Yes, a new kitchen
is nice, and a lot of work, unless your budget is unlimited.
We did ours in 2011. I did the labor, except the counters. Upgraded to all 1/4 inch thickness wood in solid cherry with russette glaze.
Martha Stewart Lilly Pond collection. Craftsman/Shaker style with one 36 inch upper cabinet with leaded glass doors. Three large drawers below. A total sixteen by twelve feet foot print.
One meter is 39.5 inches roughly. 12 inches per foot. I realize The US is still on the decimal system.
Topped with Cosentino Silestone quartz (from Spain?) in a granite like mountain stone color. Travertine back splash. Crown moldings above and triple bead trim. Task lighting is LED, as are ceiling pot and mini track fixture. No soffits above the cabinets. I tore them out. It opened up the room. I added a center island at a 45 degree angle to the L shaped lay out. It can move.
My pantry is recessed over the basement stair well, so we left it there. I built new shelves stained to match the kitchen cabinets and put a matching double door on it mounted in a custom frame. I lined the shelves with clear lexan plastic to make cleaning easy. I used medical device cabinet plastic bins for organizers. (They would have been thrown out) Next best thing to a slide out pantry on rollers.
Coffee maker/bar to it's left. A 35 inch wide side by side refrigerator left of that. Stainless appliances.
Many European kitchens are not afforded this much space in many residences, especially in Monaco, believe it or not. How can anyone cook with one or two hobs, a tiny sink, counter top, and little storage? So what is a world class kitchen today? Form follows function I suppose.
Even the old Frankfurt kitchens without refrigerators are larger than some.