Old design 1

This assumed retaining the existing standard door on the backwall but adding a window over the sink so you could look over the back yard while washing dishes. There was room for a small table, say 4x2½ft, by the existing window. The sink is a Blanco 440161 which fits in a 30" cabinet; I find most American sinks too big and too deep to be useful.

Old design 2

First design incorporating a new 6ft wide door (sliding or French) on the back wall. A smaller table to allow eating in the kitchen is now on the wall we share with a neighbor but to make entry/exit possible, it would have to be attached to the wall and have a single leg. The sink moves to the existing window and we recognize that there will be a small well behind the bench since the bottom of the window is only 29.5" above the floor. The dishwasher almost moves next to the sink; it was in the island but that would complicate plumbing and also means the island would have to be fixed; I'm hoping the island doesn't have to be fastened to the floor so we can move it a few inches if necessary to adjust clearances.

Old design 3

The kitchen now swings around the corner but I don't like corner cabinets despite various modern devices to make the space at the back less inaccessible. I realized that the range hood can't exhaust through the wall it is on because of DC Historic Preservation requirements so I moved the stove and range close to the back wall.

Old design 4

Lan preferred having tall cabinets where I had the table on the wall we share with the neighbor. I felt strongly that if we removed that table, we needed to make the dining area more accessible so I added a second door. I removed some of the cabinets from the island so you can sit at stools there but I know in practice that countertop will likely get covered and two people aren't facing each other so it is less than ideal for eating.

Old design 5

Much the same as 4 above but the refrigerator and cabinet with microwave swap. I was thinking it would be neat to have the right door of the refrigerator open through the door to the living room but I realized that for the refrigerator door to open fully, the cabinet would have to be flush with the door frame and so the fridge would partially block the opening.

Note that the cabinet with the microwave is 24" wide, not 30" although I'm aware that 30" is the standard size for built-ins. I'd rather have the extra 6" of countertop and buy a regular (and much cheaper) standalone microwave though we will of course need an electrical outlet behind the cabinet and if we buy a standard Ikea cabinet, I'll need to modify the door to split it and mount 2 extra hinges and another handle. I also realize we could get a combined microwave and rangehood but my Asian wife does a lot of cooking that needs a powerful rangehood and she is fairly short so a microwave up high is awkward for her, even dangerous. I was thinking of using this rangehood from Fabyka though I see they are currently out of stock.