, please don't go Grey Gardens on us! I am super sentimental and realize how hard it is to part with things but even I, in my pandemic homeboundness, have been clearing out "precious" objects. As I do, I realize these things were dragging me down and I feel so much lighter as I give them away, sell them, or ugh, send some to the landfill. As an example, I was just sure someone would want my 1950's chair I had intended to reupholster so I was going to put it on Craigslist. I put it in the driveway for a photo but needed to move my car to give it better lighting. As I backed up a few feet, I heard a crunch. Sure enough, I had tipped the chair, causing one of the legs to break unrepairably. I decided that was the universe telling me to let it go. So it's slated for bulky trash pick up tomorrow. Now if I put it on the curb and someone takes it before that... :-) As for the house, sell it now. It has become your albatross. What once gave comfort and shelter is now an annoyance and budget drain. It has served its purpose for you and your family and now it's time to let it serve a purpose for someone else. Don't deny that someone else of what is a wonderful opportunity for them! Contact a reputable realtor and explore options for both selling and buying. Once you decide your path and goals as @ocluke advises, the universe will open up endless possibilities. Don't block the blessings! I can tell this is all overwhelming and depressing you. Imagine a day not far in the future when you have sold the house, sold the possessions through a good estate sale company, and are living in your new home. You can't see that now because you are depressed so turn it over to the pros. Lots of people are working from home now and are looking to get out of big expensive cities. Your home might be just what they are looking for. All the best to you.