I would love it! But I'm that one person in 100 who marches to a different drummer.But you know what? If I liked it and I wanted it, I'd have it. And the very first person who said anything negative about it within my earshot would never get invited to my house.

If you're doing the divided lights with wall between the windows, it greatly lessens the impact, and makes it much more homey. I know people who live in trays, rather than boxes, which are capped by 100% glass. On a cliffside. So you feel like you're about to fall into the water. Your inpiration picture doesn't look crazy at all.

Have you taken into account what having all that West facing glass is going to do to your HVAC set-up? The environmental considerations are the biggest issue.

One assumes, if you're having everything totally open, that you don't have clutter issues, nosy neighbors, or need somewhere to hide from teenagers. :)

Pinch-me, I'm too much of a wimp.

plllog, the walls on the right of the pic would come out about 10' and be almost all windows from the cabinets to the end of the right wall (25'). Will I feel like I'm on stage? HVAC? due to the sun coming in? We'll get the low-E windows and likely a window covering of some kind.

I'm getting to more of a minimalist everyday...my kids call me "a reverse hoarder". Kids have moved out and neighbors are rarely even around.

I love it! Nice and bright. You could put some roman shades on the windows if light is an issue. In our old house, the kitchen was on the west side of the house. If you were on the couch in the family room when the sun was setting you were nearly blinded for about 30 minutes. I hate blinds in a kitchen but ended up having to put some up for DH.

I love the idea. But I also question all that glass on the west side. That is a lot of hot light late in the day. Do you have a plan for blinds, curtains, etc.?

Awesome -- provide there is something inspiring on the other side of the windows to look at. :-) I would love it.

However, one of best pieces of architectural advice I have ever been given was to always consider making the view a little difficult to get to -- this way you never get tired of looking at it.

Another option is to install uppers, but then add a window to where the backsplash would normally be. This allows you to maintain access to the view (especially if you have an island with seats facing it), provides storage space, and provides a unique designer touch.

We currently have a 4' window facing west and another 4' window facing NW with no problems that aren't fixed by the shear/blinds/duettess (don't know what they are called.

Does anyone have a low-e window that faces west?

With the window the focal point of the kitchen area, none of you think that it may be odd that it doesn't resemble much like a kitchen??? (frig will be tucked back out of the way on the wall on the left, we'll have an electric smooth cooktop stove).

You might also consider an awning (perhaps retractable) or more permanent overhang. My west windows are shaded by 8' of balcony and roof, which greatly limits the amount of direct sun that comes into the house. The UV filters do reduce (not eliminate) the fading. West windows can be lovely, but also a big PITA.

It seems you are more concerned about how the kitchen will look, and not about the size of the windows or the effects of the afternoon sun.

Since you want a clean, modern design I think it will be great. There are many beautiful kitchens that don't follow the 'rules' of uppers and lowers, perfect symmetry, etc. A wide open space doesn't have to be broken up with height for the sake of being 'normal'.

We have a very wide open home and few windows on walls. Few interior walls at all for that matter. Instead we have 14 skylights and two 50' banks of upper ceiling windows. Lots of natural light, but not a lot of connection to the outside. Because of that we passed on a lot of upper cabinets and discarded symmetry to have as much window as we could in the kitchen. Not for everyone, but it worked for us and we made our kitchen for us.

Follow you heart, your gut, and put in the kitchen you know will be awesome.

What climate are you in? If you're in a northern tier state, plan to include significant R-value in the window coverings and use the best double or triple panes you can afford.

Am in the Twin Cities. It's 13 degrees outside as I write. We put in quite a few windows in new kitchen (4 facing west with one north) and there's a slightly noticeable temp difference in that room--cooler--unless I'm using the range. It's a semi-separate--the room has two doorways to other places in the house, which are closable and may be opened or closed depending on what activites are taking place, but it doesn't seem to affect temp that much. Haven't put in the thermal window treatments yet.

I think it sounds potentially wonderful. I had a large western-facing window in my last kitchen and the afternoon light was glorious. We have a super deep overhang, so we didn't have energy efficiency issues.

I would encourage you to design whatever window treatments you will need along with the design of the window. WTs can really be a challenge, especially if you don't leave room for installation. Can;t tell you how many times I have seen windows (on GW and IRL) where no one took into account the need for some kind of hardware. Cobbling together a fix after the fact often involves compromise.

ZacsDaddy, I would love to hear an elaboration on the architectural advice about making a view difficult to access. Maybe in a new thread? Or you could email me... I am very intrigued!

Thanks for everyone's input. It sounds like everyone would feel quite comfortable with the openess.

I'm going to do some more investigation on the summer heat issues to the West. Since I would be getting a new quality built window (instead of the cheapies that we currently have in the rest of the house), I'm anticipitating this will work out. Thanks again for all your help.

I'm curious too about what ZacsDaddy heard about it being best for a view to be a "little difficult to get to -- this way you never get tired of looking at it". We've got a ton of window that face our lake and after a year, I still marvel at how fortunate I am to have just a wonderful place to live.

Aloha - My new kitchen will face NW with no other windows. Like you, we plan to have a significant bank of windows that allow as much natural light as possible. The kitchen flows into the DR and it will have three large windows with southern light. There are several kitchens on this forum that inspired our decision.

I think it will be awesome!! I love windows, and also love no uppers if you don't have to have them...do it!

I love those huge, wide windows, and think you should go for it.