I know you didn't care for this idea initially, but couldn't some of the bigger stuff live on the floor/lower shelf of the pantry? Even an upper shelf?? Why take up peninsula room with something you use once, maybe twice, a year?

So you have 16" and 34" (approx)
- my message center fits in a 16" drawer (pens notebooks etc) with a cabinet below with adjustable shelves which holds phonebook/catalogues on the top shelve and underneath has the panini press, coffee maker, coffee grinder, kettle and waffle maker.

-For My loose recipes I bought a mesh-metal file unit from staples so that they all stand up and I can just go through them quickly. I don't know if you know what I mean - but you know in offices there will be a row of filing thingies where the front slopes down and at the back they stand about 10" tall and are maybe 3" wide. I keep mine in the same spot with my recipe books because now they're standing up like the books.

Why do you need 2- 34" shallow depth drawers? Your miscellaneous cooking stuff should be able to fit in one of them.

Underneath don't do the open cabinets. You will be on the floor looking for that misc mold or the specific square pans. Remember - that's why we're all going to drawers.
The baking pans and casserole/baking glass pans should be in drawers.

What is going above your fridge? Is that already earmarked for day-to-day baking stuff? I put metal dividers there and have all my casserole dishes, cookie sheets etc there.

Do you still have your stock pot and gynormous frying pan out that you can measure? My drawers are only 30" wide x 9 3/4" deep and I am amazed at how much stuff they hold. I have 4 of them.

P.S. and OT : I was sorry to hear about your uncle. I only have one uncle and although I don't see him very often it would be a devastating loss for my mother.

Kelly and I were posting at the same and she has a point. Whatever you are planning on doing at the island is where that stuff should first of all be stored. You also have a prep sink - where will the garbage be for that - underneath?

Kellie--Some of that bigger stuff can go in the pantry, but not all of it can. I want all my food stuffs in the pantry first and foremost. I hate walking out to the garage every day to get that cans, etc. There will be left over room in there for non-food items. But remember, I have a LOT of non-food items, many huge and awkward, to store too.

Blfenton--I don't mind the cabs in some places. I will store the stuff I hardly ever use (like the huge commercial stock pot on the kitchen side and the punch bowl on the DR side) in the back of the cabs. They don't fit well in drawers. I don't care about digging to the back the two times a year I need those items.

I'm sorry if I confused you about the drawers. I was thinking 3 shallow drawers across the top at 16.6" wide each. Then a doored cabinet under the two closest to the fireplace. The cavity inside the two doors would be all open to allow me to store bigger, wider things and move them around as my inventory changes. Then, under the right of those 3 drawers would be 2 deeper drawers, which makes a 3-drawer stack. Does that make sense?

Frankly, right now I don't have everything at hand to measure. Nor do I have the time to lay every single item I have out to obsess over what will fit in what size of drawer and how deep that drawer should be. I have so many other decisions I need to make for the house that are holding us up from making progress.

Island will be my prep area. I don't have enough storage there for all my prep stuff, so it will overflow back to the drawers flanking the rangetop and share space with my cooking supplies. The drawers to the right of the rangetop will also be cooking items and baking items as I moved the baking zone to the right of the range.

Garbage is in a pullout at the north end of the island so it's usable for prep and cleanup chores.

Here's my initial cabinet layout before the peninsula shrunk. I also decided on 4-drawer stacks flanking the rangetop instead of 3-drawer stacks.

Thanks for the words about my uncle. He wanted to die, but that doesn't make it any easier for those of us left missing him.

I'm sorry for coming across with an attitude in my previous post. I think my frustration is showing again. I've spent hours trying to get the storage situation just right, but I can't seem to make much progress.

I've got a lot of stuff to store (just ask Kellie) and many things could go in 2 or 3 different spots. I'm having trouble picking the one "right" spot for many, many things.

Some of my storage options are throwing me for a loop too. I've never had a lazy susan before. Generally, I don't like them, but I've got one now and have to live with it. I don't know what kinds of items are best and not best to store there. Also, I'm used to more uppers than I'll have.

I'm confused. Nothing new.

I think you do not yet have a true concept of just how much area there will be in your new pantry. Everything you had in your garage plus in the cupboard in the kitchen will barely make a dent.

Just keep that option open.

A little testy are we, gee I wonder why? Because you're renovating the kitchen, you're acting as your own GC, you have young kids, your DH is away alot, and you've just had a death in the family. Cut yourself some slack. Most of us have been through this. I did a whole house reno last summer and moved out as well with everything in storage - including furniture because we rented furnished. Now that was a pain when it came to choosing colours.
Lazy susan - previous kitchen had the stuff I seldom used in it and this kitchen it has the kids (22 and 24) junk food in it.

Anyway, you mention that stuff can go in 2 or 3 spots, then leave it as planned. Regardless of your sizes, shapes and placements of cabinets you will probably reorganize your stuff 2 or 3 times after you move back in and start using the space. You'll decide "oh this makes more sense for this" or "Oh wow this is where I'm going to bake after all so I'll move the stuff over here." I probably reorganized 4 times and the only request I got from family was that my DH asked me if I was going to move the breakfast stuff to tell him, otherwise no one cared until the final decision was made.

Thanks for the explanation of the drawers/cabinets. Now I get it and it does make sense. I am concerned that you might wind up with a 34" open cabinet and then not use it for the junk you say you seldom use. It's a lot of wasted space if not properly used. Don't lay out every single item - just the awkwardly sized ones. Lay them out on a piece of newspaper that you fold to be the size of a drawer and see if your items fit. The stuff that you have stored, go to the store with your tape measure and measure heights of stock pots and the length of a large frypan.

You are redoing your kitchen because it functioned so poorly so don't let this part of the planning slide. YOu will regret it.
I'm trying not to come across harshly or too emphatically on this point but it is important to plan your cabinets properly.

Forgot to tell you. Your SIL that lives near you LOVES her deep drawers and the pullout shelves/drawers in her cabinets. Why don't you chat with her about it?

A lazy Susan is a great place to store pots, pans, stockpots, etc. In your kitchen I might also put colanders and strainers there, though theoretically those belong by your prep sink.

Kellie--I sure hope you're right about the amount of storage in the pantry. I've never had one before so I can't imagine. (p.s. I don't like pullouts!)

Blfenton-it's a whole house reno I'm GC'ing. And no, you're not coming across harshly. I appreciate your thoughts!

Marcolo--I had planned the large collanders and strainers in the island as a much-used prep item. I am now planning on all my large bowls in the lazy susan. Good suggestions.

Kaismom--You just put my thoughts about storage into much better terms. I like the real estate analogy. I have many huge commercial-sized mixing bowls from DH's company that I use regularly. They are awkward to store though so now I'll stack them in the lazy susan like you. Thank you!

breezygirl,
between schooling, young adult life in pursuit of demanding career, and delayed marriage and children, I was 36 years old before I had a REAL kitchen. I lived in a series of rental properties with a near-hundred year kitchens and in my condo I bought with a TINY kitchen in the city (with a view of the Space Needle!) When I got married and moved into my DH's house with a kitchen with an acre of counter top, I thought I died and went to heaven. I think you are much much younger than I was when I had my first REAL kitchen. Good luck and I am sure it will come out perfect for you. It is not the kitchen that I would build or anyone else would build, but this is your house and your money. This is the perfect kitchen just for your family. Don't second guess yourself. If you make mistakes, you can redo them down the road. Even if you make mistakes, it will be MUCH MUCH better than what you have now.

I have poured more money into my current house than many people make in their entire life. (this is just a sad but true fact....) I have made my share of mistakes. Even with my mistakes, it is WAY better than what I started with.

So don't stress so much. Relax and enjoy. I know it is hard to relax when you are hemorrhaging money as you are in the middle of the remodel. But it too shall pass.

When you are all done, think of all the fun you can have with your kids. I am teaching my kids to make weiner schnitzel and spatzle, chicken curry, greek shishkababs, Thai satays or what ever. You name it, I can't spell them, but we are experimenting and tasting the dishes. My mom was a fabulous cook and we loved eating well. My kids love eating well now. This is what you will pass on to your kids in your kitchen.