Thanks for the responses. We are also minimal users of the MW. Otherwise, the thing would have been specified 6 months ago along with the other appliances. Now we have to get drawings to the cabinetmaker and I'm thinking he's going to want something more specific than "throw it on that shelf to the left of the fridge." We did get it together enough to get the receptacle in roughly the right spot. I like the looks of yours, foodonastump, but I think we need ours to sit on the shelf because the mixer and food processor sit on the counter below and there's an undercounter light. Otherwise, I'd steal that idea in a second! (Am I correct that there's no place to hang a UCL in this installation? So I did some very casual searches last night and it looks like allowing 2 ft width will not be very limiting. A few are slightly over, but it's not like I have my heart set on a particular model. It does need to hold a plate, a soup bowl, once in a while a mixing bowl. I've always had one on a counter with plenty of airspace to the sides and above, so for all I knew "everyone knows" that you need 2 inches, or some such thing. Guess not!

In our old house, we had to have a narrow aisle if we were to have an island at all. It turned out GREAT -- we loved the convenience of being able to pivot between stove and sink (especially with a heavy pot) and reach both easily, or to toss a dirty utensil into the sink without leaving the stove. Good safety factor, too. And we were surprised at how rarely anyone had to wait a moment, go around the island, or say "excuse me" to get through -- and it wasn't a big deal when it happened. When we moved and redid the big, square kitchen in our new house, there was LOTS of room for a big island and a big aisle, and in terms of proportion and balance, we probably should have had an EXTRA-wide aisle. But we didn't -- we made a narrowish one again. It just works so much better for us. I have read that a galley kitchen is the most efficient and ergonomic layout, and in fact that's the real reason I think islands are so useful; they sort of mimic a galley configuration to give the best of both worlds. If you are large people and are often in the same space at the same time, you might find a wider aisle convenient. But for almost everything else, I think the narrower, the better (obviously, you need clearance for appliance doors, but I don't think anyone is going to let you get THAT narrow). Remember that even if more than one person cooks in your home, you need to consider how often they do so AT THE SAME TIME. Few layouts are optimal for both one-cook and two-cook situations. We both cook, but rarely at the same time. Also, cooking is not the only thing you need to consider: how often is more than one person cleaning up? Unloading the dw? Unloading groceries? Carrying a big pasta pot across to the sink? I know I'm a broken record about this, but as much fun as it is to think about big dinner parties and holidays, and as much as designers try to get you plan your kitchen around them (well, of course -- then you're more likely to splurge on high-end and decorative items), it is much smarter to plan your layout around those ordinary tasks you do every single day. Not only is it more convenient, it will save your back and legs, as well as spills.

I love how her room is coming along! It's fun,sophisticated, and entirely appropriate. The wood tones fit in really well. I didn't go into my personal experience with letting children choose their decor, but overall my attitude is that they should have choice within a set of parameters; I have boys who are not highly opinionated and my decor style is not highly feminine.

Plus room to stand bent over with your head down beside the tub to clean behind it. Maybe the width of your vacuum cleaner head? I love the look, but I am too old to clean in awkward places. I would probably fall in the tub. I am so jealous that you get a freestanding tub! They are so beautiful.