spacing looks really good. you might want to consider a shallow arc on the long side(s) of the island. dresses it up a bit and doesn't cost you any significant usable space.

bring the posts in from the corners a couple inches so you can round the corners.

overall looks great. wish I had all that space!

Thanks!

I guess I should also add for other readers that our family dynamics are:

*Mid-30's couple with 3 kids (boy age 9 and twin girls that are 5). All involved in activities.

*Husband is an avid fisherman and we own a cattle farm so we always have fish and beef in the freezer that needs thawing. He also has another seasonal business that gets him home late most evenings for 7 months a year (hence, the warming drawer).

*My girls LOVE to help in the kitchen, especially with baking.

*This is our forever home so I want this kitchen to last several decades and I want to incorporate things that are practical now but also anticipate for the future (when there are more cooks in the kitchen).

*I am slightly claustrophobic and don't like a lot of crowding around me, especially in the kitchen!

Thanks again for any suggestions, critiques, (or praises!)

Wow! That is an amazing space!
First, thanks for the input you have offered on MY kitchen plans. You would definitely be claustrophobic in my tiny kitchen.
I don't bake much anymore, but I think I would want a landing space closer to the ovens (and refrigerator), especially if the young ones will be helping.
It is going to be fun to follow your progress with this project!

Thanks, Weedpuller! I am SO much better at looking at other people's spaces than my own!

Yes, I'm concerned about the landing space for the ovens. Originally, I had the oven and fridge switched so that I could "land" in front of the baking area window.

However, once we put painter's tape on the floor to see how it flowed, my husband was afraid about opening the fridge doors if someone was seated at the island. Well, actually his main concern is that HE would be sitting at the island watching the t.v. and I'd be trying to put leftovers in the fridge at the same time since he's a slow eater and I'm usually the last one seated and the first one up....haha!!

Do you think the 60" jaunt to island is too large to use it as a landing? This whole issue has me in a tizzy trying to figure out about a prep sink, etc.

So jealous of so much space to work with! You've put a lot of thought into what you are going to be using your kitchen for and how it might evolve. I think your pantry alone is as big as some kitchens I've seen. I'm not an expert, but I find looking at other plans helpful in improving my own.

A 22" TV is a bit small at that viewing distance. Your hubby might appreciate a popup in the center of the island instead or a (horrors) bigger screen. (I'm dealing with the same issue/request right now in my plan)

I personally think five feet is a bit wide for a landing zone for both the ovens and the refrigerator. That is several extra steps and a hazard next to the refrigerator. You might flip flop the two, to prevent overlapping access. Adding a base to the right of the current oven placement is another solution.

Is there additional refrigerator space, perhaps in the pantry? For such a large kitchen, 36"x36" is still pretty small. Have you considered putting a split system on that wall? Is there a beverage fridge in the family room? If not, the space near the doorway to the family room makes a great spot for that. I see you have not yet labeled your prep zone, due to the challenges of the distance and overlap in the zones.

Since you are space conscious, I would reconsider the island width. At 54" minus the space for the legs (3.5 to 5" times two) means you will be cramped along that end. 52" on the other side is actually better, as there is just the one post. Young kids turn into burly teenagers soon enough. You will also have competition with elbow space with the diners on either end. (This is an issue I have been contemplating a lot) I don't know if you have a casual eating space anywhere else in the floor plan or if you plan to have the whole crew use this as their breakfast space.

I commented on the other thread wrt island size and prep sink. I get the claustrophobic thing. My aisle widths are 5' as well.

If your fridge is french doors landing space across a 5' aisle is not a burden and landing space next to it doesn't work. It looks like your fridge is not a counter-depth one is that right? If it is then it may not be big enough for a family of 5. It is barely big enough for our family of 4 and so a separate small fridge in your pantry or a garage may be a good idea.

However, the lack of landing space for your ovens is a good point and reversing the fridge and ovens may be a good idea. You would have landing closer to your ovens and it would bring your ovens closer to your baking center.

(I would actually like to see the oven stack where your lazy susan is in the baking center corner but I know, I know, I know, the windows and then put a longer counter and storage by the fridge....but we all have constraints that we have to work within)

Thanks gooster & blfenton! You both bring up very good points.

Our fridge is a french door and we will have an upright deep freezer in the pantry for extra storage. I'm contemplating a beverage fridge in there as well.

We actually plan to put a banquette in our adjacent Family Room because we have an odd corner that we'd like to have a game table in (and it has great viewing of a 60" t.v., my husband's "baby"..haha!!) We have discussed that we could often use this as meals if we wanted.

I wasn't even going to put a t.v. in the kitchen for that reason, but because his work is so weather related (farming and lawn care), having a t.v. muted during meals until the weather comes on is a MUST for him.

I hesitate to make the island any longer because the 80" clearance shown between the island and patio door is also the walkway from the main part of the house to the family room, and since our garage is in basement, I will be entering the kitchen from that door with groceries more often than not.

Also, we will probably only have one barstool at the end of the island because of the same issues that were raised about it being cramped.

I'm still on a limb about the fridge and ovens placement. I originally had them switched but DH is insisting that since we use the oven less frequently than the fridge, that the likelihood that he'd be inconvenienced by the ovens opening is far less than the fridge opening(s) during meals (if he were seated at the island).

I hadn't considered about a pop up t.v. in the island. I need to do some research on that. What happens if there is a spill? Would it damage the electronics of the t.v.?

I'm still wavering on the prep sink placement. I reworked the entire kitchen plan over the last couple of days because we originally had the main sink in the island, with the prep sink where the main sink is located now. I was scared that water and mess factor would get to me if in the island and also I didn't want a large chunk (or any chunk, really) taken away from the island counter. My friend did mention, however, that I could always have a custom granite or butcher block insert made to fit into the prep sink cavity that could stay there until the sink was actually needed. If only they made a pop-up faucet...lol!!

Some final thoughts....do you think it would look ackward if the double ovens were placed between the two windows? I'd had this idea a while back but hesitated to run with it because it would break up my long expanse of counter space on that wall, but it seems that would solve the whole "landing issue" going on right now and allow me to keep the fridge where it is.

Or, conversely, what if I moved the fridge to the end of the run where the rangetop is and move the island toward the ovens for increased clearance? I really wanted the rangetop and hood to be the focal point of the room, though, so would the fridge detract from that?

Thanks so much, everyone!!

Looking very promising.

With 60 inch of space between the wall and the island I'm surprised that it would be a tight fit for the fridge but if your claustrophobic (I share this problem with you) I guess it may feel uncomfortable. I do think that it would make more sense to switch the fridge and ovens though to have a closer landing pad for hot oven things and the fridge directly behind the eating area for a quick grab of the milk.

@Jfay, Actually, I think the 60" is a good distance. The only reason I could see it getting tight is if someone (my DH) were sitting in a barstool pushed out. Then, it might get a little ackward if someone (me) was trying to get into the fridge :)

For a really large sized kitchen, a lot of the most used places are pretty crowded onto one side. That's not too bad for efficiency's sake, but it could be better.

I would suggest putting the cooktop between the windows and putting the cleanup sink where the range is currently located. It's a REALLY long hike between the two, and there are a LOT of dishes that are seared off on a burner and then finished in the oven. Then add the prep sink to the island for sure for a better prep zone.

Or, move the cleanup sink down to under the other window and move the double oven across the aisle and down from the cooktop. Again with the prep sink.

Thanks, hollysprings!

Actually, the setup you described was my ORIGINAL plan but it had the main sink in the island. I really debated doing what you described having it on the wall where the range top is now but worried about it being against a wall instead of a window.

What are your thoughts on this? One designer I consulted with thought it would feel like "apartment living" that way and suggested it in the island, which I have definitely decided is NOT what I want :)

One perk of the range being there is that we currently have a gas fireplace on the other side of the wall that we are removing and therefore, the gas line is already in place. But, for the best function, I'd be willing to have it moved.

Biggest problem in my mind is the huge hike around the island from the rangetop to the ovens. I cook things that use both appliances almost every dinner meal and I would not want to be traipsing the 15 or 16 feet plus from one to the other (13.5 feet as the crow flies, but more considering you have to go around the end of the barrier island and past the fridge). That's enough time for the heat of a pan to make it through the pot holders to my fingers. And your island is so wide (54") it's not like you can plunk on one side then walk around and reach for stuff (comfortably) from the other. You'll have to schlepp everything around the long way.

This is a very serious defect in the plan as you have laid it out.

One practical solution (not changing the current layout) would be to use a range with a single oven in that position. You'd still have a hike to the fridge, but that's less of an issue. You could have a second wall oven near the fridge for baking. There's considerable advantage to having your roasting/broiling oven under the vent hood. (You mentioned fish and beef ...) A baking-only oven presents lesser issues with heat and smoke (assuming all goes well!). I don't find the distance from the proposed baking area to the the wall oven position as big a problem.

Otherwise, I second the observation that you might be better moving the range to the sink wall and the clean-up sink to the range wall. The sink/window connection is an artefact from the pre DW era when Moms spent time at the sink washing dishes and wanted to watch the kiddies playing in the suburban backyard while doing so. Prep sinks and DWs have changed the habits of many families. Windows in a kitchen are great and even greater, in my opinion when not blocked off by the sink/plumbing tackle. When I'm doing dishes (and I don't use a DW so that's a lot of dishwashing) I'm more engaged in looking at the hands and the dishes, than looking out the window. My washed dishes range from very sharp knives to fragile china, to messy pots. I don't do any of those by feel!

You might profitably do a time-at-occupation study of how you cook in your own kitchen. Dishwashing may not be the place you would most benefit from window exposure. Studies have shown that prepping is the most time consuming, but not everybody uses their kitchen the same way. YMMV.

Your unusually large kitchen dimensions seem to me to be creating their own issues because of the layout you have chosen. You're using a spatial layout that works well in a smaller footprint inflated to fit in your much-bigger space. A better use of the space would be to maintain more typical distances between work points (increased a bit because you like wider aisles) but position the island so you're not walking around it while cooking. Center island positions don't work as well in small kitchens (dimensions below about 13 feet) nor in rooms the size of yours when they again start to become less a solution, than a problem.

Also re your DH not wanting to budge while he's seated and eating: put him on the end, not the side of the island. You and the kids can be on the sides. Or you could make the end of the island ovoid or rounded so as to make better use of the edges for seating without the barriers of the corners. That way when your son grows as big as your DH, you'll still have enough space for everybody to sit there. Plus it makes for better conversational flow to sit around a round (-ish) tabletop.

HTH

L.

Wow!! That all makes perfect sense and I'm back to the drawing board.

Ironically, when I left to take kids to school this morning, apparently my Excel crashed (where I did the original layout) and most of everything that I'd inserted got wiped out, but the critical things stayed like wall measurements, etc.....must be the stars aligning to show me the "light"..haha!!

I'll repost a revised layout, a lot of which was in my original layout until I got all hung up about the cleanup sink being in front of a window.

I'm with Hollysprings, and would definitely put the rangetop between the windows and the main sink where you now show the stove. It'll make a lot of sense in terms of the relationship of fridge, ovens, and pantry to stove, and the prep sink would be a must. This will solve the big problem that your island is a barrier between the fridge and stove.

Your prep path in the kitchen you show is interrupted by other people doing different tasks, and the path is long and winding. The change will create zones that make sense, efficient work areas, and allow multiple people in the kitchen at once without so much traffic conflict. Also, the stove area will be a focal point and more protected at the back of the room.

I've have agonized over all the issues that you all so graciously brought to light with my kitchen layout. I reworked it on paper and did the following:

*Left fridge and double ovens where they were because I couldn't figure out a better alternative placement (range top and double ovens were ordered last week so there's no changing on that plus I REALLY want them separated.)

*Moved sink to range top location and centered range top between windows.

*Added a prep sink in front of left window.

*Left baking prep area, microwave cabinet, and appliance garage where they were previously located.

At first, I thought I'd solved all my issues and then realized that after doing all that, I had even bigger issues.

1) At this stage in life, we are often a quick service, reheat, leftover type of family, which means that while I enjoy cooking, I seldom do full gourmet meals that involve searing anything and putting it in the oven. The bi-monthly roasts and baked pork chops are about as gourmet as I get...haha!! I may attend culinary school in my next life, but it's probably not going to happen in this lifetime. Therefore, the jaunt between the range top and oven, while probably not the most ideal, can be manageable.

2) Since I have everything taped out on the floors right now, I spent a good deal of time approximating my steps in taking items from the oven and refrigerator and while some of you thought 60" was too much space, I found that I could easily remove something from either one, pivot, and place it on the island with maybe 1/2 a step. Any closer and I'd worry about crowding.

3) By moving the sink to along the wall and moving the range top, I lost what I felt like was a lot of truly functional upper cupboards. The layout I previously uploaded allowed me to unload the dishwasher and have sufficient upper cupboards directly above it for dinner plates, bowls, and glasses, as well as drawer space for eating utensils, etc. Yes, I do have a lot of upper cupboards, but I have a TON of dishes stored away in my basement because I don't have room for them; now, they can all have a home while letting me keep the most important things (everyday dishes, glasses, etc.) in the most convenient location.

4) If I move the sink and dishwasher and lose the wall cupboards between the windows, I then have a very inconvenient situation with grabbing a glass to get a drink from the fridge (which means my DH will end up chugging from a jug a lot more often in the late night/wee morning hours as well as kids as they get older and more independent!!)

I still haven't worked out the whole prep sink dilemma. If I keep the layout I originally posted, the only logical place for the prep sink is in the island. While this is not the most desirable for me, has anyone had much success with covering it with a butcher block or granite insert for when it's not in use and a large solid surface is desirable (i.e., during a party or buffet)?

And, lastly, I'm a little concerned about having such a large expanse of granite (52"x54") only supported with two posts on the dining side of it. Do any of you know about that and whether or not I'd need to run a center wall under it for additional support? The last thing I'd want is for that big slab to crack!

Again, thank you all so much for all the wisdom and insight. I really think having it drawn on paper and taped to scale on the floor really helps a lot in truly visualizing the space and how it'll be used. I may be in for a lot of "I told you so's" once it's completed :)

Blessings to you all! ~Stacy