Little bit of commentary explaining some thoughts. And that's all these are. The number below are the numbers on the pic. 1. I'm guessing you wouldn't be talked outta those stairs, but that's an alternative - do a doorway in the living room into "closet" of laundry hall. 2. I did show this alternative - kill the inside basement stairs and move the ref to this wall. There's likely 101 reasons you wouldn't like this, but its a really GREAT place for the ref. I think I can hear your screams of "Nooo!" all the way in Baltimore. 3. Aisle widths. Aisles are measured counter to counter. Roughly a counter on a base cabinet on a wall is 25" to 26" deep. An island with one row of cabinetry is usually at least 29" wide at the counter level - this includes a panel on the backs of the cabinets and appropriate overhangs. If You use a tall bank of either shelving or closed cabinets that are 12" deep, your two aisles are about 39". The current recommended minimum aisle is 42" (It changed several years ago - I think partly on account of tall tub dishwashers and 36" wide refrigerators). If you try to have full depth cabinets(25" at the counter) or even a counter depth refrigerator(~28" w/handles) on the opposite wall with the island, both your aisles go down to 31"-33". They might be less depending on "stuff" like how plumb the room is, the exact depth of the ref, etc. That can feel kinda small. You should be able to move something into your existing kitchen to lower the aisle space to try it. 4. Table space. Concerned about the choice of table, simultaneous use of the table and back door, etc. With a 2 foot wide table, with no one occupying the table, it will be 4.5 feet wide and the table edge should be 30" from the wall or 5.2ish feet. When occupied, the wall side has enough space for a seated person(24" beyond the table edge), but when someone sits on the door side, the total width is 6 feet - all the space there is. Assuming that you guys or your friends may not be perfect about tucking in chairs, think about doing either a banquette or purchasing a dining bench for the side up against the wall. It helps with spacing, but might drive you nutz in alignment to the window and wall area. So if you put the bench under the window and run the table in the other direction? 5. Consider moving the range (sorry for calling it a rangetop) closer to the sink and island. I know somebody is thinking about prep between sink and range, but you're more likely to prep on end of island. It's less effort for getting pots full of water and dumping them. 6. Consider a fold-up or drop-in counter to be used only when you need some extra space instead of slightly blocking the stairs all the time.

Thanks for the advice, Kristine! I moved some things around in the Ikea planner like you suggested. Your suggestion for the fridge location is where my fridge is currently located. I moved it in my original plan because I dislike how much it sticks out into the middle of the room. I could probably solve that issue by getting a counter-depth fridge. I need to do more research on that because I am concerned that we won't have enough fridge space with a counter depth model. I frequently put cookie sheets in the fridge and they take up the entire depth of my current fridge (a side-by-side model). I think I could fit them in a counter depth fridge if I got the kind with 2 french doors on the top and the freezer on the bottom. I moved the wall oven/micro over to the far left wall because I didn't want to make the peninsula any shorter than it already is. It is only 6 feet and any smaller seems like it won't be long enough. I would like to be able to have enough space for 6 girls to be working around it at one time and 6 feet will already be tight (3 girls on each side). I do really like moving the cooktop to the far left wall as well. It seems to give me a lot more bottom drawers for storage along the top wall which would be great. I was only able to fit an 18" cabinet between the cooktop and the wall oven. I'm not sure that is enough space on that side. I think I remember seeing that 24" of working space should be the minimum. I could get more space by using a range instead, but I don't really like that setup. I frequently use both the oven and the stovetop at the same time with 2 people cooking. So the person using the stovetop is always in the way of the person trying to open the oven. I would really like to have the 2 separated.

Even just a graph paper sketch of the whole house layout would be helpful for seeing possibilities. Your plan is not so bad as many have made it out to be. I think a prep sink as you had it drawn could be functional. If your goal is to make the kitchen functional for multiple helpers, you will value the sink in the island, especially with the cleanup sink near a corner as it is. Everything can’t be perfectly ideal in an existing house kitchen. The kitchens forum is where you need to take this. ETA: Sophie, read the first paragraph of the OP. Granted, this is the building a home forum, so not a terribly appropriate place for a remodel post. Some of the negative comments may be misunderstanding this as new construction.

Thanks again for the helpful comments. I guess my main goal was to initially come up with some way to open the wall and add a counter for 2 stools, and then "figure out" the rest of the kitchen (exact cabinets and materials, etc) once the wall issue was resolved. I see now that the the "pros" are ahead of me figuring out the full function and comfort of the entire kitchen from the beginning. I'm sure that is the best way to do this. I guess the angled peninsula is not approved. We first wanted to do something simple like this: We thought we were all set, until we tried a mock up and found stools would be in the stairway traffic - walks right past this spot. Tried different ways to address it, and eventually came up with the angled peninsula. In searching for examples of the idea, I found a few write ups that stated angled peninsulas are often used to move the seating out of traffic areas, especially on small floor plans and small kitchens. But I also read that some people hate them. I still believe there are times when they are necessary and possibly the only option to accomplish the goal. At this point, we're a little confused and apprehensive now. As far as the refrigerator and the range next to each other. Right now our cooktop is between 2 cabinet walls with about a 3" counter on either side (pantry on one side, and wall oven on the other). Even though it's not by todays standards, it never bothered much (although we would have liked a counter on one side of the range). Actually my mothers home (1958) has the a very similar setup (cooktop between 2 walls, one side the refrigerator, the other side is the wall oven). She said it wasn't much of a problem. I've seen it in other older homes as well. I understand if people have the space, change it to current standards. Having a counter on 1 side of the range is an improvement for us! Moving these items creates new challenges, so we really have to consider whether it's necessary for us. Finally the last challenge is the large window, that means we lose more cabinet space (as well as the cabinets on the partial wall we're removing). Cabinet space is important to us. So with all of these considerations, we have a real problem coming up with something that will function at least as well as we have now, and aesthetically appealing. No easy task! We'll consider everything I've learned here and come up with a final plan soon. With all of this in mind, opinions and suggestions are welcome! Again, can't thank you enough for comments.