The more I think about it the more I doubt cabs in front of the sink would bother me. It's not like they extend to the end of the lower counter so what's the dif if there is a cab or a wall in front of me. And they won't be blocking any view or the light from the window. Sure always nice to have a sink in front of a big window, but we all have to work with the space we have.

Most people probably spend more time prepping and many do it on counters with overhead cabs without any problem. My current layout has a micro over the range which I hate, but not because I feel like it's in my face even though it is because I'm about 5'7'.

If that was my kitchen I'd rather keep the sink where it is rather than move it to the peninsula because I like that wide expanse of countertop uncluttered by a sink. Nice for prepping or using it as a buffet serving area into whatever room it faces. Plus who wants to sit down to eat behind the sink? Not me! You'd have to clean everything away from the sink area before sitting to eat and your current layout keeps the clean up out of that dining area.
How deep is the peninsula anyway?
Here's an example of how bad it would be to sit behind a sink on a narrow peninsula.

Here is a link that might be useful: seating behind sink

I just got back from Ikea, where I did some research for you. Keep in mind I'm probably a little taller than you (5'6") What I found is that if the bottom of the cabinets is at least 20 inches above the counter OR the upper cabinet is no deeper than about 11 inches, everything feels fine. An inch or two really made a big difference. (There were a LOT of kitchen displays that had the cabinets straight over the sink at Ikea, so clearly it's not an unusual way to configure things.)

I also had another idea: could you make the counter on the window run a few inches deeper? I don't know how much that will mess up everything else in your current design, but it would put a few valuable inches between the end of your nose and the upper cabinets.

I really, really appreciate people hanging in there with me on this and actually thinking it through! There are no easy answers here and you all make really good points.

I've been mocking stuff up as best I can on the software program I play with. The first thing I did was go back to the sink issue, basically using the layout hollysprings recommended for the sink peninsula run:

I'm iffy on this as it seems to take up so much of the peninsula. And, because of our small dimensions, we are going to be pushing it to get to 12" of overhand (I know 15" is recommended but we are going to have to just suck it on that because I don't the inches to do it). I don't mind the idea of working at the sink there, and even LIKE that idea. But, I do worry that we are losing the value of having that hang out space once we put the sink there. I'm willing to be extra clean on the peninsula, but it seems like it then becomes our prep space (and not a lot of that, either). Thoughts?

Then I tried to simulate some of the other ideas people had for the exterior wall. Didn't fall in love with any of them, but am including them here so you can see.

Opening shelving over the sink:

A smaller bump-up with glass:

24" uppers with a shelf beneath it, no crown:

(I'm going to have a real time getting into those cabinets without a step stool - and use your imagination to imagine all kinds of stuff on the shelf)

Modern crown with 24" uppers:

(That option brings the cabinets down a bit but then leaves what seems like basically unused space running like a strip down the entire run)

30" cabs with a 24" upper just over the sink:

(Does that just look funny and what do I gain from it?)

Hm...anything else I should try?

Do you have an overhead layout with dimensions?

I can get you a more detailed one very soon. After the KD came out, measured, buried my project, eventually brought me in - only to have every single dimension wrong (and make the peninsula so long it disappeared the entry into it), my partner got out his laser and is finalizing exact measurements. I should have them soon.

In the meantime, I have this. It does NOT include the bump out we are now leaning towards creating at the right end of the range wall to accomodate the W/D better.

Again how deep is the peninsula? Regardless of if you have seating behind the sink or not if the peninsula is one level and not deep enough you'll easily have water splashing on the floor behind it.
And why eat over the sink when there is a table right there?

This post was edited by island on Sat, May 18, 13 at 20:46

Sorry, island. I thought I was clear. The peninsula is basically the width of the 24" cabinets + 12" maximum. I'm with you on this, I think.

If I had enough space to do the "chunky island" thing that I adore, I could put my sink on it. But, that's not reality and we really do want additional seating there.

much prefer the two or three 18 in box cabinets over sink approach or the open shelves over the sink. Do not care for the continuous run of 24 in uppers.

I would preserve the peninsula as it is. I think you have good reasons for putting the sink on the far wall. I like an uninterrupted peninsula and agree with those who would not want to sit there if the sink moved. I like the looks of the long run of cabs on the far wall and I think I'd get used to working there. As someone else said, you don't really spend long blocks of time at the sink if you have a DW. Trust your instincts (easier said than done!).

Been looking at all the pics of back splash windows that I can find before I head to work. From the quick review it seems that most of them with sinks either have the full depth cabs straight across or shorter cabs but still straight across. I can see why you want your sink on that wall, too. It might be not as handy with the sink on the peninsula. Someone's comment about working in front of uppers when one isn't at the sink made me realize that I do that all the time and it doesn't bother me. I think pre-conceived notions about cabinets in my face aside, it does look best with the straight run of cabs across the whole wall. You can't pull those base cabs out even a couple inches more, can you to get a little more relief (and counter space) in front of the sink? Will you be having a stone wall like in the image? That looks great.

If there is a run of counters with nothing on it over by the window you won't use it for anything. If the sink is there you will use it.

If the peninsula has nothing on it, you will still use it for seating.

I agree that the sink is better on the window wall. I think you could get used to the cab over the sink the same way people adjust to a microwave over the stove. I personally wouldn't care for it. I think either open shelves over the sink or shorter cabs would be a better solution. However, I wonder if the shorter cabs might make one think that the window should go up higher? I know, too late for that.

Just wanted to point out that there''s a difference between working on a prep area in front of cabinet uppers and using a sink. With prepping, you use about 10 inches of your prep area and you're still in front of your cabinets. With a sink, you have an area that goes below your upper cabinets (if the sink is the depth of your counters.) So, basically under your cabinets when you do dishes or clean your sink. Depending on how tall you are, you are actually crawling UNDER your cabinet.
How much space do you have between uppers and countertop height? And how tall are people using the sink?
I still think you should hang a box or duct tape above your current sink and see what you think.

The best-looking design is your original one, but I'd make sure it works for you.

Good points nosoccermom. Is it possible to bump out the lower sink cabinet a few inches (or even all the lower cabinets)? A few of us have mentioned that idea and I don't see it sketched out like the other options. Is the lower cabinet bump out not feasible?

Carol

I just reach into the kitchen sink with my arms. I rarely stick my head under the faucet while I do dishes or prep.

I masked off the open area above our sink to a height of 18". I opened the base cabinet and stood on a step stool with my toes inside the cabinet as if they were under the toe kick.

I could see the back of the sink at 6'7'' looking down normally. At about 6'9" I started to lose the back edge of the sink visually.

So, unless you are 6'6'' this should not start to present a problem. I understand that people don't like a cabinet there for various reasons but don't make things up that are basically not true from a geometric or ergonomic standpoint.

OK, I just measured here, too. My cabinets stick out 13 inches, 18 inches between counter top and bottom of uppers. Sink is 10" and goes all the way to the wall. Husband is 6'4"; of course, he can see the back edge of the sink, but because he doesn't have gorilla arms, he needs to bend down to reach the bottom of the sink, which means that he needs to bend forward to reach into the sink. If there were uppers, they would be in his way.
I'm shorter but have the same experience in my mom's kitchen. To clean the sink, especially on the wall side, I certainly feel like I'm ducking under the uppers. Now, I don't know the measurements in that kitchen.
Either way, that's why I recommended doing a mock-up to see how it feels.

Great points, made all around. Again, I appreciate you hanging in with me on this and thinking it through.

I'm not sure that it's possible to bump out the lowers on the sink wall. Right now, the aisle of the U is at somewhere near 60" - might be less with overhang. I've been hearing that some codes require a 60" aisle with a U kitchen. It's on my list to call the muni.

One thing I wonder about with making the cabs deeper is I am very short-armed. I basically have to over-extend now to clean the back of my counters, particularly in the corner and the ledge of the counter. My partner is responsible for cleaning the BS window because I can't really reach it. I don't feel THAT short, but my arms apparently are.

I also worry that with the small dimensions we are working with, a bump out just doesn't make sense. It is possible the fridge will bump out a little, then I'll have this tiny bit of cabinets (39"?), then a sink bump out, then another tiny bit of space to the corner (30"?). Assuming I don't lose a few inches for some kind of posts or rails to detail the sink bump out, which I really don't know anything about.

My third concern with that is does it fit this house? I love the look of sink and stove bump outs. I ruled them out early on due to a) my small space b) concerns that they didn't fit my less-than-traditional house. Does it defeat the purpose of going for this clean line look on the BS wall to then have the sink bump out?

I also appreciate the dialogue about the sink location and whether it is a problem to have a sink under cabinets given we do all this prep space with uppers above us all the time. I've been having those exact dialogues in my head.

I think I'm solid about keeping the sink on the back wall. I'm still iffy on what to do about those uppers. My family is universally voting to raise the uppers there, as seen in the first pic. Surprisingly, they like it for both function and style. I wonder how different it even looks tiled. I can play with that.

Ultimately, though, I do agree with palimpsest's points. To modify the uppers in any way is a decision with big design ramifications. It definitely sacrifises the illusionary impact of the window. On the other hand, I do love the look of those 18" glass boxes and I want my kitchen to function, not make me crazy from day one. We are living with it currently with uppers only on part of the wall (and higher than what they will eventually be). The window still looks pretty great, IMHO.

As someone noticed, I'm also playing around with placement on the lowers. If I go with the placement seen on the original post's second option, I get the garbage down closer to the stove/prep zone and lose the 6" pullouts on each side of the sink for teas, vitamins, etc. I get a little more distance between sink and stove. But, I no longer have the sink perfectly centered. And, of all the options I have played with for the uppers if I do vary the height, the only one I like is the one with the uppers centered with 3 18" glass uppers over the sink. Bleh. It just goes around and around.

Yes, that doesn't not hold true for me. I don't lean over my sink, and I don't prep on the front 10" since I chop a lot of vegetables, etc., and I'd end up standing on chopped onions.

I also am highly suspicious of statements that working at a sink with cabinets over "would drive me crazy." I'm sure they're totally sincere; but, in fact, most of us have worked at counters with cabinets over for years and didn't know that was supposed to be intolerable. (Seemingly running water triggers temporary claustrophobia?)

Steph, when you put that window in you had a look in mind and were executing it beautifully. My feeling is that you should really like whatever you might change it to at this point. Don't sabotage your look for anything that doesn't really please you.

Here're my notions based on what I've been reading:

Get the long lower shelf off your list. I suggested that possibility, but clearly it's not right for you. Delete that cognitive clutter.

No, obviously, to the castings about for answers in your last two pictures also, so delete them.

Sink on the peninsula would negate most of the utility of that wonderful long counter by shifting most function away from it toward the living room. The window counter'd become a nice place to display (short) pieces of art glass. Delete button?

That would leave your top three.
1. Your original run of cabinets.
2. 24" cabinet + one shelf.
3. Two open shelves.

IMO, it seems obvious to dump #3, the two open shelves--just double the place to add visual clutter to what's always been meant to be serenely simple.

That would leave
1. Your original plan.
2. 24" cabinet + one shelf:
A. Solid versus glass door: You're short and wouldn't be looking in a glass door up there, so there's nothing to be gained by having people looking at what's in that cabinet instead of the entire picture. So, 24" with solid door?
B. A shelf would require something on it, so before deciding you'd need to create some pictures of what that shelf would have on it. A white-on-white display so it read more as texture than central focus?

Steph, your post hit first. Going with glass or solid doors does not have to be a permanent decision. Buy both and return the rejects. :)

Increased counter height is becoming more popular as the population grows in size. So the next time you build a house nosoccer, maybe the sink area could be raised a few inches because of the height of your family.

I am short and could still work at a kitchen sink that is 39-40 pretty comfortably. 36" was set when the population was shorter and dishes were washed by hand, and the idea is that your elbows above your wrists to prevent water from dripping on the floor from your elbows.

In my old bathroom I put in a 36" vanity and in the temporary rental we are back to 32" and that feels too low, even to me.

Rosie, where do you do your prep? I tend to work a lot from the sink, though I don't have a garbage disposal and won't in the remodel.

When you list my top 3 options, which exactly are you specifying? Sorry, I'm confused.
1. Your original run of cabinets (Is that the option with all 30" uppers or with the 3 18" cabinets?).
2. 24" cabinet + one shelf.
3. Two open shelves.

From my perspective, I'm still at 2 top options. The first 2 posted on the top of this thread. ;)

I do think the shorter cabinets beg the question "Why didn't you make your window taller?" I think Linelle made that point. It's also just not feasible for me given my height. I HATE my current 24" cabinet and ugly footstool.

My partner just chimed in here. He likes the 30" all the way across and said he'll box up the sink to mock it up. He's salivating at the extra storage... lol

If I go all 30" uppers, I want to make the doors all the same size, so I can do this look (the non-glassed on top, as pretty as the glass cabinets are) and get these pulls:

Yes, our counters are 36". We raised the bathroom vanities to 33.5" at the time.
If my trig is correct and my estimates of my husband's arm length, he has to bend down by 2.5", meaning that unless he completely rounds his upper body, he needs about 12" of horizontal space to bend forward. Which means that he would hit his head on the uppers.

I am 5'8" (DH is 5' 9") and in our old kitchen one of the upper cabinets was about 3 inches over the sink (I assume a mistake made by the cabinet maker or another sub). Sometimes I would hit my head on the corner. Over time the corner of that cabinet had quiet the chip in it (probably my head did too LOL).

As per the sink bump out, I hear you that it would not fit your look to only have the sink bumped out. Perhaps you will find a way to bump out all the lower cabinets?.

Good thought to mock up the upper cabinets with boxes to see if you ever bump.

Carol

Steph I know you're probably banging your head over the decision, but it's been fun pondering the options and hearing what everyone else has to say! Clearly we all have different ideas about what works, looks better or would drive us crazy.

Of all your options I still like the first 2 the best. Still curious to see what it would look like to have narrow glass cabs flanking the side of the window instead of the 3 short cabs. How wide and tall are those 3 short ones? Could they come down a little more? How tall is the window and open space above it in that design?

Regarding the later designs.... Doesn't make sense to shorten the entire run, especially if you're not that tall. Too much reaching and too much lost storage. Plus you'd really lose the cool uninterrupted outdoors indoors look of the glass backsplash. If the cabs don't meet the glass for most of the run I think that would look like you scrimped on the window and/or cabinet size. You'd also have more narrow wall space to figure out what to do with.

Which reminds me, what style are you going for? What will you be doing to the range wall; tiling all of it? Knowing what you're thinking about doing with that wall would be helpful.

I still like your original 2 options the best. I think open shelves would just add visual clutter above the window. I can see maybe adding a simple shelf under the lower glass cabs, but at most just something to hold one small off center decorative item for interest. Nothing utilitarian. But if you were tiling the range wall, tiling that area above the sink would add a pop of color there too. Depends on the look you're going for.

Either way I don't foresee that you need to "crawl under" the cabs to use the sink!

Can you please post a picture of your kitchen showing that window? Also can you also share what style you're shooting for, type or color of cabs and counters you had in mind, plan for the range wall BS, etc? That would help to visualize the space.. Thanks.

This post was edited by island on Sun, May 19, 13 at 14:51

Island, I am so glad you having fun with this - and very glad to have you all along for the ride. Whee?

I'm with you, my 2 fav options are still the first two. Although, if I can comprehend what you are pondering, I'd be glad to try to mock it up. I'm confused about it.

I'm going for "zen cottage" for my look. Simple cottage with a nod to modern. Simple shaker cabinets, frameless. Considering 2-tone with a dark/black on bottom, white on top - but that will depend on which company we buy cabinets from, amongst other things. Otherwise, all white. The plan right now is to tile the stove wall counter to ceiling (with probably a glass tile) and then do a stacked stone on the range wall. Am I redundant if I say that is all subject to change? Well, it is, but here's an inspiration pic that shows it.

Here's the exact measurements for the space, including window and bump out placement:

Photobucket is messing up so I am going to post this and then I'll be posting a pic of the current kitchen.

Ouch OntarioMom. Mocking up is definitely the best idea.

Steph, I'm 5'2" myself and hated using a footstool so much I virtually never hauled it out. Anything I couldn't reach it on tiptoes, didn't exist. The upper shelves sat empty. This kitchen, I got rid of uppers altogether, all windows instead.

As for options, sorry, I was just looking at that last series of diagrams you posted when I commented, thinking those were what you were considering. Bands of solid and glass, like your 13:07 picture, each all the way across without interruption, would still give a nice horizontal effect. And having solid doors on the top band could mean you wouldn't have to fill them, although it sounds like they're unlikely to remain empty.

If a glass band for a lower row of cabinets would be an option, I'd think that would look much nicer than short cabinets and an empty band of wall over the window, like the wrong size of one or the other was installed.

Oh--I prefer to work in a dedicated space between sink and stove, although I've noticed that a sometimes bizarre interaction of kitchen dynamics and personal quirks has a lot to say about where I will end up working, definitely not necessarily where a good stretch of work counter happens to be waiting. The precise reason I mocked everything up and play-cooked before finalizing a thing.

Ouch OntarioMom. Mocking up is definitely the best idea.

Steph, I'm 5'2" myself and hated using a footstool so much I virtually never hauled it out. Anything I couldn't reach it on tiptoes, didn't exist. The upper shelves sat empty. This kitchen, I got rid of uppers altogether, all windows instead.

As for options, sorry, I was just looking at that last series of diagrams you posted when I commented, thinking those were what you were considering. Bands of solid and glass, like your 13:07 picture, each all the way across without interruption, would still give a nice horizontal effect. And having solid doors on the top band could mean you wouldn't have to fill them, although it sounds like they're unlikely to remain empty.

If a glass band for a lower row of cabinets would be an option, I'd think that would look much nicer than short cabinets and an empty band of wall over the window, like the wrong size of one or the other was installed.

Oh--I prefer to work in a dedicated space between sink and stove, although I've noticed that a sometimes bizarre interaction of kitchen dynamics and personal quirks has a lot to say about where I will end up working, definitely not necessarily where a good stretch of work counter happens to be waiting. The precise reason I mocked everything up and play-cooked before finalizing a thing.

Okay, back. Island, the small uppers I used were 3 18x18" squares in the picture shown in option 1 at the top of the thread. I wouldn't want them to come down because I don't want a dust place over the cabinets and want them to the wall, with the crown wrapping all the way around.

The frame of the window is 18" - the glass itself is 14 1/2" but reads taller. There is no trim yet on the window, which will add a little height.

Here's my sad, sad kitchen, with the window. The empty hole in the corner is where the water heater was until we elminated it, replacing our hot air furnace with a boiler system that has continuous hot water. The wall on the right (where the stove and fridge is) is the one coming down any day/week now:

The pics are dark, it's difficult to get good pics with that window - and my camera made everything red.

And, here's the back, because it's the only part of the house that currently looks nice!

Rosie, I'm not sure what you mean by a "glass band under the windows". I'm pretty clear I don't have the ceiling height to stack cabinets, though. And, given the small house, I can't afford not to have every inch filled. Lucky you, though, going without uppers!

And, just for fun, here's a range wall that reinforced the love of going without uppers there. Not that THAT isn't on the table, too. LOL I wouldn't go with a patterned tile, I don't think, but I love this look.

[

[Eclectic Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104) by Philadelphia General Contractor Kenny Grono

PS - Better to be banging my head on the wall now than banging my head into the cabinet later.

Ouch, OntarioMom! How in the world does a sink even function with a cabinet suspended 3 inches over it??

oops, duplicate post

This post was edited by Steph2000 on Sun, May 19, 13 at 15:57

Here's my idea of the day. Since you can't bump out the sink, how about a farmhouse sink? A quick google of "modern farmhouse sink" found the one below. I'm not sure if it's cottage zen, but I'm sure you can find a cottage zen farmhouse sink if you have to. That could bring your work away from the upper cabinets and cause less backsplash to the backsplash window you can't reach.

This post was edited by mpagmom on Sun, May 19, 13 at 19:04

Helps to see the pictures and hey, you already have a cabinet over your sink so you know what it's like to work with that! I take that it isn't a problem or you would have eliminated that option. So probably moot discussion, right?

Sorry, my statement about bringing down the cab wasn't clear. I meant, could you make the shorter cabinets longer, like 2/3 the length of the others instead of what looks to be 1/2? They just look very short. How long is the current cabinet above the sink?

Will your sink be about the same width as what you have now? What if you had a shorter central glass cab the width of the sink, but the others were longer? That's what I meant by a narrower glass cab on each side of the sink, same length as the other long ones. Sorry I can't explain it better.

Your inspiration pic is great, but I don't get modern, cottage or zen from that. Love the window, but with that style and your layouts I would have guessed modern. More like these, boy was I off base! LOL. Love the last one.

[

[Modern Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2105) by San Francisco General Contractor Moroso Construction

[

[Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by New York Architect Eisner Design LLC

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[Modern Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2105) by Sag Harbor General Contractor S.M. CONTRACTING INC

Steph,

LOL! No the cabinet was not 3 inches above the sink. It was 3 inches wider than it should have been so part of that cabinet was hung over the sink with the standard distance between counter and uppers (maybe 18 inches) like you show in your option 2. It is possible having just part of a cabinet hung over the sink lead to more accidents than if there was full uppers over the sink like you are considering.

I like the bumped out farm sink.

Carol

I think 2nd option in your first post will be both functional and good looking.

In nearly all my kitchens I had uppers above the sink. I had no trouble except in one where the counter was low and I had to bend and felt real close to the uppers. But when counter height is right uppers never bothered me.

@mpagmom - Your link/pic isn't showing for me. We were just batting the idea around of a farmsink. I just really had myself sold on undermount... I've never had one and it really appeals to me. We'll keep mulling that option, though. Can you repost the pic/link, please?

@Island - yeah, we have a high cabinet over the sink now. It's high, though. It doesn't bother either of us a bit. Trying to imagine it down a foot or more...The current sink is 36" and so is the cabinet above it. We'll probably go down to 30-33" in the remodel, probably single bowl.

My partner would love it if I would go with slab doors, but I just can't get into them. Unless we did something ultra modern like the IKEA abstrackt or a cool walnut veneer or something, which we are probably not. I have traditional elements in the house that I like (french paned doors in LR heading to den, mullied windows in front) and I want to try to blend the two. Our exterior also has cottage touches, I think.

Depending on what cabinet company we go with, I can either make the uppers any height I want - or will be restricted to 18, 24, 30". I really love these glass cabs she has over her pullouts. I actually really like this whole kitchen. It's from a GW'er and the cabinets are Shiloh, which isn't available here. It has sort of that blend of cottage and modern I keep getting drawn to:

I know you generally see this windows with extremely modern kitchens. But, there are exceptions to that. My aunt moved into a house in Florida a few years ago that had such a window behind the stove wall in a very traditional kitchen. They love it so much they repeated it in their new build, which is just wrapping up. They have taller ceilings so were able to go a bit taller with the window, which is basically the same size as ours but has 5-7" of tile beneath it. Here's a pic, in case you are interested:

And here's another kitchen that turned me on to stacked stone combined with a modern glass tile:

@OntarioMom - Egads, that makes so much more sense! LOL I was seriously befuddled there for a minute, thinking how in the heck... That's one of the reasons I made my bump up so much wider than the sink...but hm...that sounds like a real hazard.

As you can see, this whole thing is making me loopy.

Oooh here's few with a cab over the sink. First has more space and vava voom than what you had in mind, but white shaker and I can picture that backsplash a window. What I like about these is they only shortened the cab above by the width of the sink or a few inches wider at the most. First pic cab above looks about 1/2 the length of the surrounding cabs, the rest longer.

Not the best example, but the last one is kind of what I was talking about with short cab above the width of the sink (yours in glass) with a full length narrower glass cab on each side of the sink, and solid door cabs the same as you show. I'm not great with the diagrams with the measurements so not sure if what I see in my head fits.

[

[Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Woodinville Interior Designer Shuffle Interiors

[

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Lancaster Kitchen And Bath Kevin Martin

[

[Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Grand Rapids Architect Visbeen Associates, Inc.

[

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Philadelphia Kitchen And Bath Renaissance Kitchen and Home

[

[Eclectic Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104) by La Grange Kitchen And Bath Cheryl D & Company

[

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Denver Kitchen And Bath Kelly Cross

Sure I can see it in more traditional spaces. I was just going off the drawing and your comment about modern.

Also LOVE that GW kitchen. It's one of the first I saved when joining GW. So many great elements.

Oh man I want your aunts view thru her window! Where in Fl is she? We're in CA and contemplating possibly moving there part time in retirement, but that's still a way off. Would love to be on the beach or ocean view and that will never happen in San Diego unless we move to a shack!

I think I fixed the picture. It's still undermount on the sides and back.

I kind of love the dark gray kitchen island posted. It's modern and shaker and could even be cottage zen (think slate). And the skinny refrigerator!!!

Not to be the you-know-what in the punch bowl, but is there a chance that steam from the sink would over time wreck a full-length cabinet? Veneer popping or wood splitting or such?

Wow, I have no idea what is in the punch bowl!

I can't see that being a problem.

@ sena01 - Thanks for the personal experience with this kind of thing. It always helps hearing from people who have been there. And for your vote!

@island - Aunt lives between Naples and Ft. Myers. I haven't been down there yet, but it sounds beautiful. The pics are great. They have a floorplan I would love, with the whole house centered around the back in a big U. That would so not work in Alaska, given you need every inch of sun here you can get. But, I just love that kind of floorplan. Now that I understand what you are liking, I can mock some things up. I do want to make the point, though, that those 18" cabinets are slightly over 1/2 the size of the 30" uppers. Isn't that what you said you preferred?

@mpagmom - Well, I gotta say, that's a pretty cool sink. I don't know how hard it would be to find a sink like that or how much it would cost. Also, not sure if it really works with what I am doing here? I can sure look into it, though.

I assume you are talking about the greenish kitchen when you say dark gray? That is a nice kitchen. You know, Marcolo used those exact words on me - "think slate". I'm just not really finding one I like - except the one on the back of that peninsula in the pic I posted again above. And, my neighbor friend directly across the street has a slate BS and I don't really want to do the same thing...

Good question, Deedles. I know we don't have any current problems with that, but the cabinets are raised up. I want whatever is in the punch bowl, though. Monday morning or not.

My partner mocked up what it might feel like at the sink last night by clamping up a board. I'm not having any problems with it, being short. He wasn't loving it. We are going to leave it up for a while and see how it feels over time.

Steph, no, you really don't want that thing in the punch bowl.

No, it's a bad thing...

2. turd in the punch bowl

n. A person who spoils a pleasant social situation.

Sorry, I was trying to avoid actually putting it on here :>)

LOL. Well, okay then. I'm just needing something to drink...

No the moisture should not have a negative impact on the cabinet because it is lower than normal.

Actually, these situations haven't even presented problems with the doors. The underside of the cabinets is metal and the range hood is under there, but the doors are wood. No problems with finish

Nor with this one which was treated in the same fashion:

OK, Steph2000, I guess we are the only two who don't know what is in the punchbowl!

I was joking about "thinking slate" because Marcolo said that when coming up with the cottage zen idea. Yes, I meant the green kitchen, and I liked the fact that it was a modern-looking shaker.

Anyway, if you go with cabinets straight across, it wouldn't hurt to consider a modern-looking farmhouse sink. I know Blanco makes one in fireclay and there are a lot in stainless. I don't know what sink material you're thinking of, but you can probably find one that isn't that much more expensive than a regular sink.

I've been following your journey for a while--and can't wait to see the final product!

In the case of your sink run of cabinets, I know you are concerned about clean lines and visibility from the living room. The daytime view is amazing, but what about the evening view? A window becomes a blank area. In your case, perhaps a plate rack, a platter rack, or even a colorful picture or interesting light fixture may serve you better. A wooden valance could bridge the two sets of cabinets, or even a cabinet recessed into the wall a little to create visual relief via shadow so not to have that uninterrupted line of white over the line of black--at least at night.

I'm sure your kitchen will be amazing--love the backsplash window! (Wish I could have done the same thing--except my view would be of my neighbor's spa instead of your stunning greenery!)

Interesting ideas socalsister. If Steph puts low voltage lights on her plants then the back splash window will not be totally lost at night. She will avoid the black window. I would certainly consider low voltage lights in the garden to keep the nice view day and night.

Carol

Okay, so I'm open to a modern-leaning apron sink if that helps the issue. Does it? How many inches does it pull it out away from the back? How many inches do you gain? Do you guys see that working?

In the wee bit of research I have done, it seems the downside is that I need custom cabinetry for a farmhouse sink... ????

Partner is leaning heavily towards the 30" uppers all the way across. We have them at about 19" over the counters - with window trim we might be able to push up to 20" but the counter will slide in at the bottom of the window so maybe more like 19" in the end? He's really sold on the extra storage space more than anything, which is a fair point given our house and my reluctance to put uppers on the stove wall...

Interesting point about the black hole that windows become at night. I haven't really even noticed that yet - and in an Alaskan summer I won't notice it again until Fall. But, we get very dark in the Winter. Love the idea of lighting in the landscape - and hope to extend the deck and put mini-Christmas trees out there around the holidays.

I really appreciate the good thinking on that, socalsister. I really haven't given it much thought, but have wondered how UCL is going to look with that window... I hope it doesn't get weird.