Why do you want the sink and DW in the island? It eats up valuable workspace and puts dirty dishes in the face of anyone sitting at the island. Is it b/c you want to face people while working? Well then look at these statistics works studies have found: 70% of the work done and time spent in the kitchen is spent prepping 20% is spent cleaning up 10% is spent cooking If you want to visit people while working, then it makes the most sense to have your Prep Zone in the island. Add a prep sink in the island and it now becomes a big expanse of workspace for large projects like baking, cake making, homework, school/science fair, gift wrapping, crafts, etc. The above also explains why it's best to have an island all one level...to maximize workspace. If your island is big enough, you can fit two levels, but you should have an island big enough to make both levels a decent size. Is the desk necessary? Most people remodeling are taking desks out of their kitchens b/c they've found they're really nothing more than clutter magnets! With laptop computers becoming more the norm than the exception these days, it can be used just about anywhere...on the island, at a table, etc. You could create a Message/Command Center where the desk is, but don't make it too big and don't put a chair space there. Make it base cabinet (drawers or drawer + ROTS) with an upper cabinet and you can corral the clutter somewhat. Put the family calendar, landline phone/answering machine, charging station, keys, mail organizer, note board, pens/pencils, note pads, etc. in that area. Or, make it a tall cabinet and create an "Organization Closet" that has doors that open out and in and that can be closed to hide the clutter when you have company(Sweeby, the creator of the "Sweeby Test", has one.) Regardless of the option you go with (desk, Message/Command Center, Organization Closet), I'd make it somewhere b/w 24" and 36" wide. Any more and I think you're wasting space that could be used in the kitchen, especially with that pantry taking up so much room. (I'm not saying get rid of it, as a matter of fact I have a corner pantry that I really like, but mine is not in the middle of the kitchen separating key appliances and possibly Zones...let's try to make the pantry work!) Here is a link that might be useful:

LL, I didn't see your question until now, sorry. I wasn't going to draw up a plan that recesses the fridge into the pantry closet because it sounds like that set-up limits the size of fridge Flying can get - 30" most likely, possibly 33" - unless she makes modifications to the bathroom, swapping out the tub for a shower as suggested by lascatx above. Personally, I'd be reluctant to limit fridge size. My SIL had a heckuva time finding a new fridge to fit their existing cabinet - height and width were what was common when they built, not what is common now. We had to modify our cabinet by jacking it up 2" with plywood inserts at the base - ugly but short-term - to fit our new, taller fridge. Thank goodness we weren't hindered by soffits like my SIL. That said, there does seem to be more choices for smaller fridges that there were even a couple years ago so perhaps this isn't a big deal after all. But it's still not the norm, which means fridges will often cost more. But if that's not a concern for Flying, then yes, changes can be made to the plan I posted Tue, Aug 23, 11 at 20:39 so that the sink can be placed on the entry wall. The door would need to stay put or shift over only 6" so that there's room to have the DW next to the sink. It would be 12" of wall, 40" door, DW, 33" or 36" sink cab (smaller sink cab leaves a few more inches between counter run and doorway), spacer cabinet, corner, then 38" to range. This would leave a long stretch of peninsula counter between DR and kitchen. The 2nd oven would need to go under the counter here. The bathroom wall set-up would need to change a bit, too. because the entry shifts over only 6", not 12". Staggering the cabinet depth would work: 12" deep cabs close to the doorway, 18" deep cabs next to the fridge. If Flying has the funds and the desire to do the extra remodeling required to recess a 36" fridge in the pantry closet, the above still works, too. But if the only reason for all this extra work is to get a view to the backyard, it might not be necessary. Flying's back door has a window in its top half. If that's not enough, she can add a window along that back wall ala the photo I posted Fri, Aug 12, 11 at 14:02. It would mean giving up a little bit of upper cabinet room (about 12" I think).

Overly sweet . . . diabetes setting in . . . No, seriously, I like soft, romantic, cottage or vintage, especially in fabrics . . . but I don't like over-done to the point that the decore becomes distracting to the function. I think you'd constantly be moving things to make space. Having said that, let me try to comment on the layout: - Lose the soffit and take the cabinets to the ceiling. Add an additional shelf (or two) inside the cabinet. This will increase your storage. - Is that an upper Lazy Susan in the corner? I'm not a huge fan (and they're expensive), but in such a small space, I think that's what you'd want. It'd allow you access to the back reaches of a deep cabinet, and in such a small space you can't afford a dead cabinet. - Love the French door to the pantry and the shelf above it. I do wonder, however, what is stored in those pink canisters and just who can reach them. - Hate the little island. It doesn't have as much storage as a real island, and I'd hate sweeping under that thing. - I'm with the above posters who say that just making the island into a more storage-oriented, work-oriented space will improve the function of the whole thing. Of course, a larger island will also serve to "cover up" your view of the vintage-cottage-themed cabinets and sink. - These ornate cabinets would fill their little grooves and crannies with grease, and they'd be a royal pain to wipe down. How would it be to go with ONE fancy, carved, focal-point cabinet in the kitchen and let the others be more moderate in design? Or, how about going with the fancy-fancy island (though improving its size) and having a fancy-fancy soffit of some sort over the sink . . . those things serving as focal points in the small kitchen, and let the rest of the cabinets be simple in design? I don't think people would necessarily notice that the whole shebang isn't over-the-top. So often, whatever the island "is", people "read" the whole kitchen to be; meaning, if the island is blue, people tend not to say "blue kitchen", not noticing that the cabinets behind are white. - Love the big windows. I definitely react positively to light, and I don't think I'm alone. - The china cabinet in the forefront of the picture "meets" the cabinet base. If this upper cabinet were "raised" to a typical cabinet height, you could move the large flower arrangement and the plate of apples (and the large free-standing painting and a few dozen other things) over to that "sideboard" type spot . . . and that would allow more functional space in the kitchen. - I personally would be fine with the microwave in the pantry. It's not something I use on a daily basis, and I only use it to warm things, never to cook. The real question is, Does this suit your lifestyle? - Still on the subject of the pantry . . . you want a baking area. What do you see yourself doing in this baking area? I'm planning all my baking STORAGE in the pantry, but what I anticipate is that I'll keep all my flours, spices, chocolate chips, etc. in the pantry, and I'll go in there to gather my things (I'll store measuring cups and pinch bowls in the pantry), then I'll come out with just what I need on a tray . . . and I'll do my mixing and kneading on the island. I think this is an ideal situation for me . . . but don't say, "Oh, yes, this'll allow me to get by without what I was planning" -- does it fit your idea of a good way to bake? - Did you mention a prep sink? In such a small space, I don't see why you'd want one. You'll never be more than a few steps away from the main sink. - Similarly, I think wall ovens are vastly overrated ( and overpriced). You can get a standard sized range with a stovetop, a small shorty-oven, and a larger lower oven . . . and it'll fit in a small kitchen.

I haven't read every word. Just want to say that you HAVE a 'pantry'. It's in your laundry room/back hallway, right off the kitchen. Clear the walls and make some closets. Voila! A Pantry! Beware any combination appliance like the microwave/oven or microwave/exhaust fan. The oven and fan will go on for decades, but not the M/W. (Ask me how I know! LOL) You can cheaply replace a microwave, but not a *built-in* microwave. Can you reach shelves in tall upper cabinets without a step-ladder? They look nice, but sometimes a soffit plus less-tall cabinets works just fine and is cheaper. If you need the 'dead storage' on the top shelves, taller makes sense. Deeper countertops are a boon, leaving more room for countertop appliances (coffee maker, blender, toaster). I like drawers in my lower cabinets better than doors/shelves. I like under-cabinet lights. No 'working' countertop should be less than 18" wide. Avoid blocking your aisles with appliance doors -- fridge, dishwasher, oven door, etc.; stagger these where they are opposite one another. I prefer a double sink. One of my favorite things is the pull-out garbage/recycling bin at one side of my sink. Another is my stacked dishdrawers; one is adequate for two adults, running it once a day, and dishes don't 'wait' in the sink until there are enough to bother washing.