I like the tall cabinet as it's drawn. The white and the taller height work together for balance with the fridge for me. Even with the window, or shorter, I think would be strange, or at least, not as nice.

Why is that part of the island higher than the rest? I do like the idea of an open place for the dog dishes. I didn't plan a spot for ours, and that's a regret. Make sure your flooring will be ok with water being spilled on it. There is always water around and seeping under our dog's water dish, so I had to move it, as it was too constantly wet for our seamed flooring.

I have a couple of things to say. This is offered as perspective on your design - not meant to upset you.

Dogs and legs = cleaning problem in a place that's hard to reach.

I'm unsure why you've turned the cabinet beside the ref to the outside. It might be to make a drop spot or something but I don't think it would look as nice as pushing the ref to the end and using a tall decorative side panel.

The other thing about ref placement is to think a bit if something major is on the other side of the ref - like the family room or dining area. It cuts off your view of that area if you're at the range and cuts off light transmission from that window. It could be that there is nothing to see or that neither of these are important to you and that's ok. When we did ours, I moved the ref out of that kind of placement (between me and something I wanted to see) and I'm much happier.

Since you've been looking at this for a while already, you might have already tried reversing the sink and range wall (go ref, small dish storage, sink under window, larger dish storage to corner bump, baking or prep area under window then range. Maybe combined with island a little fatter and a little longer with seating on two sides and/or adding a prep sink on the island or near the range ...

The other thing about the dog bowl thing - if looks are at all important to you, are the dog bowls what you want the first impression of your kitchen to be?

Isn't it so nice when you LOVE your kitchen layout? I went from a galley where you couldn't have the fridge door open while someone was at the sink, to something similar to your layout. It's heaven!

The 2 corners of the L are anchored by the refrigerator and a tall hutch. I don't want a cabinet over the fridge; should the hutch be the same height(72"), should it be even with the top of the window (78") or should it go as high as the beam that goes around the ceiling(which is how it is drawn except the drawing doesn't show the beams)?

I like the idea of taking everything up to the beams.

You need to make create some symmetry or relation from the hutch to something else in the room, so you need them match somehow. Both the height and the different finishes are not working for this - the white hutch looks lonely with nothing else in white to relate to within the room. I would
a) put uppers on the other side of sink wall that match the hutch in finish and height, even if they do not go down to the counter; or
b) put open shelving on the other side of sink wall that match the hutch in finish at least, if not also height; or
c) put a cabinet over the fridge that matches the hutch in height and finish, plus change the surround panels on the fridge to match the hutch's finish as well.

I am thinking of having this cabinet changed to a lift up door on the bottom to store our coffee paraphernalia. In case this impacts your thoughts on the height issue.

It does not, but if you did that I would do the lift cabinet on the bottom and only one set of doors on the top...

Also, on the raised end of the island, I want a cabinet on legs(not shown) as opposed to being closed in. My husband thinks this is silly but I like the openness, plus I am thinking I can keep the dogs water bowl there, is this OK?

Oh, I love this idea! What about solid wood corbels instead of legs?

A few more comments - will you have a standard or counter depth fridge? Your aerial view shows the fridge flush with the cabinets, which will not occur with even a counter depth fridge unless you get into $$$$ models like Liebherr & Sub-Zero..

If you use the microwave frequently, you may not like it where it is. It's also taking up valuable prep storage in the island. Can you put it to the left side of the fridge in an upper cabinet? You'd have to build out that weird little dip. If your fridge is standard or counter depth, you would have the room to both put the MW in an upper there plus have a standard cabinet pulled out to be flush with the fridge surround (NOT the fridge door - nothing can be flush with the fridge door unless you go to the higher end models - you won't be able to open it) so you have some accessible counter beneath it.

Finally - it seems like you have a long trek from fridge to sink to wash veggies, then have to bring them dripping back to the island to prep. I would consider a prep sink in the island, right up against the raised cabinet. (says the girl with the same layout who still doesn't have her prep sink in)

Good luck!

This may already have been mentioned, but this is what I would do...

I like the tall cabinet. I would put valances above the windows at the same height as the top of your cabinet. This will carry that visual line around the room and keep as much glass/light exposed as possible, with the windows. Then, I would put a big plant or something on top of the fridge, to maintain that same height, more or less.

For the island, I would get rid of that raised cabinet and make it all one height...and put a prep sink there, instead. With your layout, a prep sink would work well there.

While I like the idea of the dog's water bowls being easy to access...I would put them under the cabinet next to the fridge. Put that countertop on legs and have the dog bowls there. Not the first thing you see as you enter and it makes the island a lot more functional.

Hope that helps :)

Wow. Thanks for all the great feedback.
I should explain that our house is a contemporary, open floor plan, post and beam. To the left of the little, turned, cabinet which is to the left of the fridge, is the entry to our house. Outside the entry is a small, unheated, mudroom. I mention the unheated part because that matters a lot in Maine in the winter!
We have a second project which will be financed next year to change the large combo bathroom/laundry room to the left on the entry into a mudroom w/stacked W/D, and a separate powder room space.
Rhome: The reason I wanted the end cabinet of the island higher than the rest of the island is to house outlets and to hide any mess from the front entry hall. Does this make sense?

Bmore: You and Rhome are right about dog dishes. I think I need to put dog dish in laundry room or I will ruin my floors! So I guess I could have that end island cabinet go to the floor if I want. Also, the cabinet beside the fridge is turned to give me little drop zone when I walk in. Over it, hanging on the fridge side panel will be a memo board, key holder, etc... I actually can't move the refrigerator further to the left. The little jog in that turned cabinet's counter is wrapping it around one of the house's structural posts. Toward the top of the post the ships' knee comes out at an angle and continues up to the beam. The refrigerator can't go back to the wall until the angle of the ship's knee is at a high enough arc to allow it. That happens at 11.5 inches to the right of the post. This is for a 70" tall fridge, not the fridge cabinet which is wood and can of course be cut. I have thought about a prep sink, but I honestly don't need one. We are living in this floor plan now and I do not feel it is necessary.

TracieErin: In order for the hutch to feel related to the rest of the kitchen I have the fridge wrapped in the warm brown(amaretto)and the hutch wrapped in it as well. The hutch doors are soft gray. The island cabinets are gray to tie in the hutch doors. The end island cabinet is intended to be wrapped in amaretto with gray drawer fronts. The island counter top is planned to be end cut walnut butcher block. The periphery cabinets are probably some whitish/grayish cambria but maybe Alaska White granite. Do you think it is not a cohesive design? If I decide to bring the fridge cabinet back up to the beam to match the hutch I could do its doors in gray, would you feel that brings more cohesion? Though my plan had really been to keep the fridge lower and use the top as a display space.

Lavenderlass: I agree one level island with a prep sink would be nice but I don't think I will miss the prep sink, though I think I would get used to it fast if I had it. I have a couple of reasons: If I don't have outlets in the back of that raised section my understanding is that outlets will interfere with/take away from drawers in the island. If I have a prep sink in my walnut butcher block it should really be varnished, not finished with wood oil, and then I can't chop on it. If I have the raised end, I really don't want to also give up counter to the prep sink. Also, I appreciate your idea about the tall cabinet and the raised valance, but I don't think it will work for me. From the top of the window to the bottom of the beam I only have about 15 inches and I need to put wall mount lights there or I will be washing my dishes in the dark. I can't do ceiling mount lighting because there is no ceiling just the floor above with sheet rock applied to it and no room for electric between. Fortunately I do not need window treatments for privacy, just us and the animals.

Thank you all for your thoughts and time, please keep it coming if I have anything wrong or you just think of something else. I really love this site!

Again, this is just perspective -

Raising the end counter only hides mess from from children. Any adult will see it all anyway as their heads are generally taller than the raised counter. Depending on your style and budget, I wonder if you could find something like an older server or chest of drawers to place there instead of cabinets? You could "stop" the island top with a pony wall with outlets.

On the subject of outlets, you might get dinged for not following building code for outlets. Here, our inspectors let slide window openings and wet areas, but if I was doing an island, I'd be required to insure that no place on the counter was more than 2 feet from an outlet. There are shallow work boxes and shallow outlets that generally speaking fit on the side of a cabinet behind the drawers or beside the drawers - particularly if you're using decorative end panels. Another way of providing outlets is to separate the cabinets with a 3" filler and place an outlet in the filler. Silites can be particularly helpful - as far as I know, nothing requires that the outlets be in pairs.

Try drawing something like a tall cabinet next to the ref - you can make it up out of multiple cabinets - 3 drawer base for junque and tools and perhaps a charging area, then either a lift door cabinet or one that the doors slide into the sides of the cabinet for a drop zone with a message board inside - the "counter" would be the inside of the cabinet. Closing the doors hides any mess instantly. It doesn't have to match heights with the ref, but it could.

Agreeing with Bmore on all points:

The higher section of counter won't hide anything that isn't within 6 inches or so of that higher part. I had a raised bar in our last house, hoping to screen direct view of the kitchen from the living room. Our raised section went fully across one end of the room, but since the sink and stove were a ways back, they were always on view. It hid only the bit of counter right behind it.

I understand your thought about outlets, but like she said, there are other options that would allow your island to be usable from every side and give you a more expansive, open feel.

I think the suggestion is great to do a taller, more enclosed cabinet to work more for you, but look neater.

Thanks all for your thoughts and opinions I am giving them careful consideration.
RE the height of the hutch cabinet I have decided to let it go up to the beam, but I have decided it will look off kilter with the fridge cabinet, so that one will go up to the beam as well. The light in the front hall is fine today(same layout) and will be better when we change the front door to a full light. The fridge cabinet looked too squat to me at 72".
Re the legs on the end island cabinet, since I have decided to put the dogs' water bowl in the mudroom I could have a regular cabinet, not on legs, but need to decide. As an FYI this is my inspiration island, so maybe I should do just one drawer and glass doors. Is my fear of a lacrosse stick going through glass doors irrational? They would look so nice, but my sons are VERY active.

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[Contemporary Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Portland Kitchen And Bath WoodWorks INC.
My husband and best friend got a good chuckle at the comments about making the cabinet next to the fridge tall and closed in to hide clutter. They said "if they only knew you". Dear GW friends, I have a confession. I am a neat freak: an uber organized, minimalist. I have no clutter. I'm sorry. It is just who I am.
Also about the end of the island being raised I think I still want to do it. I understand it won't hide a mess if, say, I was peeling carrots when someone came in, but I do feel it is a delineation between the front hall and the kitchen, otherwise the kitchen is 'in the hall'. This is, perhaps, something that is just in my head, but it feels authentic. Also this end of the island is where I stand when I plan. I am there right now, my laptop sits on the end(currently too low) and I stare out the window at my vegetable garden. I can visualize what is ripening and plan our meals and update my grocery list. Then I can stick my laptop in the drawer. If I am following a recipe on the screen I can face the laptop toward the work space but still keep it out of the spill zone.
I really appreciate all the information about outlet placement. It has been nagging at me. I will have an outlet at both ends of the island, and I am up to code.

Last one about the cabinet by the ref... It doesn't provide separation between the kitchen and the entry when it's finished like the kitchen but pointed out towards the entry. If you do the same thing at the end of the island (match finishes), it will have the same effect of removing division between the kitchen and the remainder of the space. I don't think either way is bad, I would tend to provide the separation by rotating the drop zone and putting it within a deep cabinet. That says "full stop".

In your inspiration picture, what provides visual separation is the different counter on the island and the stools.

I think using 42-48" tall glass front cabinets is fine for looks. But thinking of my four brothers or dh armed with hockey or lacrosse sticks... how often do you want to be begging everyone to be careful?