What do you foresee as the major place for chopping, veg washing, etc.? Why not walk us through what you see as the major zones as currently planned?

How many cooks?

The island is a barrier in the path to and from the fridge for both stove and sink. LOTS of walking around it in preparing one dinner, I'd think. I know why you want the oven and micro where they're pictured, but I think the fridge is more important and that's the best spot.

You're showing a 30" corner base cabinet...That should be 36". After changing that, I would center the range between the upper corner cab and the doorway, making 18" uppers on either side, and therefore giving you a few more inches to the left of the range. For the odd 6" left between the range and the corner cabinet, you could store a few baking trays or a step stool. We did a step stool cabinet in a space like that in our last kitchen and it was one of my favorite features of the remodel.

One main cook - me - however my kids love to cook too. My daughter is an amazing cook!

OK, Zones-

Prep - things come out of the fridge and land on the prep island. They can go over to the sink if necessary for washing. Within easy reach of cooktop & oven. Island houses mixing bowls etc.

Cooking - cooktop/oven/microwave relatively close with essentials in surrounding cabinets; granite counters on sides of cooktop, oven & island for hot things; cooking essentials/accessories located accordingly; deep drawers under cooktop for pots/pans; dividers over oven & in a side cab for cookie sheets etc.

Serving - things left on cooktop or placed on island; dishes just behind on both sizes of sink. Silverware adjacent at end of peninsula.

Clean-Up - large areas on both sides of sink/above DW; I'm a lefty so dirty starts on the left; clean on the right. Cabinets for clean dishes on both sides of sink/DW

Storage - tupperware etc. stored in island; leftovers go from island into fridge

Baking - the KA "beast" will remain in the corner to the right of the cooktop. Spices, oils etc. a right there as this borders the cook zone. Island is right behind if the project gets too big!

Snacks, cereal, sandwiches etc. - no need to go into the cooking zone for these now. This is huge as I have two teenagers and usually several more hanging around.

Recycle center - kitchen side of peninsula; trash/recycle pull outs; storage for trash bags; in frequently used small appliances housed here

After running through this I don't know if I love it or will need to buy a pair of roller skates!

Kay

rhome410, so you like the fridge where the oven/micro are & go with a range? I have thought of what you are suggesting (if I understand correctly), but I'd love to keep a wall oven if at all possible.

Are you measuring aisle widths from cabinet to cabinet or from counter to counter? It looks like the former to me and if so, then you'll end up with narrower aisles than your plans shows. That will be more of a problem for the aisle between peninsula and island. Your 36" will shrink to 33' or 34" depending on counter overhang. If you shrink your island to accommodate this, you may eliminate some of the barrier island effect rhome mentions.

I also don't think you're accurately showing the depths of oven/MW and CD fridge, especially if you're going with a free-standing CD fridge and not a built-in version. Our free-standing CD fridge is 3" deeper (not counting the handles) than the fridge cabinet, which is flush with the edge of the counter on the cabinets next to the fridge.

I didn't mean to get rid of the oven! Just swap, even though it's not as good for the oven access. I have to access the fridge many times during making a meal. The oven and micro, not nearly as much. And the swap will give you more of a straight run to the sink.

A prep sink could help you even if you do move the fridge...but I think I could be 'ok' with the plan as it is with a prep sink on the SW corner of the island for you.

With junior cooks in the mix, I urge you to, for sure, keep the separate oven, and consider the prep sink, which I think will earn its keep. Ours is crucial in a kitchen where the kids cook and bake while I do, too. I even think it totally worthwhile when I'm working in there alone. The location makes things much more efficient, as I think would be the case in your layout.

The aisles, as labeled, are plenty fine, I think, but if you count squares, the aisles in front of the fridge and oven are 36" instead of the labeled 48". Is it a drawing mistake or do you really have less aisle than you thought?

Oh, wow, I missed that but you're right, rhome. If each square equals 6" then the measured distances don't equal labeled measurements. It's not off everywhere but it is wrong in quite a few places.

Did wishful thinking get in the way of drawing up a workable plan, kayl? I've been there and it's so frustrating when reality doesn't line up with the dream.

Labeled dimensions are correct - drawing is not quite to scale. It's hard to account for 2-3" here or there with graph paper & it was my last piece. I wish I had time to figure out some software to do this for me. They are cab to cab.

The aisle beside the peninsula is 36" the aisle by the cooktop is 48" except where the cooktop is place. A deep fridge sits to the left of the cooktop (at the end of the run) The island was moved over to allow for it. I guess I failed to mention I'm using existing cabinets! Sorry! I've posted so many times already & I thought I was so excited to get this up as I thought this just might be it!

As I've worked through the process I decided that I really did want to keep a wall oven. It was easier when I was thinking range in the cooktop spot. I do want a SpeedCook oven, so perhaps I could do the range & a speed oven?

You are all so helpful & patient. I'm just going crazy over this. It was supposed to be done by my early February b-day! Now I think I'm more confused than ever.

Thanks, kayl. However, I'm having math problems that have nothing to do with squares on paper. For instance, you wrote that you have 11' between peninsula and the cabs/counters directly opposite (cooktop wall). But when I add up 36" wide aisle, 50" wide island and 48" wide aisle I get 134", 2 inches more than 11'.

Accurate measurements are important. I'd hate for you to think you have a good plan only to find out that because you're off by mere inches, you have to start from scratch.

Happy belated birthday, btw.

I don't think you need to get too discouraged. Is there ANY way of adding a prep sink to the island? It would allay a lot of my concerns.

Almost forgot. NKBA recommends measuring aisle widths from counter edge to counter edge or from counter edge to appliance front, not cabinet to cabinet. You're measuring for clearance for bodies to move through a space. So I go back to what I wrote above. If you have 36" cabinet to cabinet, your actual space will be narrower by 2" to 3" depending on counter overhang. Rhome has only 36" between range top and island and it works for her but that's actual clearance not cabinet to cabinet clearance (at least that's what I recall, rhome, correct me if I'm wrong!).

And yes, I echo rhome, don't get discouraged! This process can seem like two steps back for every step forward but you will make progress.

Couple of things I see:

1) Island is not centered on the DR opening as drawn. It is further to the right. So if you center it in real life, you will lose additional inches on the cooktop side, where the measurements listed are not correct.
2) In front of the oven and frig to the island is only 36" and as mentioned, a counter depth frig sticks out further than 24". When the frig doors are open or the oven doors are open, it will be a tight squeeze. That looks like it is a major traffic aisle??
3) Is that back door/laundry/bathroom area frequently used?
4) Does the DR opening have to be 5 feet wide? Can you shrink it to 4 feet?
5) Personally, I wouldn't want the frig that far from the sink and cooktop. As others have mentioned, I feel like I'd be running around in circles. I THINK I recall from a previous post that you are reusing your existing cabs? If so, this won't work, but what if you moved the sink to the peninsula, the cooktop where the sink is(you'd have to change windows) and then the frig on the end of the wall where the cooktop is. Prep sink in island. Like I said, I recall you not wanting to move everything, but it was just a thought in case.

I agree with Rhome. In the above layout, the refrigerator is far from both the sink and the cooktop. If you swap the fridge with the ovens, at least it's close to the cooktop, but no further from the sink. Given the constraints you have with not changing the footprint, I think doing this simple swap will give you a kitchen that will make you very happy. Most of us have had to compromise in some way to get MOST of what we want, though I still envy those who got it all. I'm not bothered by the island not being centered on the dining room entrance. Nevertheless, if it's a concern for you, I think you have space to shift it a bit closer to the range. We had less than 36" between the island and the cooktop at our old beach house (they templated the granite wrong and put the overhang on the range side instead of opposite and we didn't notice before we bought it hahahahaha...what a surprise!; of couse, we couldn't put stools there!) and believe it or not it worked even with a houseful of guests.

I agree that the island can certainly move toward the rangetop. The aisle between my rangetop and island is 36" and plenty roomy. If it was a range with an oven to open I might want more.

i don't remember where you are on this remodel. is the window there already? you certainly seem to have enough room on the ext wall for both the cook top and the sink. fridge on left 'wing' and WO where you have it...

If I remember correctly, the footprint of the island cannot be changed since the floor tile stops at the existing island and is no longer available? That is a constraint on moving the base cabinets too, I thought. If I'm right, then kayl has been working in these same aisle widths, plus or minus some counter overhang, so if she hasn't stabbed a family member in a fit of kitchen rage yet, she's probably able to deal with the clearances. So - kayl - any blood spilled in the kitchen so far?

Instead of a prep sink, you can make full use of the width of the sink you have for two person use. Two faucets, maybe one a flexible restaurant or Kohler Karbon positioned towards the corners would make that zone dual user friendly.

johnliu wrote, "...the footprint of the island cannot be changed since the floor tile stops at the existing island and is no longer available..."

Is this correct, kayl? You wrote above that you were re-using cabinets and that the island had moved over to accommodate a deep fridge but I didn't realize that you couldn't change the island's location or size. If you don't have extra tiles, what are you going to place under the fridge in its new location? Sorry, I'm a bit confused and probably not helping you much at all at this point.

johnliu is correct! I am using existing cabinets. The original island placement was to allow for the deep fridge - hence my current width from fridge to island countertop is 36.5". If I move the fridge (a new one) that aisle will increase to the dimensions in my drawing. As to the tile if I move the fridge I will just put other tile underneath as you will not see that. It would overhang existing tile by just a smidge!

At this point my layout is most important to me. If I have to live with a partially exposed subfloor for a time (until I can afford to retile half my house!) then I honestly believe thats the best way to go.

We use CAD in our office, so I'm going to hire our tech on the side to do a drawing for me with exact dimensions. I will post them as soon as I can. In the meantime are there any other suggestions you can make for the perfect layout????

Thanks! Kay

rhome410, I'm warming up to your idea of switching the fridge with oven/micro. I'm just about to ask our CAD guy if he'll do the layout for me this weekend, but I have just one more question. Should I center the oven Cab to the opening of the aisle that dead ends there? I've stood there imagining if it matters or not. Still cannot decide. It could be appx. 12" closer to the cooktop if I do not center it, but then a portion of it opens to the island. Thoughts anyone????

Since it will be a 4 ft aisle, I wouldn't worry about how it lines up with the island, and just place it how it serves you best and how you can make the most of that area, which, I assume, means leaving as much room to the side of the oven for that pantry cab that you can. Our oven is straight across from the side of our island with a 4 ft aisle between and it's plenty of room.

Here's a perhaps wacky thought to allow you to move the island but not have to re-tile half your house. Choose an accent tile, remove a few more tiles than necessary and create a border around the island. I've no idea how this would work and it popped into my head before I've had coffee so it truly could be wacky. But I thought I'd post it any way.