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We are having a house built very soon. They will be pouring the foundation any day now.

I did not like the kitchen layout so I am designing my own that incorporates a large corner pantry. The problem is that I can't decide on a cabinet layout. I have gone back and forth numerous times and want to make sure I pick the best one. I kind of have a history of making decisions quickly and then regretting them right after. So for this kitchen layout I want to be sure I make the best possible choice.

Several things I should add:
*I want to utilize as much of the space as possible.
*I am sort of OCD (for lack of a more fitting term) about certain things and need things to make sense in my head. Some examples: I like symmetry or for things to look at least mostly balanced.

The kitchen will be triangle shaped (L-shaped with an island). There will also be a corner pantry that takes up 4'4" from inside edge to outer edge of the 2x4. It's not shown in the examples but it would go in the corner where it shows empty space.

Because the kitchen is L-shaped, it means that I will have less cabinets in order to have a large pantry. I still want the kitchen to look like it has a good amount of cabinetry.

I have come up with several different options. I am wondering which one(s) you'd prefer and reasons why. I will also add that the idea of having a 48 in cabinet has crossed my mind but I don't particularly like the look of them. I prefer the look of a 36 in cabinet. ANY input is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance to anyone who reads this and replies!

Option A:
I like the idea of having cabinets that aren't all the same size. The cabinets on either side of the range are each 18 inches. I do want those to be symmetrical instead of doing one wider than the other (again, that's just how my brain works). But I don't really like the idea of having the cabinets on the other wall all be 18 inches as well (one 18" & one 36", so two 18" doors). That just seems too matchy-matchy. However, I'm worried about the 12" cabinet in this option A scenario. Does it look weird? Out of place? When I showed it to my husband he was like "That's different". And then he said that he would prefer the 12" cabinet to go on the outer side and the 36" on the inner side closest to the sink. In my mind that doesn't make sense. The plates would go in the 36" cabinet so as you are walking into the kitchen you'd want that to be closest I would think. Please let me know if I'm off base here.

Wide view of Option A:

This message has been edited. Last edited by: amcfar,

21" upper cabinet with 24" drawer base cabinet, 36" window and 36" sink base cabinet, 12" upper cabinet with 36" upper cabinet and 24" dishwasher and 27" base cabinet

Second view of Option A:

Wide view of Option B:

21" upper cabinet, 24" drawer base cabinet, 36" window and 36" sink base cabinet, 15" upper cabinet with 30" upper cabinet and 24" dishwasher with 24" base cabinet

The thing is that I don't know if the 30" cabinet would be big enough for all the use it will get. I plan on putting all the bowls and plates in this cabinet. I just don't know if the 15" doors will be as nice as the 18" ones would be on a 36" cabinet. I just really like the look of 36" cabinets and keep going back to that option as a result.

Second view of Option B:

The corner pantry sound quite awkward and will block easy movement from the sink/prep side of the kitchen to the refrigerator/stove side and would not have good access to all corners, especially if the door is on a 45 degree angle from both counters. The pantry may be better placed where you show the refrigerator now with the refrigerator next to it. That would mean the stove would be moved to the same wall as the sink and you'd want 24"-30"inches between them as your main prep space. That would put the stove on the outside wall which is better for venting and only be a problem if you couldn't move the window left or right for some reason. Upper and lower cabinets generally look better if they align vertically - that is put a 24" above a 24" if possible, for example.

amcfar, congratulations on your soon-to-be new home! Had a few questions, if you don't mind -

Is this all stock cabinetry? Is the corner pantry non-negotiable? Standard door or accordion-style pantry door? Would you consider one of the vertical (tall) pantry units instead? Any chance you might extend the length slightly on both ends - say towards the slider and past the fridge's current location?

Have some of the same concerns as Chuck WRT the pantry door and upper/lower symmetry. Not a fan of the microwave venting systems -

I'll give you a few things I would do differently or think about, if this was my kitchen. I don't care for dust-catcher space and/or unutilized areas/gaps. Any chance you can use taller (usually 42") cabinets to the ceiling? Or, use trim above the uppers, staying within your contemporary style?

Feels as if you have a larger than usual gap in the backsplash area, too. And, any way to extend farther down towards the slider (and on the other side, too - for symmetry)? Otherwise, I usually see trash cans or brooms and other clutter on these ends. In fact, sometimes tall cabinets help stow those items, too. You could possibly even create some symmetry with a pantry on the opposite side (by the fridge).

Not a fan of the narrow cabinets/counters on either side of the stove. Don't find those cabinets/counters either useful or workable. That's another reason I'd suggest extending the length on both sides and possibly moving the stove and fridge.

If you eliminate the upper cabinet and oversized backsplash gaps, you'll achieve a more custom, finished look. Also don't care for the gap inbetween the fridge and its upper cabinet. Would rather frame in/build in the fridge for a finished look and eliminate that gap.

I realize that my impressions may be incorrect without reviewing dimensions. As an example, the gap to the slider appears large in one shot but narrow in another. If you're using stock cabinetry, sometimes these gaps can easily be remedied by adding one custom item or a corner shelving unit for display.

Exciting that you can design this to suit your own needs and desires to enjoy for many years to come! Love the basic, simple style you selected.

It's only MHO so not worth much but those were my first impressions.

Congratulations again and best of luck!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: BearCat49,

drawers are a real need and I had pot and pan drawers and dish drawers put in when I designed my kitchen back in 2004 .I had the traditional uppers put in , but designed my new kitchen for the future as this is my retirement home and did it all to handicap accessability standards and thought about the future and the forever home idea .It will make it easier in the future to get to things.I got all the info online and even now the drawers are much easier to take things from than reaching for things over a counter top .Congrats and remember always think ahead .

quote:

Originally posted by Chuck Steak:
The corner pantry sound quite awkward and will block easy movement from the sink/prep side of the kitchen to the refrigerator/stove side and would not have good access to all corners, especially if the door is on a 45 degree angle from both counters. The pantry may be better placed where you show the refrigerator now with the refrigerator next to it. That would mean the stove would be moved to the same wall as the sink and you'd want 24"-30"inches between them as your main prep space. That would put the stove on the outside wall which is better for venting and only be a problem if you couldn't move the window left or right for some reason. Upper and lower cabinets generally look better if they align vertically - that is put a 24" above a 24" if possible, for example.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I will try and answer all your questions. First of all, I currently live in a 2 year old house. This house has the same exact corner pantry that I'm planning on putting in the new house. I actually LOVE it. It stores lots and lots of stuff. I have a lot of kitchen appliances like bread machines, electric skillets, household deep fryer, George Foreman grill, etc that take up lots of space. So the corner pantry easily holds all of those along with all the shelf stable food and all my paper towels, napkins, garbage bags, etc. If I'd go with a traditional counter depth pantry there's no way I'd be able to store all of that in there given the dimensions of the kitchen I have to work with. I have included a top down view to give you a better idea of what the pantry looks like. It's actually not awkward at all. The door to it is at an angle so there is no wall coming out blocking anything like I think some of you may have been picturing it. This is actually a really popular thing here where I'm from. I doubt any of you live in my state so you may have never seen anything like this before. I assure you though, it's very commonplace here. And it's actually the thing I like most about my current kitchen. That's why I want to incorporate it into the new house as well. Our current house ended up being worth more than we thought it was so we decided to put it up for sale and have a house built on the very next street over. We will use the profit from selling the new house as a down payment for the new house. I have to keep within a certain budget for the kitchen. It will be stock cabinets most likely and they will have to be kept at 30 inches in height. That I can't really change. I also don't like tall cabinets because if I have to dig out a foot stool to reach the top shelf I find that to be impractical. Again, they cost more money so they're not really an option for us. It's also common here to have the fridge and stove be on the same wall. I don't know if I like the idea of having it be on the wall with the sink. The other thing is that there is going to be a wall right next to the fridge (which I've drawn in the pic) so that's as far over as I can go on that side. Also on the wall that includes the sliding door I will be putting the garbage can there next to the cabinet. So I can't go any further over than what I show in the pic. I'm 30 years old so I'm not quite worried about retirement yet. If we stay in this house long enough I suppose we would redo the kitchen by that time. Someone mentioned the gap above the fridge. I actually used the exact appliances and cabinet height that we currently have in our house and there is only a one to two inch gap between the top of the fridge and the cabinet above it. So I don't know why they show a big gap in the pic. Maybe the program is automatically putting a bigger gap between the bottom of the upper cabinets and the counter tops. At any rate, they will be the standard distance so just disregard what it shows in the picture if it looks like they're up too far. Thanks again, everyone. I appreciate all of your input.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: amcfar,

I understand how difficult it is to make choices and a kitchen is probably the most used room of the house. When we redid ours we relied on the cabinet makers. I used custom and standard cabinets but the cabinetmaker had a CAD program that did all kinds of calculations and showed us lots of different ideas and options. I wonder about the depth of the corner cupboard. Mine isn't so deep but it's the most disorganized cabinet in the kitchen. I have lots of cabinets and still could use more for all my baking pans and appliances. I have pull out drawers in my pantry cupboards and pot and pan drawers. I like the idea of a taller backsplash, they are showing lots of tile options for them unlike mine which is a mere 17 1/2 inches high. I would really see what can be done by a professional with a computer program. One thing I did learn about framing in appliances with cabinets. Appliances do change heights, etc. In the last 15 years, refrigerators have gotten taller, double ovens are shorter, microwaves are deeper and dishwashers can have different adjustable heights, how do I know this, because I have custom cabinets for my ovens, microwave and refrigerator. Just found out my dishwasher has less tolerance than a lot of brands.