The Bachelor

You don't have to spend much time in my house to realize the original owner was a bachelor. Just take a look at my kitchen and you'll know no one who has ever used a kitchen designed this one.
It starts when you are confronted with the island. Who thinks islands are a good idea? They take up space and, at least in our house, become a "catch all" for mail or whatever else is in your hands when you walk in the house (we enter from the mud room just off the kitchen). Although, if you look at my cabinets, you realize the island is a necessity.
I. Hate. My. Cabinets. They go all the way to the ceiling. What a waste of space. At least if they stopped before the ceiling I could put some cute decorations on top of them. But no, some really tall bachelor decided shelves that require a ladder to reach (OK, maybe not a ladder, but a stool) would be a great use of kitchen space. I have several cupboards in which I can only reach the bottom two shelves. I'm 5'7" people. I shouldn't have to struggle to reach things. If I need to reach anything higher than those bottom shelves, I have my daughters stand on the counter (with me holding them for support) so they can grab what I need. What am I going to do when they grow and should no longer take on that role?
The appliances are another wonderful leftover from the bachelor. First of all, they're black. I realize some people prefer black appliances, but this particular stove shows any and all grease specks, no matter how small. Secondly, they're Amana brand. There's nothing wrong with Amana, except for the fact that only Sears carries that brand. Sears is not conveniently located to our home, so when we need replacement filters for the fridge, well, it let's just say it's a pain.
The fridge. Yes, clearly a single person lived in this house before us. It has to be the smallest refrigerator in the history of refrigerators. The only thing smaller would be a dorm fridge. I need space for food for six. There's barely room for the 3-4 gallons of milk we go through in a week. Hubby is great at the video game Tetris, so when I come home from the grocery store I make him deal with the refrigerator and freezer. He's very good at cramming every thing in there and still making it look orderly.
The kitchen does have one positive aspect. It merges directly with the family room/TV room. This means when I'm making meals I can still see what my daughters are doing. When they were younger, I could even put up gates to "trap" myself in the kitchen and keep inquisitive toddlers away from the oven. 
I take comfort in the fact that at the closing for this house, the "Bachelor Owner" and his girlfriend were preparing for the arrival of their first child. Hopefully now that he's had time to see a house through the eyes of a parent, he realizes the error of his ways!