Thanks Pecan! ;-) "I see you moved my label for the fridge back to the left hand side. I know that is what is drawn there, but we were thinking that would put the fridge in the main traffic path." Just my opinion, but I think the location of the fridge creates a main traffic path -- kind of like the bar at a party. People are always going to and from the fridge, so it should be located in an area that's convenient to major public rooms and to the cook, and for safety's sake, outside of or peripheral to the cook's main work zone. This location puts it close to the breakfast room, eating bar, and (I'm guessing) family room. "He is telling us that clients that have insisted on having the sink on the same platform as the eating bar regretted it." Probably true. But others have regretted putting their cooktops there, and others have regretted putting nothing there. You need to focus just on how you want to live and how you actually live now. How do you envision using that seating area? Eating there most of the time? Visiting with the cook during meal prep time? Kids doing homework while the cook prepares dinner? Guests hanging out in the kitchen during parties? And are you absolutely sold on a 1-level surface? There are plenty of good arguments for a raised eating bar, one of them being to visually screen the mess behind. Yes, it's a 'little' less open, but even for a shorty like me, it's still plenty open. I was kind of intrigued by Jamesk's suggestion to put neither one there, so I sketched up two other versions. Neither is without its drawbacks, but both get all fixtures off the peninsula.

Wow - some big ideas here. Thanks all!! The biggest first - lavender - thanks so much! This is almost more than I can take in at first and will need to be printed and studied. I like lots of the concepts here, especially just blasting away all the walls to created the jumbo LR (which is actually just about the size of the existing FR on the other side - which got me to thinking about just KEEPING the kitchen where it is, darn it all!!). Of course, money is a factor and I don't know enough about how this impacts the bottom line . . . We had long considered putting the kitchen in the FR but I wasn't sure it was truly big enough for a generous eat-in area and I'm not a fan of the banquette (we live in a rental and I have smashed a table into our kitchen here and we are all tired of climbing over each other). We had already been thinking of the DR as a semi-library so I love where you're going there and having a FP in the same room is only a bonus! (Although we do like to sit around the FP and tell stories, so I'm not sure about giving up that . . . ) It's all keyed to your question of what spaces we need and how we really live in them. We are just past the ages of toys scattered everywhere - and this is our forever house, in theory. So I want to design for the teenage years but without worrying too much about empty nesting, which is 15 years away. It's also about flow, and maximizing light. The idea of a play/family room off the back is interesting, but I wonder if it would feel squandered to the kids. And I love the laundry concept (although I think there's a way to claim back some of that space lost to the hallway). We had been assuming we'd need to keep it in the basement (or cleverly squeeze it in upstairs) because it's too small where shown on the drawings. I have to mull this all over . . . Back to the concept of the kitchen where designed: Controlfreak's idea of shallower lockers is true, esp. if the fridge location is changed. I don't envision actual lockers, but nice cabinetry which would have doors to shut away the mess. With those floor-to-ceiling windows, we wanted to keep furniture away from window walls, which is why they ended up there. (Still dreaming of a true mud room.) I'm open to MW below, but I also like mama_goose's idea to put it by the pantry/coffee station, esp. if we relocate the fridge, which is an idea with merit. I can see why you don't call yourself a designer MG - you're an artist! Your kitchen is a DIY masterpiece! We did our last one DIY and I'm actually relieved at this stage to be getting help . . . but it's no less stress to get the details right. But it's not really stressful - more of a fun, exciting, wonderful opportunity!! Your idea of a moveable table is really spot-on and could be just the thing. If I leave the range where it is, I think it could stay under the window, by code (according to architect). Because of the deeper counters, plus the window ledge, it would be extra deep and with a good exhaust, shouldn't be a cleaning problem. A bigger problem is our unique stucco exterior that makes replacing/shortening a window easier (add a window box, or detail) but not taking one out/moving it completely - it could never be matched. The drawings might be slightly off because the range should be comfortable centered in front of the window (window and cooktop would both be around 33"). But I'm open to shifting it all to the left - just wonder if it's getting far from everything else (if I leave the primary triangle as is, not if I shift the fridge location). Range is fine too - I've actually never had anything else! As I was about to post this, I saw something else had come in. Off to process some more . . . . Grazie!!

Palimpsest (I'm so tempted to shorten that to just Pal). I do and don't get it. People feel that putting the big hood over the island interferes with the openness of the kitchen. But I don't entirely get that because a) people (sometimes the same ones) will ooh and ahh over the wonderfulness of pendants, a chandelier or even a chunky pot rack over an island; b) I have said big hood over my island and don't find that it interferes with visibility - the old over island cabinets did because they went across the whole island length while the hood only goes over part of it and doesn't even fill the space over the burners since it narrows to a chimney. There are also less substantial looking ones that one could use; we went with a pretty hefty one. The island hood doesn't get to have the "statement" backsplash under it like the wall hood does. In a kitchen with a floor above, an island hood also presents the problem of how to get the vent from the hood to the outside. That was no problem for us because we are in a one story and could go straight up through the attic space. From the floor plan, BalTra's is probably two story. If the joists in the ceiling run the right way, a vent might be able to go through them to the backdoor wall, but it would also have to get through or around the wall with the HVAC. Even a hood on the West wall might need a soffit to get a vent to the outside if it can't fit between ceiling joists. Some people go with a recirculating hood to at least filter grease, odors and smoke over an island hood because of the difficulty of running a vent. In our case there was a joist right above where the vent should go if it ran straight up from a hood positioned properly over our rangetop. I've seen a home with the vent hood half over the cooktop and half over the island counter behind it which I assume was for this reason. In some cases one can cut that part of the joist out running it to adjacent joists that have been sistered, but in our case, the joist in question was already sistered to make the light box space. Our solution was to have a slanting vent cover made. We love the way our layout works for us, but it does have some cost. Because an island hood has to support itself from just the ceiling and be finished on all 4 sides, it usually costs from $500 to $1000 more than the wall version of the same model. In our case, the custom vent cover added a couple of hundred over the cost of a standard one. It was worth it to us.

Is your space similar to Scrappy25's? Her recent three threads are the first thing that came to mind when I read your post. She's created a thoughtful working kitchen with sink in the peninsula. It's hard to chime in without knowing where you're placing your range and the room dimensions. I have my large sink in my island which is open to the dining room on the left and living room in front so we have the same concerns of visibility of kitchen business and mess. A large deep sink does it's job as a work horse and also hides. Here's a shot after DH cleaned up from kitchen view And living room view - the mess is hardly noticeable. I also use a small drainer and I typically put it in my shallow side ledge, but I always had it in my old double sink. We only leave things to air dry when company is not here and the first person up in the morning puts it away. It's really not an issue and does not distract from the look of the kitchen. I have a friend with a bi-level counter separating kitchen from family room with a sink on the kitchen side. It's a very different look which definitely creates separation but does not give the flexibility of counter expanse. I think you would need a lot of space on the dining side to do a bi-level, otherwise it may feel cramped and appear out of balance. Regarding cleaning equipment, I have a soap dispenser built-in and designed under cab pullout storage for sponges, scrubbies, and cleaning supplies on the left and recycle and trash on the right. No cleaning supplies are left out. It's very efficient and as scrappy stated, the kitchen cockpit. I think it gets down to what you're looking to accomplish, a great work space or open counter for serving and sitting. To me the bonus is the large expanse you get on the perimeter where the sink would be under the window. I love that as my baking space. Ultimately, everyone gravitates to the kitchen whether there are peninsulas, islands, single or bi-level, big or small, open or closed. They are going to see you cooking or cleaning and see the bi-products. It's a part of the process and the fun. A big deep sink and good organization goes a long way. I know I do not have a peninsula layout but I hope this information helps your dilemma.