Do you have a PC or a Mac? Some people use IKEA software and some use SketchUP, both of which, I think are free. I really like the Chief Architect softwares, which I think are user friendly. Different versions vary in price, depending on the features you want/need. Some do construction calculations, and also landscaping design work, but some are more about interiors, and cost less. Also, older versions cost less, and those are usually available on Amazon, etc. However, Chief Architect is a Windows based software, so won't work on a Mac without Windows installed. I found it VERY helpful in designing our house to be able to do layouts and see my ideas in 3D. Somethings that seemed good in my head didn't look at all good in 3D, so I could've had a very bad surprise had I not seen it first. It also enabled me to tweak colors and other design and function details until they were the best I could manage. I got to really know my kitchen space before it even existed. One of my first ideas, seen from different angles: Plan Renderings, trying different materials and colors: Current Result for comparison: There are also elevation types of renderings for more clarity on details: And the floorplans look like this:

Thanks for asking! I really want to run this past someone, but I think it will work well. Summerfield posted a few new ideas for my plan, after I showed you the other version. At first, I wasn't sure about the master bedroom in the front. Then, Summerfield posted another version, with the big living room in the back. Between the two, I thought...if the living room and bedroom would work in those spaces...we could have the kitchen/keeping room, on the other side of the house. I've always thought this was the best place for the kitchen/keeping room. It has the best views, the perfect big fireplace (really better than having this in the living room) the size is great...now the baking area can actually be IN the kitchen! And we have a lovely lilac hedge (15' high) on the other side of the proposed porch. So, with Summerfield's help, we came up with this new plan. I really like it, but like all things, it comes with compromises. The mudroom, laundry and utility areas either had to go where I want the porch...or on the other side of the house. Not only did we REALLY want the porch, but the parking will be on the left side of the house. It's about 25' between the kitchen and utility room. There is a small pantry by the fridge, but most long term food storage, paper products and pet supplies will be in the other area. However, we're used to a bit of a trek, so I think it will be fine...and at least we don't have to go to the basement! The claw foot tub will (hopefully) have climbing roses around the bay window, as well as the window seat in the master bedroom. This is the corner (south side) where we plan to have the garden, so it will be much easier to have roses, lavender and other flowers...off the bedroom than my husband's 'rustic' living room. And, the views out the living room will be of the pine trees on the back hill and the horses in their pasture. So...all things considered, what do you think?

We're doing a major remodel / rebuild that encompasses more than just the kitchen. Our architect uses Archicad for Mac. He is advising us on interior design, but our design budget was used up months ago. So I found a program for the Mac called "Live Interior 3D" on Apple's "App Store" for $39 and thought I would give it a try. It has been great. I imported the 2D PDF of plans from the architect and then traced walls in my app, then added windows and floors, etc. and added furniture. Architect and I will have discussions about design concepts for living room / kitchen (mainly so far) and I'll draw them up and share screenshots and we'll chat about it. So he helps with design direction but I do the work of creating the visualization. Now that we have it, we can use it to consider color, flooring, etc. You can add lights, change size and luminosity, change time of day, etc. and the program renders shadows etc. We used this technique (combined with very helpful ideas from this forum) to determine that we would go with a counter height eating area on our peninsula with a seat at the end. Once we had that, I figured I could get a nice 30" drawer in before the prep sink. Also used it to visualize a 36 vs 30 inch range (going with 36). Then last week we met with the cabinet guys and I gave them screenshots and ideas (including custom depth for an upper cabinet for a microwave near the fridge). It's not in any way a kitchen design program per se that will give you quantities of cabinets. But it doesn't for instance let you change the cabinet face style etc. You can change wood color. You can import objects from sketchup, including searching for objects online through the software interface. Here's our "fridge wall". At the top will be other top-hinged I imagine cabinets but I was lazy and didn't put them in. The cabinets (where the micro is put) are 18" deep so we can put a decent microwave in their. I showed this to the electrician yesterday and he made a mental note to put the power receptacle in the cabinet above it. Also told us to have the cabinet guy put in a shelf that would support the weight of the microwave so we don't have to hang it. Right now I'm modelling different sizes of range hoods from ProLine to figure out which one will both look good and give us 1000+ cfm venting. Here is the range wall (opposite fridge on end of U) with the geometry of this hood: http://www.prolinerangehoods.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=32_46&products_id=200 Here is a rendering: I created the range hood geometry by adding 2 blocks and giving them a metal surface texture. To the right of the range we **could** fit a 24" Miele Chef. I'm going to defer this purchase, but based on this modeling we're going to run conduit now, and put in Miele-friendly drawers so in the future if we want to add it we'll be able to without totally ripping apart everything. Really easy to use program if you're Mac-centric like me. Great tech support too. http://www.belightsoft.com/products/liveinterior/overview.php

This is all such great advice - exactly what I'm looking for! I will be taking each suggestion under consideration while reworking the design. Thank you all so much! Additional comments and suggestions are welcome. Below I've included additional information and answers to questions. If you don't have time to read the detailed version, here's a quick summary: * There will only be 2 adult occupants - no kids * We rarely entertain * We use the kitchen for almost every meal, but we aren't chefs or bakers * The new house will be informal & transitional but the floor plan has axial symmetry in both directions * The ceiling height will be 10 feet * The stone fireplace in the living room will have an arch at the top, but we're not set on using arches in the kitchen * There are large/tall windows in the living room and dining room, so having a window in the kitchen isn't necessary unless it helps the design * The view from a kitchen window will be the side of the neighbor's house * The upper cabinets will be 42" - regretfully we can't afford to go higher * I would like suggestions on 3D kitchen software so I can experiment before asking the kitchen designer to make more changes * I would appreciate any suggestions on 36" wide decorative range hoods that are affordable (if such a thing exists) * We plan to vent the range hood outdoors, but we want to keep the CFM down to avoid makeup air requirements Now for the detailed version: My husband and I will be the only occupants in this house - there are no kids in our future either. We very rarely entertain, but if we do, it's usually limited to 1-2 guests. We make almost every meal in the kitchen, but due to medical dietary restrictions, we often cook different meals, sometimes at different times. We definitely aren't chefs or bakers, but my husband grills outdoors and smokes meat quite often. Our new house will be informal and transitional. However, there is a lot of axial symmetry in the floor plan. For example, you'll notice that the foyer is centered on the fireplace, and windows flank either side of the fireplace. On the horizontal axis, the sofa and TV cabinet will line up with the island. The stone fireplace will be the main focal point in the living room. It will go from floor to ceiling, and there will be a stone arch at the top above the wood mantel. The ceiling height throughout the public area is 10 feet. There will be large windows in the living room and dining room, so it isn't essential to have a window in the kitchen unless it improves the aesthetics. Note that our best view will be looking out the large windows to the back yard - if we include a window in the kitchen, we'll have a fabulous view of the side of the neighbor's house. The cabinets will be mitered flat panel in the center (not slab). From a distance, they look similar to shaker cabinets, but up close they have a more detailed profile. The drawers will be 5-piece as opposed to slab. The plan we've chosen was designed by a local architect for the builder as a stock plan. We are customizing the plan a bit to meet our needs. The kitchen designer has provided 3D perspectives of the previous iterations, but I don't want to ask for additional changes until we have nailed down the design. If there are computer programs that I could use to easily create my own 3D model, I'd appreciate recommendations. As I mentioned earlier, we are on a budget, and we're already stretching to get 42" kitchen cabinets. It would be great if we could afford to stack the cabinets to the ceiling, but it's just not in the cards. We may be able to afford drawer bases instead of doors, but I will need to consult the kitchen designer for pricing. The sink is currently located in the island with a dishwasher on one side and a trash pull-out on the other. A second prep sink would be nice, but we truly don't need it given the way we cook. The range will be a 30-inch slide-in. I feel like a 36" decorative range hood would improve the aesthetics, but I don't think the budget will allow it. If anyone has suggestion on decorative yet affordable range hood options, that would be great. There will be 36" between the refrigerator and the island. We're between houses and living in a rental house that has the same island/fridge configuration, and honestly it hasn't been problematic so far. Given that we have limited space, I'd rather have a longer island than have another foot of clearance on the side of it. We are not set on using arches in the kitchen, but I suppose they would tie in with the stone arch on the fireplace if we do. The main reason for the arch in the kitchen is to dress up the open display cabinet a bit. I don't like clutter, but I do like to have a few places here and there for pottery and artwork, so I'd like to have at least one display cabinet in the kitchen. In the house we just sold, we had a tiny kitchen, so in comparison the new kitchen will seem huge and roomy, and the walk-in pantry is icing on the cake! I don't mind wasting one or two upper cabinets so that I have places to decorate and break up the wall cabinets, but I want any display cabinets to be well placed. In the same vein, I'd prefer not to add another cabinet to the right of the range run so that I have a small piece of wall for artwork. The room behind the refrigerator wall is a laundry room with a mudroom next to it. The extra space in the laundry room will likely be used for some unsightly exercise equipment. Function is very important to me, but my OCD eye also requires that I address what's behind the island very carefully. For my sanity, that small section of wall cabinets directly behind the island either needs to be symmetrical or else there should be nothing but cabinetry behind it so that my eye doesn't perceive an imbalance. I know that's super anal, but that's the way I was built, and now I have to build my new house to accommodate! :) Thanks again everyone - you're all awesome! Please keep the suggestions coming. This post was edited by broken_arrow on Sat, Nov 15, 14 at 17:08