I agree with others about a corner cooktop taking up a lot of space, etc. They can also be difficult to install properly. Ask if there is an additional installation fee for the corner cooktop + hood...the hood is probably the most difficult aspect of a corner cooktop. (It it were a range, then both range & hood would be an issue.) Your island is a "barrier" island - that means it's in the path b/w the sink and the refrigerator. At the very least I would do three things: (1) Move the DW to the right of the sink to get it out of the path b/w the sink and the cooktop - it will only take a couple of shin bruises as you go to/from the sink and cooktop for you to rue the day you put it on the left! (2) Move the trash pullout to the left of the sink so it's usable from the Cooking Zone as well. Far more trash & recyclables are generated when prepping and cooking than cleaning up - so place it where it's most useful. (3) If the refrigerator is not built-in, then either widen the doorway next to the refrigerator so the refrigerator doors stick out into the doorway OR put a 12" pantry or utility pullout b/w the doorway and the refrigerator. The doors of non-built-in refrigerators need to stick out past all the surrounding walls, cabinets, and counters to allow the doors to open fully. You need approx 12". [Since you say you cannot move the refrigerator, then widen the doorway.] What is the purpose of the mini-fridge? Does it really belong in the kitchen? If it's for drinks or wine, I'd leave it where it is - out of the path of someone trying to work in the kitchen so someone getting a drink won't be in your way. Prep Zone...Prepping in this kitchen will be problematical. The ideal Prep Zone: Has a water source, Has at least 36" of counterspace (42" is even better) b/w the sink and cooktop/range, and Is near the cooktop/range (next to or, if it's not the cleanup sink, directly across from it) You do not have that anywhere. Most of your counter space is where it will not be particularly useful b/c there's no water - behind the island to the left & right of the cooktop. Note: You should also have 18" to 24" on the non-prep side of the cooktop for emergency landing space (or landing space in general) You would be better off: Moving the cleanup sink to the refrigerator perimeter wall with the DW on the right and the trash on the left Moving the cooktop to the left and out of the corner Then, get rid of the to-the-counter cabinets on both sides to gain needed counterspace. This would give you a water source + counterspace + cooktop with the workflow Refrigerator --> Sink --> prep counter space --> cooktop. It would also give you a nice expanse of uninterrupted counterspace in the island. While there's enough room for a prep sink in the island, I really don't there's enough enough room for a sink that functions as both a cleanup and prep sink - unless you add another couple of feet to the length of the island. Island Seating...How much space is b/w the island and that row of cabinets + counter behind it? You need at least 48" if you don't plan to use that counter much, if you do plan to use it, aim for 60". How deep is the overhang for the seats? You need at least 15" of clear leg/knee space. This means 15" after you account for the decorative door panels on the back and side of the cabinets in the island. Is that island at least 48" deep? That's what you need to have two seats on the side - 24" per seat and no shared leg space with the seat around the corner. Do you have children or plan to have children while still in the house? Then plan for a multi-cook kitchen if you plan to have them help cleanup, prep, or cook. (If you have adult children, will they be bringing their families over and will they be "helping" in the kitchen?) It sounds like looks are more important to you than function - is that the case? It's your kitchen, so if you're a "form over function" person, than we need to know. However, be aware that the vast majority of us are "function over form", so we will be commenting from that perspective. Do you work in the kitchen much? Some people do not...we've even had a couple of people admit that they never cook and that their kitchen is just a "show" kitchen - so don't feel bad if you fall into the rarely cook category! We're all different and we all have different likes/dislikes & priorities. However, I will say this...it is far, far easier to make a functional kitchen look nice than it is to make a nice looking but dysfunctional kitchen more functional. Whatever you decide - good luck!

A prep sink on your island will keep the cook out of the clean-up zone. And that is just as important as keeping the cleaners out of the cooking zone. A MW (not the DW as I first supposed) is fine where you have it. (Although some people don't like it below a counter because they think it is too low. You could try the height if you can mock it up on a chair and use a counter-top model to see how you like it.) That position would allow a "well-trained" (and good luck with that!) household member to snag a snack from the pantry or fridge during the pre-dinner cooking period and walk around the island and approach the MW w/o crossing the action zone. If you primarily use the MW for snacks, not as a routine piece of meal-cooking aparatus) you could even have the MW around the corner from the cooking aisle, further separating the tasks. This would give you useful clear space at your prep counter. You could have a drawer facing the cooking (i.e. at right angles from a rotated MW) aisle below the MW. No rule says you have to all the openings in a corner cab facing the same direction. I use my MW a lot during cooking, so I want it in the cooking zone, though as you have shown it, I want it below counter height. I have mine there now and it's fine. There are also MW drawers that allow access from the top when pulled out. My impression is that they are pricey, but I've never priced one. Mine is just a conventional door model. Remember that pretty much all MWs are hinged on the left as you look at them. The "left of sink DW placement for right-handed people" is something I learned here of GW/KF. I doubted it at first, but after studying video of myself washing dishes, I found it was absolutely correct. You hold the item with your non-dominant while manipulating a scraper or brush with your dominant hand. Both hands are good at simply slotting dishes into DW racks. But if any rearranging of other dishes is needed to make space for the next item, that is usually done with your dominant hand, while the next-in dish is held aloft by the non-dominant one. The point of this is too avoid unnecessary hand-to-hand exchanges (that's where stuff gets dropped) or body twists. Try it yourself and see what I mean. HTH L.

I'm not sure about putting a range under the window. That seems like a recipe for goop and splatter on the window, and also seems likely that, assuming you live in an area with winters, your window is liable to crack/shatter with the temperature extremes of hot from the range vs cold outside. I had that happen in my house when I first moved in, actually, and it didn't even have a range under it, just a sink! So, I'd imagine it being a high risk event with a serious heat source under a window. I think it'd be a lot easier to figure out a good layout with the right side of the diagram filled in. Can you repost a diagram showing what is over there? That way, folks can see traffic flow and imagine any options for that end of the area.

I'm a big fan of Shaker or a simple slab style. They are classic and timeless and will never date your kitchen. I know - there are naysayers that say Shaker is "on its way out". I don't believe it. It's a style that's been around for decades. Shaker and subway tiles aren't going anywhere as they are simple and beautiful and that's how a kitchen should be. Yes, remove the soffits and take your cabinets up high with trim above so they go to the ceiling. I have 8' ceilings and I used 36" cabinets with trim above. The proportions look right - taller cabinets would have not looked right at all. New lighting will make a huge difference in your kitchen. Use pot lights in the ceiling, and under cabinet lighting. It's transformative! I get the feeling that your kitchen is a dumping ground for whatever someone is carrying and doesn't want to put away. Try to find a place other than the kitchen for this. I think you might be able to find a better place for the refrigerator, and I would recommend getting a counter depth one.