I can see where it would "work" from the color rendering, but it almost appears more like a TV set than a warm and inviting kitchen. Just my $.02.

Personally I like the pantry door stepped back, but a bigger concern is that I don't know that those 2 islands are deep enough to be as useful as you think they will be.Also, it doesn't seem like you have enough space around the prep sink to actually prep. Have you considered an "L" shaped kitchen with an island. I'm thinking you could have cabinetry that extends out from the range wall at the opposite end of the pantry and then an island that runs parallel to that.

Can you show what the rest of the space looks like?

I hope the fact that it's not a complete rendering and that back wall just stops mid-air might be playing into your thoughts of it looking like a TV set.

We're not a big fan of corners in kitchens, wasted space... The center islands are 2' wide each and the other one is 3'. I have a friend with a 2' wide island and she loves it. Isn't a typical countertop 2' wide?

You can see the basic floor plan at the link below. We have made quite a few changes, mainly stretching the two master bedrooms back to eliminate those porches, and 1/2 of the right bedroom's "porch" became my pantry. We also changed the entrance to the center bedroom a bit, making the corner wall not so wide. I think those are all the changes that would affect the kitchen area. My plans aren't in jpg so I don't know how to post them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Periwinkle floor plan

Wow.. interesting set up!

It LOOKS like you have enough space to bring the pantry out but I'm not sure how big your dining room is. If it works out, I think the mini wall will be useful as you envision, and you could do an echoing wall on the other side to create symmetry in the DR if flow permits. I'm clearing out a lot of walls in my remodel but creating some as well so that I have space to put stuff against as well (baby stuff, bird cages, etc). I'm getting ambitious about mouldings so I'm also looking forward to the the architectural interest it will add.

Are you open to comments/questions on your layout beyond the pantry? What's the purpose of having your prep sink right next to the range? There's not enough room to prep there, it would be for dumping/filling water only. To be honest, I think you'd be much better served by an L + 1 island setup, but I don't know what's going on to the left of the kitchen. Can you post a plan of the rest of the house so we can see the traffic flow better?

Also, you'll get more comments if you post your pictures within the thread. To do this, open a photobucket account, upload your photo, and post the HTML code in the body of the post. Here's a pic showing where the HTML code is (not my pic):

Color Rendering...

I think it is an interesting idea to explore conceptually but I have my doubts as to how it will function.

One of the things that it does esthetically is it sets up this almost ceremonial symmetry in the foreground which is not carried through to the back elevation: the back elevation is asymmetrical with a lot of weight on the left side and no balancing visual weight on the right. So the most important (really the only) elevation is the weakest link visually. It would be okay for the back elevation not to be symmetrical (or at least more balanced) if there were not all that symmetry out front. If you don't want to carry that through, I would really re-think the three islands and perhaps try and see if two, asymmetrical islands would work better.

There was a kitchen in here last month (?) that was setting up something like this and although I was not a huge fan of that one either, at least it carried through the symmetry to the elevations.

I'm not loving it, but I'm looking at how the two smaller islands are simple a divided barrier island -- so that instead of a great barrier island you have two lesser barrier islands. Trying to get around that seems to be the prep sink that is too close to the range for me. You lose a lot of function on that side of the range -- and that's the side moving toward your table where you would want to plate or serve. You can't simply turn around because both islands are set to the side of the range.

I'd rather have one island in the center and put the prep sink there -- but that would really be better if you had a deeper island -- 30-36". Or take two islands and turn them 90 degrees to the 3 proposed (the range would be open to the great room which would work better if you had a more decorative hood and relocated the micro).

What about making your three islands into one huge U-shaped island? Or an L-shape and a second island?

Use the space on the inside for the cook, and on the outside for guests. A large perimeter would allow for LOTS of space, and keep you in the center of the action when you entertain.

If the two center islands are just for storage, what about doing a taller two-sides storage structure that functions as a semi-room divider? There really IS such a thing as 'too open', and a 48", 60" or even 72" high storage structure can still keep an open feeling...

I do see what you're saying re. the symmetry. something to think about. I'd love to see pics of the similar kitchen that accomplished appropriate symmetry, if anyone knows where to locate that thread. I'd also love ideas on how to fix the rear symmetry. Perhaps keeping the pantry door back would help, as it seems so "bulky" the way it is in the color rendering.

As for the prep sink, I totally understand that one too. What I really wanted was a pot filler. But it seems so many people feel pot fillers are risky w/o a sink underneath, so then I thought, "Why not put a small prep sink by the range (with a butcher block or similar cover) and use a pot filler as the faucet?" That way, I can fill my pots--I do a lot of canning in the summer and constantly add water to the boiling pots. Maybe I should stick with a pot filler only, or skip the idea entirely. I wasn't necessarily looking for a "prep sink" to cut veggies or anything, since we'll have huge gardens and will need the large sink for any work of that nature.

We also considered the 90 degree islands. We liked the barrier of this concept, since this is our only living/family room as well. I love an open floor plan, but this one is so open, there are a lot of factors to consider!

Thanks so much for all your input. And Buehl, Thanks a million times for fixing my pics. I only use flickr and was having some trouble getting it right.

I am confused looking at all of the islands and it makes me nervous. (But I am blonde;)

I completely understand your need for storage. That many islands will break up your entertaining.

Have you considered one ginormous island? I have seen this done, but don't have any photos. We were looking at condos, about a year ago, and we came across one with a gigantic center island. I thought it looked like a really fun place to cook and hang out. It probably measured at least 8 by 8 foot, but maybe even 10. I know you would never be able to utilize the center of it, but we all really liked the look and feel of it. If you did a very large center island, maybe you could increase your pantry space as well.

Here is the link to that two island kitchen remodel...

Here is a link that might be useful: dr. jay's kitxhen

I'm thinking maybe more like a galley kitchen with an island. Make 1 deep, long island. Maybe 4-5' deep and then the length of the back wall. If you recess the pantry door, maybe you could move the pantry door down to the right a little bit to gain some extra space on the back wall.

What about turning the islands 90 deg and creating 2 islands similar to Dr. Jay's set-up?

It would help to see the rest of your downstairs floor plan, too.

I love your vision for your island, but I'm thinking that Doonie's idea of one ginormous island would be bring to life the picture of you and friends canning and whatever together engaged in a common effort or at least chit chatting with one another while you were engaged in your individual efforts..... I searched my island pics for inspiration and found some lovely, lovely islands that would allow for lots of friends, several simultaneous tasks, as well as plenty of storage, as well as a sink -- these three all happen to be Christopher Peacock creations (nobody does islands like that man, nobody.).

I think the other option worth exploring is two islands perpendicular to the storage wall and moving the clean up to the storage wall instead of the range. I'm thinking a 4 x 8 and a 4 x 6 ish. So you end up with an island hood - so what?

Also, 12 x 12 isn't a large dining area and I don't know how much I'd invade that space.

To me, this layout is disturbing, for a couple of reasons.

First, you might as well name the two little islands Scylla and Charybdis. It's easy to imagine all sorts of hip-to-countertop collisions people would suffer running back and forth from the refridge to the main sink to the range. And two people going to the sink at the same time--one from the refridge, one from the range--would look like a hockey game.

It's also visually disturbing. Normally, when you walk into a kitch en with an island, you gravitate toward a clearly defined place, depending whether you're cooking or chatting. Here, you don't know where to sit or stand, and all the islands seem to invade the space meant for people. Without an L, and without an anchor on the only elevation, those islands also fail to cleanly snap into the visual pattern of the room, and raise lots of menacing visual questions. "Where did you come from? Are you going to come at me further? Where can I be safe from you?" This arrangement also heavily emphasizes the aisle between the range and main sink, making it seem naked and exposed.

I think a large island, not necessarily a continent, might be worth exploring to give you the space you need, both for counters and storage.

Just my two cents.

It sounds like with the big projects you're envisioning with multiple workers, a properly placed and sized 2nd sink would be helpful?

Also, yes, standard counters are 2 ft deep, but there is a wall behind to push things up against. With 2 ft open into space, you'll end up with a lot of things on the floor, I think. Sometimes no one can fit more than a 2 ft island, so it's a blessing to have at all, but with this much space, I think you could do better.

Have you considered a "T"? Move the island w/the sink down to approx 42" in front of the range and then have an attached 51" wide island coming off the center of the sink island? You could then have cabinets all along the leg of the "T" on both sides. Maybe at the end leave about 24" of space for someone to sit on both sides + one person on the end. Something like this...

Large/Continent Islands...One thing to keep in mind about those "continent" islands...cleaning. Can you reach at least to the center of the island easily for cleaning? I think an 8' wide island would be difficult for most people to easily wipe down.

Here is our floor plan for that living/kitchen area (the cabinet layout is just a placeholder design). I appreciate everyone's input, but here is our dilemma: That back wall is the ONLY wall we have and it is not very long. All of the alternate ideas that have been mentioned would work well if we had an adjacent wall, but our islands are our kitchen. I'm still open to ideas. . .

Thank you, Buehl, for your thoughtful suggestion. I'm unsure if it would be difficult to access the leg of the "T" as a work space. ITA with you on the "continents." Here's a pic of our kitchen with one large island. Horrible IMO. By the time you have a fridge and range/microhood on the back wall and a sink/DW on the island, there's little work or storage space. It just seems so "basic."

I would consider closing up the kitchen a bit on the right. I understand your desire for openness, however, you are looking straight into a bathroom and what looks like a basement stair landing and there is No transitional space into the bedroom from the kitchen at all: countertop or fridge are five inches from the bedroom.

All negatives of the open plan in that particular area, IMO. While it is still on paper, I would consider a wall or peninsula + cabinets along that area to create a bit of a buffer between the bathroom and bedrooms

What is to the SW of the kitchen with the angled door facing the kitchen? A more formal dining space, or bedroom or office? Can you run some wall at the south end of the kitchen? If so, it would remind me a lot of twogirlsbigtrouble's kitchen layout, and I wonder if with some tweaking you could end up with something as useful and nice (not too basic). Hers also had an open dining space at the fridge end of the plan and the great room to the left, across the sink counter area:

Here is a link that might be useful: twogirlsbigtrouble...only photos of her kitchen I could find

I think Buehl's T has a lot going for it, but I'd turn it around: Have the long side on the LR side, and the short sides within the kitchen.

Is there any way to squeeze the clean-up sink and DW on the back wall? Do similar treatments over the sink and stove to make it attractive? I have my cooktop a DW away from my clean-up sink. Some people argue that's not spread out enough, but so far I'm absolutely loving it, and if you could do that you'd open up a lot of work space on the island. Considering all your open space and windows, you'll probably want to be facing away from that back wall for all your prep anyway.

I think it could be laid out rather efficiently that way, and still look good.

Another option would be to have two larger islands side by side, perhaps in some kind of rhombus shape that make the passages easier and maximize the storage space.

I'm with plllog -- can you switch/flip the kitchen and living room? And if you get rid of the living room fireplace, assuming that's what that is on the north wall, you'd have three walls, basically a U-shape kitchen, *and* room for an island.

how about an island - as long as possible (allowing for aisles on each end) having an angled 'wing' on each end - like the 'wing' below. maybe a bit longer. sort of similar to buehl's k*itchen.

have a rounded overhang on the LR side for guests to sit.

{{!gwi}}

How about this...

I'm a very visual person, so thank you to those who are taking the time to post drawings and pictures. The idea of it being "too open" had never really occurred to me in that way. Behind the kitchen is the children's bedroom, and having their door so close could be too noisy. The openness also creates a privacy issue for the guest bath. The angled door off the kitchen is another bedroom which will probably be used as guest space / office.

I'm liking the idea Rhome had of using the Twogirlsbigtrouble layout, building a wall to separate all the doors from the kitchen. I also detest corners in kitchens so the idea of having a linen closet (another issue we were having with that guest bath) on the other side is appealing.

If we stop at the door in that layout, we eliminate another problem we were having of the kitchen overtaking the living room, but still may have enough countertop and storage.

I just feel a need to maximize any available space for countertop. What appealed to me so much about the original design was the designated counter space.

Here is a very rough idea we're playing with now. Obviously nothing is to scale and we still need to get the refrigerator in somewhere. The idea is a 4' or maybe even 5' island as long as we can make it without taking over the living room or dining area.