ni 2006 -- as to your question about whether cabinets come with the light rail: It depends on who is making your cabinets. For many cabinet companies, it is an option. My advise to you is to make sure you resolve that issue as you are designing your kitchen and cabinets, and not afterward, like we did. While we love our finished kitchen, our cabinet maker messed up and didn't account for our undercabinet lighting, which was mentioned in our contract and everything. The electrician installed the lighting like he was supposed to, but we are still fighting with the cabinet maker to install a rail to hide the lighting. We just want a simple inch-and-a-quarter plain rail around the bottom of the cabinets to hide the lights (that's how much they show). We may end up doing it ourselves. Our cabinets are 18 inches above our counter, so an inch and a quarter won't be so much to take away from that, although I would have preferred that it would be that much space after the light rail. It was one of a million details in our house remodel that I didn't pay enough attention to, and now here we are, but I think it's going to be okay. So bottom line is, decide on that now, before it is too late and you are left with few choices. Make sure everyone is on board: cabinet maker/company, electrician, etc.

---Do you plan on having the dw next to the sink?--- The sink is on the wall. We're not going to have it on the island. The DW is to the left of the sink. ---Are you sure about the dimension of the left wall?--- I'm attaching the kitchen schematic they sent me. I went off that for my drawing. The reason I put the fridge where it is is because i want it closer to the dining area. That's how our fridge is now. I know 100% that I don't want the sink on the island. I've thought long and hard about this one. And I want it under the window. I don't care if I'm not looking into the room while I cook and clean. I don't entertain, ever. I also know 100% I don't want the cooktop on the island because of the venting issue. The wall oven is a single. We don't want to spend the extra $$ on a new range when ours work fine still. We are paying cash for this whole operation so anything we can save on, like existing appliances, we are. Am totally open to different islands though. Here is the link to the ones they offer. I would like one with 2 levels (higher counter on the back) for some seating area. I'm not sure how I can get the sink and cooktop further apart. They're about the same distance as the original plan and probably about 8' apart. If the sink was on the island the cooktop would be even closer to it. Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen islands available

Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement! Exactly what I was thinking, OOTM_Mom; it's a toaster oven cubby so I likely can treat it differently than my uppers elsewhere in the kitchen. It will only be 26.5" wide so it would never do as a baking center. If I were to get rid of the toaster oven and store the KA mixer there instead, it would only be stored there, never used there. I'll have a 59" island that I'll use for baking projects. Our coffee maker is on the counter over the DW, between sink and fridge. The only other appliance we keep out is the toaster, which will stay where it currently is, on the counter by the back door; bread is stored in a drawer below it. localeater, the toaster oven vents out the sides, not out the back or top. The instructions warn that the top can get warm - it can be used as a plate warmer - but even with the upper 15" above the toaster oven, I'll still have 4.5" of clearance above it, which is more than the required side clearances, so I think it will be fine. I've checked it when it's in use and I don't feel heat emanating more than an inch or two above the oven. The bottom of the current upper never feels warm, much less hot. If I can make the cubby a little less tall, I may increase the base cab height so that the toaster oven is closer to eye level, maybe at the same height as the Advantium (48" above floor). That would give me room for either an additional drawer or taller cab storage or both below the toaster oven cubby. Perhaps something like this: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/mill-valley-open-kitchen-and-dining-room-contemporary-kitchen-san-francisco-phvw-vp~1860951) [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by San Francisco Design-Build Firms Nerland Building & Restoration, Inc. Notice that the venting for the toaster oven is above it. I thought maybe that was because that toaster oven vents above, not to the sides, but it sure looks like my Breville toaster oven. If so, that doesn't seem like a good idea at all. The toaster oven cubby in this kitchen is definitely less than 18" high. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-and-dining-traditional-kitchen-new-orleans-phvw-vp~2393877) [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Pensacola Architects & Building Designers Dalrymple : Sallis Architecture 'Course, I've seen enough poorly designed kitchens on houzz so I shouldn't assume that if it's done in this kitchen or others, it's okay. I will definitely double check with my KD, contractor and cab maker before moving ahead with this idea.

I also drooled over that wood when we did our last kitchen but I couldn't convince DH. I'll just have to drool over yours bbtrix. As for aisle width and holidays, if someone gets in your way, soho them away! It won't kill you or them :-). Our largest gathering so far has been 17, and it was no problem even with people on the kitchen side of the island (admittedly, I was just serving at that point, not cooking, but still...