I had the awesomest dishwasher unloading layout in my last remodel. I'm short too, but even the tall spouse loved it. When trying to come up with a layout for the new kitchen, any plan that doesn't copy it gets nixed immediately.

The lower cabs go sink, dishwasher drawers, large silverware drawer. Uppers, well, window, dish cabinet. The upper was 18" deep, lowers 30" deep, so just about everything went in. (If you are short and pull out the bottom to 30" you can reach the exact same amount as standard in an 18" upper.)

Not my house anymore so sorry new owners--hope you enjoy unloading the DW!

You can stand next to the DW and put everything in the cabinet above. Technically the DW is soewhat under it, but most of the cabinet is accessible while NEXT to the DW. It's huge. Then you pull out the flatware drawer and it lines up with the open DW since that's a drawer also. Very easy. Works better with a drawer DW than a floppy door model but same idea.

Pre-reno, I kept my dishes in that upper over the dishwasher, and, yes, it's hard to reach. To put the bowls away, I had to shut the dishwasher and stretch. With the reno, the dishes are now in the peninsula drawer just opposite the DW. The silverware is in the drawer just above the dishes. Glasses and mugs are in the upper corner cab just behind where I stood to take the photo.

I put my tea, tea pots, and meds in that upper cab now. On the higher shelves I put cake pans and cookie cutters. So much better!!

I have two cupboards flanking the sink, like fori. The (fairly heavy)everyday dishes are in the bottom of the one over the DW. Like fori, if I stand at the side of the DW I can put away the dishes. The DW is only 24" wide, and the cupboard is something like 43", so it's very accessible. The cupboard on the other side of the sink has (much lighter) everyday glasses on the bottom shelf. The flatware drawer is under the glasses cupboard, so I turn and walk 2 steps with the flatware baskets. All the everyday stuff is on the bottom shelves so DD (4'10") and I(5'3")can reach it easily. I can unload a full DW in less than 3 minutes;most of the time is spent sorting the flatware into its proper compartments. But my whole kitchen is only about 15' by 8', so nothing is very far away from anything else.

I'm short too and my dishes go in the cabinet on the other side of the sink. My mil has her dishes in a cabinet over the dw and like you, it's just too hard to reach.

olivertwist - let me ask you a question...you mentioned that you didn't think you would be able to move your dishes to drawers because of limited space. Are the things that you would put in the drawers where you could put the dishes going to be used more often than you get dishes? If so, then dishes above in an upper cabinet is probably a better idea for you, but if you are doing things more often with dishes then I would suggest that you use the upper cabinet for something else that is less often accessed.

I'm short (5'3"), so in figuring out my layout, I have been asking myself a lot of questions as to what I use, when I use it, and how often I use it. "Prime real estate" is given to those things that are most often accessed - and for me that is silverware and dishes with some other stuff going in upper cabinet area.

In the kitchen I am planning, my DW will be to the left of the sink, there will be a sink, then a cabinet, a corner, and then after the corner, a drawer bank that opens toward the sink and DW - I will be able to have the DW open and unload it by standing in front of the sink and pivoting to place my dishes in the drawers.

Current kitchen - dish cabinet is over the DW and it is an absolute pain in the neck, but there was no other choice as this was an "inherited kitchen" from the previous owner and there was only one location that we could rip out a cabinet and put the DW when we moved in. Would never have dishes above the DW opening again if I could possibly help it.

My DW is to the left of the sink and all of my dishes and glasses are in cabinets and drawers to the right of the sink. Works great for me!

Sounds like it is very similar to AndreaK's kitchen

Sink is under window
DW to left
Glasses mostly in glass cabinet
Plates, etc in large drawer
Silverwear in split drawer
Knives in other split drawer

Everything is in easy reach when emptying the DW :-)

PS - We now have handles on all cabinets/drawers and lights installed - but haven't taken any new pictures...

I'm also kinda short, 5'4" and I have my dishes above the dishwasher. Sometimes I just put them on the counter and then close and put all of them away if it's the upper shelves I'm going after but the dishes are on the first shelf and I can reach those no problem. The other things just sit on the counter and go in last after I close the door.

My kids (10 and 13 when kitchen was finished) have their own DW so we needed a low space for the dishes. All our everyday dishes fit in a 24" drawer in the island across from the sink and between the 2 DW. We love that set up. Its so easy to stack dishes especially for DD who was only 4'6". The drawer can be open the same time as either DW. Their plastic plates, cups etc were in the bottom drawer of that stack. We use the 1st shelf in uppers for glasses, mixing bowls, measuring cups, etc. This set up works great for us.

a2gemini - yes, your kitchen is very similar to what we have planned for our kitchen..our run is a little more compact than yours, but quite similar. It's nice to hear (and see IRL) that what I'm planning for our remodel has been very functional for you. I need to check out your kitchen a bit more - looks like you may have red oak hardwood and Shaker style cherry cabinets which is what we are planning!

Andrea - I am not sure exactly what the floor is called - other than it is a natural oak that pops when sanded and coated - everyone loves the floor - it is the original 25 year old floor.

I really struggled with the cabinet color and the floor - everything looked like we tried to match the floor and failed. I was dreading going in to make my final decision on the cabinet color and walked into our final color (it was on display)

I took one look and asked - what is this - It is perfect! They did make me drive 30 miles the wrong way (I was on a road trip to visit family) to make sure it worked!

I took the samples, walked into the kitchen and said PERFECT!!
My DH told me yesterday that he really likes the color combination with the floor.

The cabinets are Brookhaven Autumn Cherry with a black glaze the glaze pulls it together - the dark lines in the floor and the glaze.

The uppers are minimally framed and the bottoms are frameless.

The panel has a beveled edge to decrease dust collection. I added the bottom trim to hide the LED lights and plugmold (I have a couple of outlets but not to code - but plenty of plugs under cabinet)

Here is the other half of the kitchen

Our primary drawer!

Total width is 11 feet
Total length about 14 1/2 feet plus a sunroom
2 doors plus a pantry door

Overall, compared to most GW kitchens - modest - but functional.

Hope this is helpful.

PS - I hope to order my BS soon and then update the pictures

Wow, it's amazing how many responses you could get to something that DH thinks is so trivial!
Thank you all!

a2gemini, my layout is somewhat similar to yours, except the wall where you are storing your glasses/dishes is my peninsula, and my DW is to the RIGHT of my sink. (Mine's a galley) I'm starting to think that just switching the DW to the left of the sink might help. Part of the reason I can't reach is because I'm blocked in by the peninsula as well. If I switch the DW to the left of the sink, would it look weird to have the stove/oven/range immediately next to the DW? (Again, it's like yours, but a shorter span, and the stove will be there, so the 2 appliances will be side-by-side.) Also, DH and I are both Righties. It seems more natural to me to load and unload the DW with my Right hand. Righties out there, is it weird to do leftie? Or just something you adapt to?

gr8day-that is what I do to. Lay it all out on the counter, shut the door, and then put it away. What a pain in the neck.

andreak100-Having dishes/glasses in the top cabinet really isn't a problem for me. Only when the DW is open! The "prime real estate" suggestions doesn't help here, because it's easy to reach in and get a plate when plates are the only thing in there. In my other uppers, I have (in one cabinet), tea, coffee, sugar, salt, vinegars, honey, oils, sesame seeds, cake mix, baking ingredients, etc. So I have to stand on the counter to find what I'm looking for. That's why I want to get them out of there into a lower pull out pantry. So it's not just the reaching, it's that I can't find anything!

Thanks all!
And if you could all let me know what you think about the DW on the LEFT, I'd be very appreciative!

olivertwist - what I was saying is that having dishes in the top cabinet IS actually a problem for you because of needing to put them in the cabinet when the DW is open. Since that movement is part of the overall use (an at least in my case, a pretty significant one), it is an issue/problem.

The trick is that you have multiple issues that you might like to resolve. Sometimes they can be all resolved, sometimes they can't, but can be lessened.

If you are like me in my current kitchen (my dish cabinet is directly above the DW), you have to take the dishes out of the DW, put at least some of them on the countertop, and then once everything is out of the DW, shut the DW and then put things in the cabinet. I admit, I'm a bit lazy - I don't want to put things part way and then have to move them again. I want the movement to be fluid and finished - I hate unloading the DW, so any way it can take less time and be less of a pain for me, I'm all about it!

I am a leftie...so by nature of living in a "rightie world", many things aren't set up for me the way that would be ideal. My current DW configuration favors righties. The DW in my previous house favored righties. I've just grown used to it, and while I strongly favor my left for certain things, I favor my right for others. That being said, if you have a disability in your non-dominant hand, it may be more challenging. In my layout (very similar to a2gemini), I will be doing a left DW reach, pivot right, and probably two-hand guided placement of plates. I imagine that I will place my glasses in the upper cupboard with glasses in each hand.

In regard to having the two appliances side-by-side, I don't really know how that might look. Maybe others have done it and can show some pictures.

Also, you said in your original post that you "aren't sure" if there's enough lower cabinet room to move everything or not - have you mocked up your layout with where you are planning on placing everything? That has helped me a ton in getting all my thoughts together on where things are going.

As to the difficulties of seeing in the one cabinet that has the seasonings, etc. what about doing an upper pull out? You've hit the nail on the head when saying that it's not necessarily the reaching that is the issue, but rather things being hidden and hard to find. Upper roll-outs or pull-outs could alleviate that issue maybe?

Have something like this on the door:

Here is a link that might be useful: Spice pull out

I'm a rightie! My DW is on the left right next to a wall. Maybe because of the wall I never had the option to do it differently.No problem loading or unloading. My dish storage is also above the DW. Never been a problem.....it is what it is,lol. However my family has started repeating my much stated mantra, "In my NEXT kitchen!"

Can you post your layout? It helps to see everything in context.

I'm contemplating similar issues, but I'm no layout expert. Currently our DW is to the left of our sink. We're both righties and there are no issues or concerns with loading and unloading. Our dishes go in a cabinet above and slightly to the left of the DW. It's a slight pain because the cab door opens in your face. It's a major pain for the tupperware which are directly above the DW. you have to unload the tupperware to the counter, then close the DW, then open the cab and put them in. In the (someday!) remodel, I think we're moving the dishes to a drawer on the side U from the DW.

Left right. Doesn't matter. I've had both and don't have a preference. I currently have it on the left (and have to take 2 steps to unload--dreadful!) and have no problems. Loading and unloading isn't really a demanding job, dexterity-wise.

Oh, I forgot to add the other concerns about having the DW directly next to the stove, etc. You're crossing zones. So if you're cooking and someone else wants to unload the DW, the DW will get in your way. If your dish storage is to the right of the DW, then at least the "person" wont' be in your way as much, but the open DW door is still a concern.

Asthetically, you also probably don't want all that stainless (or other appliance color) in a row. You can alleviate that by paneling the DW.

Would you have any room between the DW and stove or right next to each other?
We have about 14 inches between the cooktop and the DW - working great so far...

Wow, you are so right that having the DW next to the stove messes up my zones. Plus, I do want to be able to open the DW to stick in a plate with raw meat on it, and may even leave it open for a little while while prepping. That would never work.

The upper pull-out would be a great idea, but I'd never be able to reach the top of it without standing on the counter.

I'm still very early in my designing and don't have a layout yet. I'm only trying to think about what I do have and what I like/don't like about it. But basically, picture a2gemini's kitchen, except that the L isn't against a wall, it's a (much shorter) peninsula, and the counter run against the window is a little shorter. My DW is to the right of the sink and when open, blocks off access to whatever is in the peninsula. Behind me is the other side of my galley, but it's not so useful because rather than a long wall it's got a big entryway to the DR in it. So I have a fridge with a puny counter next to it (useless for food prep, I have my cookbooks on it and trash underneath) and the second run after the entryway to the DR has the toaster and stuff on it with food/dry goods underneath. So I've been focusing most of my energies on the wall with the DW/sink/oven since that's where all my prepping and cooking is.

I know that part of my problem is that my prep zone and clean-up zone and drying zone are all the same place, but I can't seem to figure out a solution. And I'm probably way head of myself anyway since we haven't met with a KD yet.

Thanks for all the ideas.

Take time to measure your current space accurately, then draw it up. Just a pen and paper is fine, no fancy software required. Then get some tracing paper to lay on top of the layout and fool around with different configurations. Post them here and the kind folks here will make your kitchen the best it can be!