You can have glass uppers above the range like this (Maybe not the one reaching the counter but the short ones).

Instead of a counter overhang you can have shallow cabs on the other side of the peninsula. A combination of 9-12' shelves on the load bearing wall may help. Also toe kick drawers may give you additional storage and under sink drawers can be considered.

I'd recommend a small sink base. I believe you can fit a 20x20 sink and in a 24" sink base. My big bowl is 20x 15 3/4, and I'm fine with it. I always lived with 24" cooktops/ovens, I think that can work for you too in this kitchen.

If you are tall and don't expect to sell the house in the near future you can have cabs taller than 36" to give you a few more inches of storage.

I believe frameless cabs will give you more storage and use drawers wherever possible.

Lazy susans are terrific...if you can turn both corners into lazy susans that will add a lot of storage.

I would move the fridge to the wall opposite the sink, even if it meant you had to walk around it to pass through the space...flank it with cabinetry on either side, angled if necessary, and then move the cooktop to where the fridge is now and then eliminate the uppers over the penninsula. To make this work better, perhaps consider narrowing and moving the doorway opening down some to make room for cabinetry around the fridge.

This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Thu, Dec 26, 13 at 9:42

Post a measured layout from overhead. Include the adjacent rooms, all openings and where they are to etc.

Right away, I'd want to know what's across the aisle other than a wall. Because I'd move the fridge there in a heartbeat and put the range on the back wall. Then maybe do an island instead of a peninsula, but it depends on the actual measurements of the space. There's a lot of storage to be had with modern cabinets, but first you have to fix the layout.

Our 1939 home's last kitchen remodel was in 1957. One of the primary areas I see we can improve the amount of cabinet space with our future remodel is in maximizing the use of the depth of the cabinets. I presume, like our kitchen, the cabinets you have have cabinet doors and getting to the back of the shelves is hard and so that space is under utilized. Having pull outs will definitely help you maximize the depth of the your cabinet space. I anticipate this alone will give us 1/3 more space on our lower cabinets. Lazy susan's too as someone mentioned above can improve useful space.

Our kitchen is on the small side and one of the things I've also done is to go through all our kitchen/cooking items and things I haven't used in the past year go downstairs in the canning closet. It's amazing how many extra wooden spoons and other items I was able to get 'rid' of. The great thing is that if/when I need them (that fish spatula did get resurrected!) that I can just go downstairs and get it. It's been a great way to use the space we have and to improve the function of the kitchen with less clutter. Just a thought.

As an aside, we bought our house 1.5 years ago. If you can work in the kitchen for awhile before remodeling I'd highly recommend it. It's interesting how my ideas for the kitchen have changed over time as I work in it and think about how I use it. Good luck!

Reva,
Are you looking to do a full remodel ? Or just trying to get the best use you can out of what you have ?

Agree request above. Please draw your layout and write in all of the measurements. You can print out graph paper at http://www.printablepaper.net/. If possible, draw a layout of the entire first floor of the home drawn to scale and post that to this thread. Then also scan in a closeup of just the kitchen area of your drawing.

Also, please try to keep everything in one thread. Multiple threads get way too confusing for us all.

You could greatly benefit by spending several hours reading the following thread and clicking through to the links in the thread and reading those. There is a section in that thread with instructions on how to ask for layout help and what we need to be able to help you. http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0722221917955.html

Hi All,

I have narrowed down to 2 lay out options, based on discussion with my contractor for the kitchen design. With few added feet to the kitchen. Now the kitchen dimension would be 88 x 164 (about 7' x 13'). I am inclined to an L shaped kitchen (but was told that island would no be possible) where as hubby is inclined to a U shaped kitchen with peninsula containing the slide in stove and hood hanging over it. The kichen flows into the family room in this 1960s ranch style home. I have attached the tentative layout pics and dimensions can be seen in one of the pics. I am not sure how good L shaped kitchen of this size would look like with out an island, but also concerned that if a peninsula exists then will it feel too crowded when a 3 seater couch and coffee table are put in the family room. Kindly suggest.
Thanks,
Reva

This is the U shaped design that my hubby is inclined. Please suggest. We ordered a samsung refrigerator that us 36" deep and 36" wide, so sceptical as well if that would look too big and more protruding out in the U shaped lay out. Also, we are planning to go with maple color cabinets
We also looked at similar layout in neighbourhood and it looked nice with counter depth fridge, cherry cabinets and a dining table in family room. But how wil it look with a 3 seat couch? will it look more full? I want to have open feeling than cluttered?

I'd prefer the L kitchen. Maybe you can have a small island/work table on casters you can park somewhere across the L when not in use, to give you more work space.

Perhaps not in the budget or possible, but did you consider moving the DR door to the right and have a galley kitchen?

What fabulous big windows! Taking down the cabinets over the existing peninsula will really bring that light into the family room.

What's behind the wall opposite the windows?

I don't like the range on the peninsula at all, and I think the fridge against the dining room wall would really close in the corner, so I vote for the L-shape. To maximize storage, I'd use an under-cabinet range hood (nice space above). Will you exhaust through the roof?

A rolling table that can park against the wall will add a lot of prep space. And the big pantry in the L-shape seems to give you a lot more useable storage than you would get from a second corner, though one would have to do the math to be sure.

I'm not sure I " get" how #2 relates to what I see in # 1. What comes after the stools in the peninsula...the rest of the family room?

If I understand the layout differences between the two designs, I like the refrigerator placement in #2 to eliminate a 36" plus 2" air space in back of the refrigerator (design 1) sticking out into the combined room space. I do not think I would like the refrigerator sticking out a possible 38 inches the way it would in #1, but I do not like the stove placement in #2 with a peninsula. I would put the stove area where the refrigerator is in design #1 and keep the pantry cabinet the depth of the lower cabinets. I have no clue about how well those changes would make the kitchen function as far as appliance placement, landing zones, etc. since I do not visualize that aspect of kitchen design well. The visual difference between a counter-depth and the refrigerator you ordered makes the refrigerator placement of design 1 a problem for me.

What is on the other side of the load-bearing wall...garage? If it is a garage or even a closet somewhere along it, you may have some other options. Is the small pantry recessed or attached to the wall?

What is on the other side of the peninsula?

If it is an eat-in kitchen, (and you have a dining room) consider making it an extension of your kitchen.
Would you then have room for an island with a few stools?

You could certainly gain more cabinet space.