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Hmmmm....I dunno, I was actually the opposite, I think. My first house had a small u-shaped kitchen (rough guess, I'd say maybe 50 square feet, maybe a little more?) It was small enough that realistically speaking, you couldn't have two people in it at a time, or they'd be running over each other (the narrow 'entrance' to get in and out of it didn't help.) And the 'pantry' was pretty much just an oversized medicine cabinet. I didn't really cook much there--or rather, my cooking was pretty much 'open a box or can, dump it in a pan or heat it up in the microwave'. Doing anything too much more involved a weird shifting around of what little counter space there was.
My current place is a 100 square foot kitchen, or, depending on how you look at it, could be considered a 200 square foot kitchen/dining combined area. Nice sized pantry--pretty much 'coat closet' sized. I recently had three friends over for brunch, and we could mostly all be in the kitchen working together without being in each other's way *too* much (which isn't to say we didn't have to watch out for one another.) And with all that space....I've found myself inspired to *really* cook. I've gotten into more and more homemade soups, chili, stews, various other dishes, where I actually buy *ingredients* (like fresh veggies, meat from the meat section) and combine them myself, instead of just opening cans and boxes and heating it up somehow. I'm actually rather thrilled about this--at the time I moved in, if you'd told you to saute an onion, I would've looked at you stupid and asked you what that even meant. Now I do it for a number of my preferred dishes to make.
I’ve moved quite a bit and had everything from a huge showcase kitchen to a tiny city kitchenette. I cook the same amount and the same kinds of meals regardless of the size of the kitchen. My big kitchen was a PITA and I don’t miss it one bit. I had to take so many steps just grabbing something from the fridge and getting to the stove. Then tons more steps getting plates.
My favorite kitchen ever was a mid-sized galley kitchen. I like my present kitchen, too. Its about 12 x 12 and has a small island between kitchen and eating area that seats 2 which is perfect for our household of 2.
In a former life I was a personal chef and cooked in a lot of different kinds and sizes of kitchens. Now I'm a real estate agent and can tell, when I walk into a house and look at the kitchen, whether the person who designed it ever cooked (in some cases whether they even boiled water). For actually getting stuff done without killing your legs and feet, smaller (within reason) is better. A kitchen large enough for two people to be able to do prep work at the same time but with a triangle and is only a couple of steps in any direction is perfect. A kitchen (and I have seen these in million dollar homes) with an 8 x 4 island (with no sink in it) with the stove on one wall in the middle and the sink on the other wall in the middle indicates an architect who has never even boiled water (and has definitely never made spaghetti) and is designing for pretty pictures for their portfolio.
In both occupations, I've seen plenty of kitchens that were clearly for show (or for "the help" to use). And I've seen and cooked in wonderfully designed kitchens where the owners didn't cook, didn't want to cook, but recognized good design when they saw it.
I have been deceived by what seemed like a good kitchen, but wasn't. It was in my last house and was large, relatively anyway for a 1600 sq ft townhouse. Tons of counter and cabinet space, which seemed awesome. But it wasn't until I lived there and started cooking on a regular basis that I realized how awful it was to actually cook in. It didn't have a good work triangle and everything was a couple of steps (or more) too far away from everything else to work well.
When I was looking at the model home for my current house, I spent a good 20 minutes or so in the kitchen mimicking all the motions of cooking a meal, to make sure the kitchen would be truly functional. It is, and I enjoy cooking sooooooo much more in this house, even though the kitchen is half the size. I have to use shelving I installed in my garage as a kitchen annex to store my giant stockpots and pans and small electronics and serving pieces, because there isn't room for them the way there was in my last kitchen. But so worth it for the day to day nuts and bolts cooking that I do.
So it may well be that someone who doesn't really cook fell for a pretty but dysfunctional kitchen designed by an architect who never cooks, or it could be someone actually wanted and expected a functional kitchen but didn't think it through as much as they could have and relied on the skills of someone they thought was a qualified architect or kitchen designer. I know I won't do that again myself, but I have sympathy for people who think they are getting the design services they are paying for and don't realize they aren't until it's too late.
I have been deceived by what seemed like a good kitchen, but wasn't. It was in my last house and was large, relatively anyway for a 1600 sq ft townhouse. Tons of counter and cabinet space, which seemed awesome. But it wasn't until I lived there and started cooking on a regular basis that I realized how awful it was to actually cook in. It didn't have a good work triangle and everything was a couple of steps (or more) too far away from everything else to work well.
This is why I've never understood why people sink $100,000+ into a kitchen remodel. There's no guarantee the next buyer will like what you've done. Chances are you won't get that money back on resale, but I could be wrong. If you're doing it because you simply want a nicer kitchen for your own long-term use and enjoyment, I still don't see why anyone would need to spend such an exorbitant amount of money. It seems like you could attain a certain minimum aesthetic for far less. Is there really that much of a difference between the $20,000 range and the $2,000 range made by GE? Sure, a master chef in a 5 star restaurant would appreciate the $20,000 range, but what use is the average person getting out of a $20,000 range that can't be gotten out of the Lowe's floor model?
Same thing with bathrooms. Again, I can appreciate a certain minimum standard of cleanliness, brightness and maybe some higher end toilets or vanities. At the end of the day, however, you're basically going in there to handle No. 1 and No. 2, so why do you need to spend $15,000+ on a room that you won't spend more than a few minutes in per day?
I have a huge kitchen in a townhouse, with an L shape of tall cabinets, double door pantry, and 8' x 40" island with large oblong sink. I think the kitchen sells a home. I am single and thinking when I sell it will be that much easier. I am glad to have a large kitchen when I have company. Everyone can comfortably congregate in the kitchen/attached deck; and its also convenient to have the counter space to set out food buffet style on my island.
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Now I do it for a number of my preferred dishes to make.
I try to work in as many extra little steps as I can in my day.
