Lav: you're gonna have to change your name to GreenLass if you don't watch out! Those are pretty nifty fridges, arent' they? Actually looking at an Electrolux Icon french door CD. Hey, I was perusing the Cabinet Authority website (great, user friendly site BTW) and they have a beautiful buttercream finish with a white glaze that I thought was just lovely. Here is the link to the page. I thought you might approve :) BL: Thanks for the input, muchly appreciated! I could probably go with plain shelves that that cab... just putting my lobster pot and a couple other tall pots. Don't have to go after them very often, that's true. Someone said not to go wider than 36" on deep drawer bases, so that's why I left it that size. Will the floor of the drawers be safe at that width? I will need a 42" base for the sink, yes. The clearance under the sink (best I can tell) would be an 11" wide area on the left and just over a 13" space on the right. I could def. mount a couple pull outs on the floor of the cabinet for something or other. I will make sure of clearances for the pantry. Really want to squeeze at least an 18" wide door on the pantry to the right of the fridge. That pantry will be like a 'blind cabinet', extending behind the side of the 15" deep pantry on the east (fireplace) wall. So the space showing for the door will be approx 21" wide. I was thinking right side hinges with a 2" clearance on that side and an inch next to the fridge? I thought in that 'hidden recess' area I'd have 15" shelves and then leave the rest open for brooms, mops, probably recycling etc. The 15" deep pantry on the FP wall: I'd like to have drawers but I don't know if that would be useful to have such shallow depth drawers? Maybe someone has them out there in GW land and can weigh in? I'd have just fixed 15" shelves in the upper part then. Yeah, I know the top of the fridge is unusually gross and greasy. Probably should have doors there but I was thinking it would be a good place to show off my father's giant wooden Ceasar salad bowl. The thing is about 2 feet around so it doesn't fit on any normal shelf! As for cabs: I'm really liking pics of cabinets made with fir. Also, just found a painted finish that I mentioned above to Lavender. That's all still out there as of yet. Thanks for all your ideas and time BL! Here is a link that might be useful:

One more change...right (LOL)...but I'm optimistic, this time! At least everything else in the plan is wonderful and I haven't changed a thing, except some kitchen details. The square island...while I like the seating not being 'lined up' it just feels so BIG. I mean a 5' x 5' piece of butcher block is going to be, well, BIG! So, I found this picture in Country French magazine. I know some of you have seen it in my other post, but I wanted to update this one...just in case Mvjc might want to play with the software this weekend! :) Here's the picture...and what I like is the idea of the butcher block island for prep, but the smaller marble table pushed up to it, for seating. It doesn't feel so heavy and the nieces/nephews are still not lined up in a row. From Lavender Lass farmhouse pictures And the plan with the changes...including a few more upper cabinets by the sink and range. The range has a bigger hood/vent, too. From Lavender Lass farmhouse pictures

But lirio, you didn't answer number 9 ... nobody likes me? ; ) *wink* We're a family of just two as well. AND we eat out or to go orders almost every meal (except cereal). Talk about a fish out of water planning a kitchen !! But thanks for the kudos. Maybe I did learn a little something in all these years. By popular request, here is what we have for the plan for the rest of that floor so far. Nothing special, a couple bedrooms, 2 baths, 1/2 bath, and an elevator (a "must have" as it's 25 steps just from ground level up to the first floor!!) . . . Next floor up has 4 bedrooms, small office, 4 baths, a 1/2 bath, laundry, and a 2nd small living area (basically a sofa facing tv - a great area we will have set up for kids to hang out and play XBox). The office and the 2nd living area have Murphy beds so they can do double duty at night. Top floor is lookout/3rd living area, and 12x18 deck opening to roof (8x18 covered porch with table/chairs and 4x18 open deck). Please note, per local Bldg Code, the footprint of this home cannot be changed or increased even one inch. LWO, I also thought the island looked kinda spindly and top heavy. That was one of the things that I was feeling a bit concerned with. The wings on the working sides remind me of the Flying Nun. It might be hard to make a beverage bar work at the end of the dining table as we have 5'4" between table edge and stairs on left side at the half bath and as you can see above, that will be a thoroughfare. Plus, this area needs to be clear for times when the tables have to be split, also wide enough for a wheelchair to pass (house is not 100% ADA, but it is wheelchair friendly). As far as cooking goes, when it is just us the answer is "no!", there are way too many great restaurants to explore there. Other families do to varying degrees, there are even some families that eat pretty much every meal at the house. Yes, there will also be a great grilling/tiki bar/picnic area on the ground floor (code is no grills on decks). I really appreciae hearing from those of you who do rent places at the beach and how they work (or don't work) for your family. Control, where do you guys vacation ? Most of the time when people say Outer Banks, they are referring to somewhere between Kitty Hawk/Nags Head/Hatteras area. You should give the southern beaches a try ! Our water temp is 10 degrees warmer than Hatteras, wide easy sloping beach with gentle waves and no drop offs, public beach access every 500ft, very family oriented beach (almost all houses, a few 2 story condos, and only one high rise all the way at the end), easy ~20 minutes to North Myrtle tourist mecca if you want a day trip, but lots to do nearby if you want to stay local. In our other house, we have 14 at dining table, 4 at bar, and 6 at patio table right outside the door next to the dining table. So 24 all right together (plus 2 picnic tables under the house). This house will have enough dining if you count the additional dining on the other levels, but definitely a shortage on this level ! Ideas to gain aisle space between stove & island: shorten depth of island cabinet to 22" instead of 24" (wasted space behind back side of drawers anyway), shorten overhang to 13" instead of 15", overhang on front edge of cabinets 1.5" instead of 2" = 47" aisle counter to counter Ideas to gain aisle space in 2 aisles from sink to fridges: can elevator shaft be narrowed any?, fold-down or pullout overhangs. One of those slap forehead, duh why didn't I think of that moments. (note to email plllog, anyone else have fold-downs in their kitchen?) = 46" aisle on each end NKBA suggests 48" aisles for multiple cooks. Can we get away with any less ? Group of moms: I am imagining people lined around the wall - 1 on left of big sink, 1 on right sharing water, 1 at stove, 1 at prep, possibly even 1 to right of prep = 5 workers and nobody has to work butt-to-butt. How much is minimum space we could get away with and still feel comfortable "enough" with a person working at a counter and allowing enough room for another to walk past behind them ? I found on BH&G ... "A 42-inch-wide aisle between opposite countertops is fine, but 48 inches is best where appliances compete, two people work back-to-back, or stools pull out. More than 48 inches is overkill." Noted 3 votes for moving prep sink to island. Where is best place for prep sink and pros/cons ? My original thinking was right of range to avoid butt-to-butt at range and prep in island, but I am open for changes ! Thoughts ? Bigger window at cleanup sink = Yes ! How about 44" wide and coming all the way down to the countertop, with granite going into the window sill ? The house is oceanfront, which is why almost the entire living and dining wall is all windows. I agree the window at the prep sink looks a little out of place. I am open to removing that. I had put it in because this is the view out the prep window . . . Appliances: I am pretty sure that range has 5 burners. I really do think 2 fridges are needed. It can be 90-100 degrees in high summer, which means it takes a lot of space for sodas, milk, juice, water, beer for 20+ people. We usually use one fridge for food stuff and the other whole fridge for beverages. Complete with magnet labels that say "Food" and "Drinks", so you don't have to open both to find what you are looking for. By my measurements, DW open does go into the person at the range's space, but very little, like 1 inch (so range person has 24x29 personal space instead of 24x30). Not sure if the ice maker is crucial ??? What do you guys think ? I wonder if the 2 freezer ice makers can keep up ? Also, would there be enough room if part of the freezer space has to be for store bought ice ? Small Appliances/Pantry: Pantry is planned to be the space for all of the small appliances on the 14" deep shelves to side, a little locked area for us to use as pantry & liquor when we have to leave for a week for an incoming guest (not carry everything all back home, only to carry it back the next weekend), recycling bin, and for pantry space for guests. I have seen groups of guests in the grocery store walking out with 4 gallons of milk, 6 loaves of bread, and etc, so "enough" pantry is important. It doesn't have to be this layout. My concerns/questions: - the look of the island (too small, tall & spindly, top heavy) - DW's/sink/trash layout - sink, then DW, then trash? or sink, then trash, then DW? but need space on right side of DW to unload into uppers - ice maker - yes/no ? - where to locate prep sink - where to throw trash at prep sink - window at prep sink ? - which way to hinge pantry door - aisles width - dining shortage ACK !! I tried to keep this short & concise. Ha. My husband says I talk too much. (and my friends laugh because they all tell me in private they think he talks more than ME!)

Doesn't have to be boring at all! Have you seen the fantastic kitchens that have the range centered between 2 windows?! I've seen some photos posted here that look wonderful. And it really frames the hood and does make it and the range into a focal point. Are you using an existing fridge? If not, you could get a panel front one and put a matching full-ht cabinet at the foyer end of the sink wall. Also, what I would do on the L of the stove wall is put really pretty uppers to add some character interest...Or make a hutch look with uppers down to the counter if you don't need the work space. In either case, I would run the cabinets straight to the window wall rather than wrap around the corner. I don't think you'll lose much in the way of storage, and I think it's a less mundane look than the corner cabinet option, and maybe will also give you a little more flexibility with window location...You could shift them a little toward the front door if it would look better from the front. Your pantries can be another place where you choose to stay plain, or 'pretty things up.'