Thanks for the feedback! Wall or not, this is the biggest kitchen I've ever had! :) The area around the cooktop does look squishy. The fridge is the white block on the cooktop run--I could slide it over. Right now I have the 12" deep cabinets in the "dining room" continuing into the kitchen to be alongside the fridge but there's no reason not to just put a panel there. And I don't need cabs in there at all. (Currently it's set up as the end of the room near the kitchen is family room and the dining table is at the far end. Small house, so it's all close enough.) The kitchen eating area window is table height, so I'd have to replace it to stick the kitchen there. Currently the cabinets on the sink side wrap around into the nook--12" deep upper and lower. I've kept it there. Cuz it's cute. And useful. There is a table in there and the refrigerator. I want the fridge out of there but could put cabinets there. This photo (most of these are from before we actually moved in and covered things with junk:) ) is taken from where the fridge sits. Oven in a doorway: no problem. Fridge in doorway? Problem! That corner is where the fridge is, doors facing the table (our table is bigger than that one): Now, if you remember my old kitchen, this one is 6" narrower in the galley section, about 3 feet longer in the breakfast section, and has the 28" bumpout which the last one lacked. The windows are bigger. That kitchen was completely closed off and we liked it! I don't mind leaving this one a bit more open if we can spare the wall space, but we don't expect to find it dark. Of course we won't be doing white this time... Anyway, yeah, more prep by cooktop. I'll fix that. There's plenty on the sink wall, too. And the table. Last kitchen, we put a baking counter under the window (with giant drawers, of course) since it was too tight for a table. I don't mind working off the table if I need to. The spouse misses the functionality of the last kitchen and if I can approximate it, it would be good. Last kitchen: As long as I can fit in almost that much space, spouse will be satisfied. I don't mind shrinking the cooktop. I can lengthen the cooktop run by putting the door to FR/DR closer to the end. I wouldn't (probably) want cabs wrapping down the new wall but that's probably a goofy idea anyway. Actually it would be better to treat the other room differently for cabinets should I decide to do built-ins. Ooohhh. Another pocket door! I like those a lot. But what I want to avoid is the fridge opening into the eating area. I'd rather have an oven opening into the eating area. We'd probably only have room to do deep cabs on one side, if at all. Lalitha, what do you mean by a dead end? You're making me think my sketches are as terrible as I know they are! There are pocket doors on the ends, rarely used but really really appreciated when they are. I've thought about putting the cooktop in front of the window. It's high enough I think I could do it, even if I had to make it a non-operable window (it could probably be replaced anyway--it's impossible for short peeps to open). Folding chair to match that folding table because step stools are for grannies!:) : There is a lot of traffic through the work space. If I yell at the traffic, it stops for a while. It's really not a problem. (I do close the door into the kitchen when I'm getting into the oven on busy traffic days. And if I forget, the smoke alarm in the foyer reminds me.) I have toyed with the idea of making the breakfast area poke into the DR/FR so I could just throw a leaf or three on when needed and use it for THE table instead of A table. But we do use both. Dining table is in a corner where it can be turned when we need full size once or twice a year--we can expand it to seat 8 without moving it at all. In spite of how it is in this photo, it is normally protected from the sun by art projects, puzzles, etc. So while it's rarely used for eating, it's used a lot. We don't REALLY have two eating areas. We have a kitchen table for eating and another table for playing that doubles as a dining table for company. I am off to redo measurements, learn to use the silly drawing program, and think about refrigerators. Thanks!

The distance between the wall and the pass through is only 34 inches, which means if I want ventilation above the range it will still need to be right up against the wall. I actually have 6 inches if clearance the the wall if I keep it perpendicular like I have it in the layout, and it gives me more prep space. Also, I was trying to avoid anything sticking out into that walkway. Any other ideas?

It sounds to me like you want the SubZero but are having trouble justifying it. It's by far the best fridge of the ones you've named. You seem to have very realistic expectations and a good understanding of the context and variables. If you have plenty of cash and the SZ is a luxury you're thinking you will enjoy even though it's above the grade of the rest of the appliances and neighborhood, go for it! If you're financing the remodel, and will be paying interest on many thousands of dollars more for a luxury that's above the grade of the rest of your appliances and neighborhood, take a really good look and make darned sure it's worth the debt. I adore high end fridges with their high end performance, but the marginal difference per dollar is quite low. For most people, it's just not worth it. Are you confident in your choice of cooking appliance(s)? That's the one that usually has the biggest impact on pleasure in cooking and the kitchen, and that's usually where people will put their extra luxury money. One thing about the SZ is that with some maintenance and perhaps occasional repairs as parts wear out, it should last you for as long as you're in the house.

We had a GE that lasted forever 30 years ago, but THAT expectation is long gone! We put that one in the garage because my DW wanted a new, sleek stainless LG model. Not a lot of problems with the LG, aside from the flimsy interiors, BUT a really cool Samsung caught her eye. So, you guessed it, the GE went out (probably still running somewhere), the LG went into the garage and the fancy Samsung adorned our kitchen. It has LEAKED (condensation drain/defrost issues that they have known about FOREVER) from the beginning when defrosting. Thankfully, we have tile floors now, so no big problems, just an annoyance. Fast forward, we are about to do a gut remodel of the kitchen and flooring which will put wood everywhere. Scares me to death to have wood in the kitchen, but DW is locked in. We've been researching and shopping appliances, etc. for years, and while we'd love a built in subZ, I just can't get beyond the idea that it will cost as much as my first sports car, AND they also have some repair issues. I can also replace that fridge at least 3 times before I'm close to the cost of subZ SO, we've pretty much decided on a 36" kitchen aid counter depth, as it fits our design and has really smart internal configuration that will meet our needs closely enough to give up our standard depth fridge (we cook a LOT, and have ingredients and leftovers in the fridge all the time). We would have to go with a 48" built in to get the space we need. Now, while appliances certainly aren't built anywhere near as well as they used to be, we've had nothing but good luck with kitchen aid so far (over 30 years). Our original paneled KA dishwasher ran every time, and actually cleaned the dishes. Oh, it WAS loud, so DW wanted a "newer" sleek LG that was quiet. So, to the curb went the old KA. The LG was stainless and less noisy, but it didn't actually clean and dry the dishes well. Then, after the 3rd repair (door seals, spray arm, internal rack, control boards), it just flat out died on Christmas day. Since it was out of warranty, we went shopping (and researching) and ended up with; a kitchen aid. It's been pretty solid. Cleans the dishes, quiet, and has lasted for twice as long as the LG so far. We're planning to keep in as the only current appliance in our kitchen remodel. At any rate, good luck! Appliance shopping to me is more of a pain than an exciting event, particularly knowing that you'll be spending a ton of money, and it'll likely break in a few years....