I am coming very late to this thread, but I thought I'd post because I have a similar-sized kitchen in the planning stages. I do a lot of cooking and a moderate amount of baking myself and really loved my marble baking counter in the last house I had. I will try to post a picture --but bear in mind the kitchen is close to 18 years old in the picture! One thing I'm wondering about in your plan, kitchen_maman, is why you haven't considered making one line of your counters 30" deep instead of just 24". If I'm reading your plan correctly, it looks like you will have over 5' 6" between the two lines of cabinetry --about a foot more than is recommended for efficiency. If you are a baker, you will enjoy that extra 6" of space! Also, it allows for storage at counter level, if that's what you prefer, and enough depth to get a standard depth refrigerator and have it look like a counter-depth one, if you add the 6" on that side. I am thinking of doing this in my soon-to-be new kitchen. I feel like I need every square inch I can get!

Thanks so much for all the nice replies! I'm afraid I've been MIA from GW for awhile now that the project is done. terri0826 - The dog food is in the Single Bottom Mount Rev-A-Motion Wood Waste Container. It works amazingly well. There's even a little area behind the container to put dog treats. It's been such a handy thing to have! JBGB - I love, love, LOVE my island!!! Cooking at Christmas time was such a treat this year. We had visitors and there was actually a moment when I looked up and realized that 4 different people were working on 4 different things all at the same time and nobody was tripping over anyone else. Having all that counter space is my single favorite thing about the kitchen. (2nd being the tile - it makes me smile everyday! :) The only issue we have is that things can get tight at the end by the fridge, sink, micro when we are getting dinner ready - the plates and silverware are in drawers on that end of the island and the kids are walking into that area to get drinks, etc... It's not a huge deal, and is only really a problem because of a miscommunication with the builder - it was supposed to be 9" shorter. But, all in all, it makes cooking a lot more enjoyable for me. I am happy that the island is narrow too. We can stand on the back and use the faucet if needed. That's been a surprise convenience that I really appreciate. Hope that answers your question!

Thanks! I ordered the Premium Modular UCL from environmentallights.com (link below). I found out today that my dimming solution didn't work. :: I do have an idea of what I could have done differently, but I haven't confirmed. And I think we'll not need them dimmed, so I'm okay with it. I wanted to buy the simplest solution. I wanted it plug and play. The power supplies that they recommend for that system are not dimmable. They have others that were, but I think they're for direct wire and we had outlets put in the cabinets. I got the touch dimmer for modular under cabinet lights. I was told it would work as I planned, but I don't fault them for it not. I probably didn't give all the variables. They dim with the touch switch great, but when you turn off the light switch that operates the outlets, it 'forgets' everything and they are turned off, so when you turn the light switch on nothing happens until you go hit the dimmers. I took them off for now. I actually don't think we'll need the dimmer. I'm just paranoid about over-lighting things. We had so little light in the kitchen before, I have no idea how this will all work for us. The recessed lights and pendants will be dimmable, I think that's enough. There's a switched outlet in the top right of this 42"h wall cabinet. The power supply has a 5 ft cord, then the transformer, then another 5 ft cord that plugs into the end of a 40" strip, then a 12" cord, then a 12" strip. The cabinets are a 48" blind corner and a 12". This is the wall I posted before. There's an outlet in the top left corner of the left cabinet that's on the same switch as the one mentioned above. Same type of power supply, 12" strip, 78" cord (that's too short...see below), 12" strip, 78" cord, 40" strip. The two left wall cabinets are 21's, as is the pantry. The two at the left are 27's. I called them today for a couple things. I confirmed the dimmers are working as they're supposed to (which is not as I intended. I didn't inquire about returning them. I may. I asked for a solution to my need for a longer cord to span the range area. The guy said I need a splitter (cords are all male-male, the splitter works as a female-female connector). The strips all ship with 40" (I think) cables that I didn't use so I have plenty of them. That should do it. I also had one wonky clip, so he's sending one no charge. Biggest cost for today's order was shipping. I said I was in no hurry (I'm probably 60 miles from them, things get here fast) and he offered to ship USPS for less. I'm very happy so far. Honestly I feel that with just these on at night, it's nearly as light as our old kitchen overall. Yes, I exaggerate, but not a lot. Here is a link that might be useful: Premium Modular UCL

I've done a LOT of research on LED undercounter lights, and I know there are at least a few brands that have the transformer built in and can be hooked to standard current. I actually saw some at my local Sams Club a month or so ago. The only thing I seem to recall about the ones I saw was that they are not dimmable. I will try to locate some sources for you.