I have a range now but my upcoming remodel will have a cooktop and separate wall oven. I have young kids and don't like the range oven being at their height. I would prefer my pots and pans to be under my cooktop, and my baking pans/sheets to be under my oven. JMO.

mls99 - I appreciate your input. My children are all grown, but when they were younger, I agree with you. I would not have wanted a range or under-counter oven. It is convenient to have pots, pans, and bakeware stored close to their respective appliances, but I am always interested to hear different perspectives.

We're in the middle of our kitchen remodel and our old kitchen set up was exactly like yours. With the help of a kitchen designer and architect, we've opted for a cooktop and double 27" wall ovens. We'll still have enough storage without the inconvenience of bending for the oven. It also helps with flow. Hope this helps. A

Thanks, ainsley. I would love to have a second oven, but I don't think I can spare the storage space. Right now, the cupboard/drawers above and below my single oven are full.... Wish I could find a KD to give me some options - all of the KD's in my area are affiliated with cabinet dealers. Wish I could find one who is 'unbiased', since I plan to have custom cabinets done.

Another bonus of the separate setup that you currently have is that someone can check on what's in the oven without disturbing the person at the stove. That may not matter in your situation. Also, the wall oven is perhaps easier to see into to check your food, and at a more ergonomic position as far as getting things in and out. Are they really much smaller than ones that come with a freestanding range? I've never really had one, but have been planning to move to that in my faraway remodel because I want an induction cooktop, because I want my pots under my cooktop, and because I want one person to be able to check the roast while the other person makes the fried rice, and so my small children will quit opening to oven- but they'll be grown before we get to our remodel ;)

Since you voiced a desire for unbiased opinions I suggest you post some plans and ask the people on this forum. They are amazing... knowledgable, generous, and extremely helpful. I'm certain someone way more experienced then I could give you some great remodeling advise AND adhere to the perimeters you wish to establish. That being said... what you do depends on how long you plan on remaining in your home and your budget. Many people go for the separate cooktop and wall oven either underneath for the look of a range or wall oven. When I do my final remodel... I will be using a similar setup with an induction cooktop. For now I have a range. I didn't realize that the ovens in a range were significantly bigger then a wall oven. I'll have to post a question about that on the Appliance Forum....

I've got a cooktop and a wall oven, and I wouldn't have it any other way, mostly for the reasons you mention - drawers for pots & pans below, baking pans near the oven. In my remodel I'm changing from a 24 inch single wall oven to a 30 inch double wall oven, but I can't imagine switching to a range.

Also, I find the wall oven to be much more comfortable than the range oven I used to have. My kids are grown, and this isn't the time I want to start bending down (and straightening up again!) to do heavy lifting.

Hi - We had a similar layout to yours prior to remodel: single wall oven (drawers underneath, deep cab above) plus electric cooktop with pots and pans underneath. We replaced the wall oven cabinet with a tall cabinet with shelves plus two deep drawers below. We switched to a gas range. We didn't expand the kitchen or cabinetry but we have a lot more space for all the things you mention. Space is more efficiently used post-remodel due to drawers in the lower cabinets and functional lazy susans in the corners. If you want a range, and post your ideas for a layout, I bet folks here can help you make it work.

Due to space limitations (and the fact that I literally fell in love with a range), I went with a range. It's working well for me. I'm not a baker, so I don't need a second oven. My pots and pans are stored in the island just around the corner from my range. The pots and pans are behind the double doors closets to the camera in the first pic. My pots and pans pullouts are so large that I would have had to have a very big rangetop if I were to do the pullouts below the range. I choose my pots and pans before I start a recipe, so I don't find that I'm having to run back to the pullouts throughout the cooking process.

I spent six months agonizing over this exact question! My poorr KD had to redesign between 48" range and 36" rangetop and double wall ovens! Looking back at how often I waffled between the two - I feel sorry for the poor man! But, he didn't give up on me and I finally made a decision.

Unlike soonermagic, I AM a baker. I had double wall oven in my last house and I LOVED having two ovens for baking large batches of bread or muffins. Even cooking supper I found two ovens helpful - it didn't matter if two items cooked at different times and temperatures. I had two ovens. I also loved not having to bend down to check how something was cooking. My delima was - I loved the look of the 48" range and the extra countertop space!!

But, in the end, I could't get past having to bend down to get things out of the oven. We are committed to this house for the long haul - which means I'm only going to get older, not younger, and in 10-15 years I'd probably be frustrated with bending over to check how my muffins are browning!

And the truth be told, when I was pretending to fit everything in my drawings, I didn't like the storage with the range. I actually like the storage layout with the rangetop and double wall ovens! I like having my pots and pans below the rangetop. I have a deep drawer set between the rangetop and ovens for casserole dishes, pie plates, bread pans etc. Above the ovens I have my cookie sheets and muffin pans and below it I have cooling racks and cutting boards. I think you'd be surprised by how much you can store in a double oven cabinet along with your ovens!

And price: I was looking for a high powered BTU gas rangetop with a 'pro look' and I wanted good convection for baking my bread in the oven. When you seperate your appliances you can pick and choose with more versatility. I was able to get just what I wanted and needed from my appliances for several thousand less than the (gorgeous!!) Wolf and Dacor ranges - which I had my eye on! With that money saved I splurged intead on an integrated refrigerator! But I didn't have to compromise what I was looking for in these appliances, I just had more chooses because they were seperate.

Because I have a large island (my husband refers to it as "the continent"!) I had plenty of countertop space and felt good about putting in the double wall ovens. So, think through cost, space, bending issues, size of ovens etc. into your plans for cooking. It took me a while to make that decision, but once I did I felt good about it. I thought through BOTH options very thoroughly.

We opted for a rangetop and a double wall oven. Storage was not a problem...we put 2 deep drawers under the rangetop for all sauce and saute pans, and then a deep drawer under the double wall ovens for baking pans, etc. There is also a storage area above the wall ovens that's quite large.

It's great not having to bend down very much for things. I also love having the ovens at a height where you can just open them and put the pans in without bending down.

And you'd be surprised at how much you can store in deep drawers in base cabinets. We have all deep drawers in our base units, no shelves or doors. We can put everything in them including a deep pasta pot.

Thanks to everyone for their input - it has really helped me to get perspective on what might work best for me within the space constraints of my kitchen. While I love the look of the vintage and commercial ranges, I am leaning toward putting in another cooktop and maybe double ovens. My current wall oven is set into a wooden cabinet which is set into a brick column (not sure what else to call it) that runs from floor to ceiling. So unless the brick column is removed, I will be limited by the size of the opening which the cabinet will be set into, if that makes sense. I would not mind tearing out the brick column but will have to find out whether it can be done easily. The custom cabinet man is coming out this afternoon to give me an estimate, so I am hoping that he can give me some suggestions. Again thanks so much for all of your advice.

Brick wall. Years ago I had a microwave and wall oven installed where a double oven had been. It was larger than the opening and the installer used some type of cutter to enlarge the space and it took him 20 minutes.

If you are still looking for input, I'll give you my experiences. I would prefer a range, however, I really wanted induction, so I got a cooktop over a single wall oven. I don't really like how low the oven is, and I wish the handle didn't stick out quite as much. That being said - I have a small kitchen and needed counter space more than a higher oven. Also, I don't like to bake and use my oven only 2-3 times a week. So having it in a somewhat inconvenient spot is fine.

In the house that we live in full time (and built 14 years ago), we have a down-draft cooktop and built-in microwave/oven combo. I love this set-up and am currently finishing the kitchen design on a vacation house that we are building. We are using almost the same layout there that we have at home because the kitchen has been so useable for us.

We're going to put in a slide-in range (no drips down the sides) that has a convection oven and a warming drawer (can be used for storage). Also instead of a second oven (no room, small kitchen) we opted for a microwave/convection oven. I can't wait to get them installed! Good luck!