I like your layout as is. I don't think the uppers look too heavy. I prefer not to have any display space so to me that's not an issue...but it's your kitchen so if display is a must have, then I prefer the idea of the open shelving to the far wall better than the rounded end cabinet (not that I think it's cheesy, I just prefer straight lines :) )

1. no
2. if it bothers you how about glass to cover just the top
shelf across it. use that for display. we can seldom
reach it anyway. unless your tall enough. I struggle at
shelf 2. AND if your door style will support it. I've
seen several on gw that have that done without going to
separate doors for the top shelf glass part.

3. no - lol!

1. I don't think they look heavy enough.
2. I would bring some or all of them down to the counter to balance the double oven side. Small appliance garage and drawers maybe.
3. absolutely not, it's fun, and you're helping me work through some things too!

Not tired of your questions, now are you tired of my 2cents worth?

My 2cents worth. Standing at your range - on either side you have windows, then on the left you have 2 solid cabinet doors over your oven (30"? - doesn't matter), then onto the right you could have 2 solid cabinets doors, and then a glass door which will then flow to the right around the corner into your window and then flow again into your ceiling to counter cabinets which are glass.
Does that make sense?

No, to the rounded shelf thingy by the range. It doesn't go with your hood at all. And with your lower ceilings I wouldn't break up the cabinets horizontally at all.

(I think they're lower, right? or am I mixing kitchens up?)

You could leave them as is but it would be interesting to do something with them if you wanted to.

Breezygirl, see the horizontal line formed by the top of the oven on the left and the bottom of the hood? How about continuing that line to the right corner as the bottom of those cabinet doors, then continue storage in that corner down to its current hight as an open shelf? In other words, open shelf at bottom, with cabinet doors above? That'd give a little open storage and "lighten up" the cabinet mass for you.

How about leaving the part I have outlined in red as an open shelf below an upper cabinet that is the same height as the one above the ovens?

Summersucks--I'm not a big fan of the rounded shelves either.

Desertsteph-- :) My cabs are shaker style and because my ceilings are only 91", each door is one panel tall. I don't think glass tops would work in my case.

Corrie--I thought about an appliance garage for some of that area too. I'm planning on storing my KA mixer under there, but it's too long to fit under a 12" appliance garage. I sure love those things though! And, glad to help!

Blfenton--Not tired of your 2 pennies! I get what you're saying. I like that idea. Yes, my ceilings are low. Good memory.

So far, none of you think those cabs are too heavy! They seemed fine to me, but what do I know. I was all set on doing one larger window and offseting the hood in that space before I asked the question about it here. Now my plan is much better!

I'm not extremely concerned with the lack of display space. I didn't have any in my old kitchen either. I thought maybe it was a case of not knowing what I'm missing!

1) Doesn't jump out as being too heavy to me, and I'm usually sensitive to visual balance.

2) My only suggestion for getting open shelving in the mix is to replace the righthand door with open shelves...So 1/3 or so of the cabinet. I think it could look cool, and give you a nice option for cookbooks or bowls...Adding a little color and homey haphazardness in a controlled/ordered way. Hope that makes sense.

I'm not a fan of the rounded shelves like you showed. Personal opinion, but I really dislike that kind of style and don't see it with what you have planned. Also, any open shelving close to the stove are likely to collect minuscule droplets of grease from the air during cooking and over time, get grimy with the dust/grease combo. --Depending on how good you are in keeping up with such things. I am not. :-)

it doesn't look heavy to me either, but i have to say i am so happy i incorporated some open space in my kitchen. adds a lot of visual interest and the possibilities are endless. if you replaced the cabinets to the right with open shelves you could use for every day items, cookbooks, even spices. i also played around with my layout until the 11th hour and it worked out great.

again, beautiful as is, but how many times do you get to do this? have fun with it!

We cross-posted. I do think it's nice to have some display space. I didn't plan any at first, then almost by chance added my corner shelves. I really appreciate the space to have a little fun, and wish I had more ways to display my growing bowl collection. It's not that they're fancy, but I'd like to see and enjoy them more. I also enjoy seeing my cookbooks, instead of having them closed up somewhere...Out of sight and out of mind.

Check out rosie and mcmjilly's suggestion above.

I like the lower shelf or the right end shelving. I should have looked closer at your 3D graphic - glass at the top of doors there wouldn't look right with the left side of your cabs not having them. it wouldn't work with the cabs over the oven.

I also like some display area - just behind glass. less often to clean it.

I think this is what Rhome means about the right cabinet. I did it here to make the cabinets symmetrical over each side of the range. (The hood is hidden). It didn't work out 100% because the house wasn't rehabbed 100% according to plan. But it does achieve a balance on the upper to follow the symmetry of the lowers.

I agree with Marcolo...check out what Rosie and Mcmjilly said, above :)

We'll talk about this tomorrow in detail, but what about putting racks (or something) on the ends of the cabinets to hold all of the spices and things you use extensively when cooking. You had talked about doing it behind the range but on the sides of the cabinets will give you much more room. Not sure I made sense. I've been working in a very warm greenhouse all day. Ask me about it BEFORE we open the wine.

"Yes!" to Marcolo, lavender_lass, Rosie and Mcmjilly's plan as sketched in mcm's post above.

I don't think the 36" solid uppers look too heavy. A look I saw in a catalog and really liked was a 3-section upper where the center 1/3 was open shelves and the 2 outer thirds had solid wood doors with knobs next to the open shelves. If 3 12" cabinets would work for you, it's a great look.

The closet picture I can find is the blue china cabinet on this webpage. Just picture it with shorter upper cabs and no glass in the outer doors.

Here is a link that might be useful: china cab

Oh, I didn't see Rosie's and Mcmjilly's comments while I was typing earlier.

That's an intersting idea, except that I'm not sure that the oven top and hood will line up IRL that way. Rhome did the rendering up there for me, and I'm not sure if her software knows appliance measurements or not. If they don't line up right, then I'm not sure the open shelving under those uppers would look right. I'll have to do some research and calculations to check the oven and hood lines.

Rhome, Kate, and Palimpsest--I really like your suggestion! I hadn't thought of putting everyday items up there. Coffee mugs for the espresso machine under the cabs, a couple cookbooks, copper tin of tea bags, etc. It makes more sense than just some pretty stuff that doesn't really relate to the kitchen like I was thinking! Duh! ;)

Thanks for the visual Palimpsest. Now I can show my cab maker!

Steph--no problem!

Kellie--OK.

I just realized that I do want display space. Now I'll have it! I'm constantly amazed at how my plan is made better each time I post a question like this. Thanks everyone!

I haven't read the other posts so I'm not sure if I'm being repetitive or contradictory...sorry I have a 7 month old in bed with DH upstairs and I can practically hear his cry for me in my head (any second now!!) So I apologize in advance...

To answer your questions:
- Yes your instincts are right, those uppers are too heavy.
- I would replace them with open shelves. You don't need to have symmetry on either side of the hood since the windows on either side already provide that.
- I wouldn't do glass-doored uppers as you already have that nice, tall glass cabinet at the end on the right. Do open shelving - any style you like.

I hate to say this, but the first thing I noticed when I looked at your plan was a bathroom in the dining room. I just can't get past that to comment on your uppers. I would deal with that first. Sorry.

I was reminded of this kitchen I saw on Cote de Texas...see how the cabinetry and open shelving on either side of the range is not symmetrical (in either style or size) yet it works?

Here is a link that might be useful: Cote de Texas

Kaysd--I like that idea too. I'll have to mock it up somehow and see how that looks. Thanks!

Redroze!!!! I haven't "seen" you for so long! I've been wondering how you and the baby are doing. I often refer to your kitchen and bath pictures for inspiration. In fact, DH saw your pony walls around your shower and decided he wanted that look! Has your house been broken in yet? I remember your thread about how people thought your house was too tidy and stark. Folks said a baby would change that! It did for me, at least.

I love your open shelving. I have some storage needs for that area that I'm not sure I can make work with shelves instead of cabs, but I'll have another look at my storage plan. That pic is wonderful. Thanks!

Michellemarie--I know, I know. But it's existing and staying. That laundry room used to open into the family room and is right at the back door to the garage, our daily family entrance. It works for our needs with our outdoor activities. We thought long and hard about moving the dining and living rooms near that back door and laundry room for the reason you state. In the end, it is what it is. The mudroom around it helps hide it. AND the toilet in the laundry room is only used for family when we're home alone. There is a guest bath down the hall on the right of my plan for others to use.

Hi Breezy! I know I've been so busy! I feel like breastfeeding is my life, LOL. It was such a relief when my son started taking to solids better.

Yes, our bathtub in our master bedroom (if you recall from before) was barely used, a show tub if you will. Now it's used for cleaning my baby every day - he loves it, it's like a giant pool for him!! I want to post updated photos of our house soon. It's accessorized, there is kids stuff everywhere, it's just so much more beautiful and lived in than before. Exersaucer in the corner...building blocks on the kitchen table. Fun stuff.

Off topic - tell your DH that the pony walls in our guest bathroom are fabulous. We have a corner metal shelf that's hidden in the pony wall to store our shampoos and soaps. GENIUS

I agree with Rosie and mcmjilly - line it up and use the space below for your display stuff.

And now that I've contributed , I don't want to hijack this conversation, but would those who've posted a mock-up please tell me what program they're using? I've asked for help with a layout on another thread and need some way to get what I've got online -- without access to a scanner. You can contact me directly so as not to disrupt this conversation - thanks!

Redroze--The first 6 months of bf can feel like an eternity if you've got a hungry eater! Sleep does get better. My youngest is 18 months and she still bf's 3 times a day. But it doesn't feel like a huge responsibility to keep that little being alive like when they're newborn. I'd love to see photos of your house now!

I'll tell DH about the shelf. I think we're doing niches though.

Burntfingers--My rendering was done by Rhome410 on her software. She uses Chief Architect. I believe it's version 10. You can get it on Amazon. Not too much money, but there is a learning curve. I used to only have my little graph paper and pencil drawings of my plans. When Rhome did this rendering for me everything changed. There's nothing like seeing it all flushed out like that. Problems with asymmetry and balance are easier to see than on graph paper.

Google sketchup is another design software, and it can be downloaded for free. I had a hard time figuring it out, but I didn't have much time or patience. I'm GC'ing a whole house reno with two little kids and a DH who works and travels a lot.

Good luck!

I feel your instinct on this is absolutely right.

I would go for a shelf at the same height as the oven -- that creates some symmetry. I'd also consider & verify the hood height on that wall and see where the bottom of that falls since it's the focal point.

Another approach might be framed open shelving and then something light a utensil rail, or a separate open shelf below.

Or, if you can spare the counter space a chest-on-chest cabinet with drawers.

Breezy- The display space is going to look wonderful!

A little OT, but this is probably the only picture I've found, showing the chairs and stools together, at the same island. I probably showed it to you before, but just in case...

{{!gwi}}

What are you doing with the area I've outlined in red here:

That seems like another good place to put display shelves. Will there be a built-in hutch on the wall the dining room shares with the kitchen? Can it wrap around to the area I've outlined? (I don't know if this topic has already been discussed.)

Rococogirl--I do plan to figure out the hood height and oven top alignment to see if it makes sense to do something with that line. I'm not sure I understand what a utensil rail is.

Lavender--Thanks for that photo. I never took a good look at the fabrics there before.

Jilly--that space has bugged me for a long time. It's a 3/4" thick end cabinet panel so my options are somewhat limited. There will only be crown molding at the top. That's it. It needs something there. I'm planning to hang 2 pendants over the 50" long, 44" wide peninsula in front of the wall. That'll cover part of the blankness. I need the counterspace too much on the peninsula for buffet service to wrap the cabinets from the dining room around on that wall. Some shelves might work there, depending on the pendants I choose. I don't want the area to be too busy.

Here's the view of the peninsula and DR cabs from the DR.

The artwork on the DR wall is just simulated for rendering purposes. I don't have anything planned to go on that wall yet. The counterspace under that wall is about 13.5" deep so I can't put anything with too much depth on the wall or it'll hit people in the head. The counterspace on the left with the uppers above is about 26" deep and will be used as the beverage area during parties.

Does that help answer your question? Have any ideas for that space?