florantha - yes, I would want to protect the range from traffic more than in that last layout. The suggestions of opening up the long wall on the left are interesting, I don't think they are right for our family. We do want to keep a table in the kitchen and upon reflection, I don't really want the kitchen completely open to the family room since a little separation is nice when friends are over and the kids are watching a movie in there. I do think that the thoughts are ideas that could inspire other readers in their own planning. I am leaning toward option C (last) in the original post, but I am a little hesitant about the fridge location. I like it along the back wall because it leaves the sides of the room more open, giving more of a feeling of connection to the family room and to the outside through the window on the right wall. The room is long and my idea was to place the bulky fridge to shorten the room, not narrow it. Placing the fridge on the back wall in the corner also allows room for a bigger (deeper) fridge without interfering with traffic in the room - I'd like to maximize my fridge space without going to the expense of a large built in. But I also know that it's preferable to have the fridge on the perimeter of the kitchen. The proposed location would not drive traffice through the prep and cooking area, but perhaps it's still a bad plan? Feedback would be appreciated. For Layout C, the shallow pantry on the left side of the room is 12" cupboards, the space from there to the island is 41", the island is 41" wide, and the space from the island to the cleanup sink is 48". I've pulled the counters on the back wall so that the counters would be 30". Sorry not to have added these dimensions to the drawings.

I GOT SO LOST IN looking at your wonderful house and the view!! Are you near the water maybe, and up high?. I couldnt tell what i saw out there. Gorgeous! Anyway. I think you've nailed it on the brown for the dining area, especially with the lighter floors. The entry door? I also like that deep brown against the brick but you COULD do a deep purple/violet or eggplant there but with the gold in the side light...hmmm. Do I see a burgundy swatch on the kitchen wall? That might look nice. As far as the prints on mantel. I see something more abstract with some color and rounded or wispy shapes to contrast all the straight lines I see, and keep the prints propped in various sizes, 3 of them since you have '2 of' of other things there. Maybe you should build a built in lower bookcase/console unit that would match the trim and put the TV on that where the tv is now. I dont think it should be any higher than the top of the inside of the firebox so your TV would still stay at an eye level. Thats all i have for you right now. Good luck.

Regarding the refrigerator -- we have just under 33" b/w the refrigerator handle and the counter edge across from it - and it's much too shallow an aisle! We were stuck with it b/c of the numerous measuring errors on the part of our KD. While it's something we've adapted to - if someone is in the refrigerator no one can pass by - it's not what I wanted! (I was aiming for 48".) . However, it's your home and Kitchen - so it's your choice how to handle it. We're here to give you advice - with no financial benefit accruing from specific designs/appliances/etc. - and it's your choice whether to take it or not. I understand that you're used to what you have and you can't imagine anything better - but keep in mind that: Human beings are very adaptable. We can adapt to anything - good or bad - even the worst layouts! We adapt so well that we tell ourselves it's fine the way it is - we cannot imagine doing it differently or making it better. But, what if it could be better? If you ask just about anyone here who took our advice and changed their layout to make it better, they will tell you they never realized it could be so much better and wondered how they had lived with the issues for so long! (The answer is back to the adaptability of human beings!) Human beings are resistant to change. Even when something can be made better, we resist change. We like what we know and we have a hard time seeing other ways to do things - even if they could be so much better! And, as I mentioned before, we've adapted to what we have - both the good and the bad. [This is not specific to you - we are all resistant to change to some extent!] Once we get past that resistance and start opening up to new ideas, though, it can be amazing what we can come up with - and I don't mean just the people here helping you, I mean you and your family coming up with new ideas as well! So, why not at least try for something better and give others a chance to come up with a better design? If you are not open to looking at other options, then so be it - as I said before, it's your Kitchen, so you can do what you want with it. Good luck with your remodel!

If your mom is insistent on a cooktop in a peninsula/island/pass-through, she should be aware that that means a hood hanging down from the ceiling in the middle of the room (or pass-through). It will also mean more expensive venting b/c of the need for a larger hood and a stronger fan than you would need if against the wall, as well as a finished surface on all sides. The larger & stronger hood is b/c there are more and stronger air currents in an open space like a peninsula/island/pass-through. The hood will need to be at least 6" wider than the cooktop (more would be better) and 27" deep. 660cfm to 900cfm are probably needed, more if she does high-heat/smoke cooking or grilling inside. [Please don't say downdraft or no hood -- especially in an open space. Fumes, odors, grease, steam, & smoke (FOGSS) travel very far if they are not expelled from the home with adequate ventilation. Downdrafts are mostly useless and no hood is, well, no ventilation at all. In addition, with gas, a downdraft will interfere with the flame of the burners and, potentially, "blow out" the flame.]