I love having our mw on the lower shelf of an upper cabinet. The cabinet is extra deep to accomodate a standard mw. I figure this leaves my options open in the future--I won't have to be limited to a certain size, i.e one 12 or 13 in deep (plus technology is always changing so I'm hoping I'll be able to swap it out for something different if desired.) I think I've also seen upper cabinets that are of standard depth but have an extra deep lower shelf for the mw. If you are still considering a mw in a lower cubby, I strongly suggest setting one up on a low table or chair and try living with it for a while. We had a mw on a low table (not as low as an undercounter mw would be) in our old kitchen and dh and I both absolutely hated it. We found it difficult to use the buttons and to see into it to get food out or to clean the inside surfaces. Mw drawers are an option, but again, it seems like future choices get majorly limited by having very exact specifications. I think a mw in your breakfast area would work well. If you heat leftovers in the mw, it will be handy to have the fridge and mw close to each other. You might want to consider storing some mw safe dishes near the mw. The drawers under our mw stores our supply of pyrex mw dishes with lids (for fridge storage.) I knew when we were in our old kitchen that getting a prep sink was of highest priority. There were often log jams at the one (double bowl) sink. It was difficult for 2 of us to prep veggies at the same time and that always seemed to be the task I needed the most help with. It's something for you to consider. If you haven't felt the need for a prep sink up until now, maybe you don't need it. But if your kids might be spending more time helping in the kitchen in future years, it's something to consider. I also like having sinks at 2 spots in the kitchen because it helps clean up go faster when there are others helping. One person can hand wash large pots, plastic and wooden ware at the large sink while the other loads dishes into the dw at the small sink. The shelves above the mw are adjustable--another thing that adds versatility to future need. I am no layout expert, I only know what has worked for my particular situation. There are 2 things that we thought about during planning that I'm really happy about. 1. Placing the fridge so that it was close to the table while still being handy to the prep zone. I find it makes getting meals on and off the table much easier. Others can freely access the fridge without getting in the way of the cook. 2. Making clean up more efficient by placing the dw at the small sink. I mentioned this above--the main sink is used for all the hand washing of large pots, etc. and the small sink is used for processing dishes for the dw. Our large sink is in the prep/cook area and the smaller sink is placed so that it is convenient to the table and fridge (and others can use it without going into the cook/prep zone.)

Daisychain01, it seems to me that the bickering has been a conversion to houzz phenomenon. If you really want to stir the pot, ask about a curbless shower. I really like the cast iron shower pans. If they make one the right size for your project, I think that should be a strong contender. I was planning on one for our master bath, but ended up putting in a tub because our hall bath is much bigger and can have a curbless shower-- we need a tub somewhere. Our hall bath will have a tile floor, though I explored some other options along the way. My main issue was avoiding grout on the shower floor because of cleaning concerns. Linear drain plus high coefficient of friction large format tiles seems to be one answer to that concern.

You should absolutely seal ALL natural stone you use anywhere there is moisture. The watermarks you have right now should dry up on their own, if they do not, they can easily be removed with baking soda mixture. Once the color has been restored, use any sealant that is suggested to seal marble (HomeDepot has many options and someone will be able to assist you). Check to make sure the tile is still sealed every couple of years and reapply as needed.

My layout is close to yours. I love the prep sink I put on my 4x6 island. My sink is 18” from the edge and it’s my landing zone for my oven and fridge. I put in a 16”x22” sink. It’s really roomy to set a baking tray down with oven mitts on. I was nervous it was going to be too big since it took space away from the counter. But it’s wide enough to fit a cutting board or sink colander over it. It’s my backup wash sink since I’m still babying my cast iron clean up sink. But if I could do it again, I’d keep the island clear for baking and seating. And I’d put the prep sink on the left of my range and I’d do 30” deep counters. One KD suggested I center my range between the upper cabinets. My upper cabinets are symmetrical and all the doors are the same size. It looks great (or at least it will be when the doors go on). I highly recommend doing this instead of making the base cabinets on either side of the stove symmetrical. And I also agree with the other suggestion to swap your oven and fridge.