I find the arrow shaped island problematic, personally.

Am I reading this correctly? Do you have to go through the bathroom to get to the in-law suite? I would not like that. What's the box w/the "X" on it? That would be a better place for a door to the in-law suite.

What are the aisle widths on the other sides of the island? One looks to be less than 36" and would be the main access b/w the DR & FR (b/w the refrigerator wall & island).

It's an interesting layout...but I don't particularly like the shape of the island. I think that "pointed end" will be a hip bruiser.

As to the window/cabinets/hood, I think I like the first one better...the one w/the cabinets flanking the window...but both look nice. If it's in the budget, have you thought of getting a custom hood and making it a focal point?

Buehl - at one point we were trying to get a shower to fit in the bathroom that leads to the in-law suite. We have given that up at this point due to space considerations, we would have to bump out the wall and that isn't in the budget. So the bathroom and washer/dryer will remain as they are in the original layout.

I'll figure out the aisle widths on the other sides of the island and post them. We had figured on rounding out the island when we template the granite so it's not quite an arrow, but it's interesting to hear people's thoughts on it.

My only comment is about the wall cabinet nearest the sink- I think it might be difficult to actually use. Your body is pushed away from the corner by the sink cabinet reducing your reach into that cabinet.

If you are moving the window, reconsider using the window and wall cabinet positions in the first computer drawn image where the wall cabinets are massed together and the window is pushed over closer to the cooktop.

If the arrow shape could be symmetrical I wouldn't mind it. I think the angle of your peninsula should be steeper so that the seating isn't so far out into the walkway through to the kitchen. That, of course, though, would worsen the problem of reaching the one wall cabinet as pointed out by Bmorepanic.

I'm not liking the island at all or the angled peninsula. They're quirky obstacles to move around without really adding functionality. You'd do better for passageways (and cabinet space) to have a 90° peninsula with a corner sink. A "regular" boxy oblong island would also work better. THe MW drawer would be much better in that peninsula closer to the fridge. The way you've got that peninsula angled currently, it's going to be extremely difficult to reach that wall cabinet, which is where I assume you intend to store your dishes. I'd recommed storing them in a drawer on the island instead--after you rework both the island and the peninsula.

BTW, I think you'd get a better layout with a range on the back wall intead of separate cooktops and wall ovens. A 36" range would still give you the 5 burner top you want. If you did a separate Advantium instead of a MW drawer, you could have that 2nd oven when you need it and full time MW functionality.

With two Very Fixed dimensions in the island (the trash compactor and the microwave), the only way to round out the corners on the countertop is to make it bigger, with deeper overhangs--which will make the aisles smaller.

I think the angles are kind of an interesting exercise in geometry--that may not be all that fun to work in in real life. It kinda seems like one of those things that people were trying in the 80s...it seems gimmicky.

The other aspect of the angles is that it expects a lot of both the installer and the cabinets themselves. There will be a lot of customization of trim pieces, which are often not that well finished on the sides and such. It will be like putting together a puzzle.

Thanks for all your responses! One of the early options for our kitchen is shown here with a peninsula at 90 degrees to the wall. With this, we couldnÂt fit an island with adequate aisle space and there seemed to be too much empty space (ignore the rest of this layout, just included it to show what we considered to be lost space). That led to the decision to angle the peninsula and fit an island in. We are planning to store the dishes in the drawer to the right of the sink and use the cabinets above for glasses and mugs. IÂll confirm that weÂll be able to reach it.

{{gwi:2107922}}

I donÂt know anything about the GE Advantium Oven but will look into it and consider replacing one of the Electrolux ovens with the Advantium. Then we could remove the microwave drawer from the island and reshape the island. Does the Advantium act as a regular microwave in addition to being an oven? We do use our microwave often. I have back problems which is why weÂre planning on wall ovens instead of a range (too much leaning over with heavy roasts).

Your feedback is great. I would much rather make changes now when itÂs relatively easy than have issues after the kitchen is finished. I have learned so much reading various posts here, my DH has heard me frequently say how many wonderful things IÂve learned on this forum! Thanks again.

How about something like this? It does involve changing doorways & windows.
Increase the opening to the Front Hallway to 9'4"
Eliminate the angled wall to the FR
Increase the window width to 6' to maximize the backyard view

This gives you:

• A fabulous view of the backyard while prepping (most of the time in the Kitchen, 70%, is spent prepping)

• Visitors (or you!) can gaze out on the backyard while seated at the island

• Visitors entering your home will see the backyard from the front door. However, a drawback is the sink will also be visible. But, if you get deep sink, you should be able to hide those dirty dishes! (This is the one time I might actually suggest *gasp* a raised counter! It might help some since people will be at a bit of a distance away when entering the house. Of course, if they come into the kitchen it won't, but then nothing will anyway. You also won't have a big expanse of work space on the island anyway b/c of the sink.)

• You have 76" of prep space (52" + 24") in a prime location...b/w the range & refrigerator and across from the sink

• Refrigerator & MW are on the periphery so they're accessible from the Kitchen as well as the FR and the outside. Snackers coming from the FR & outside will not get in the way of those working in the Kitchen.

• Eliminating the FR wall gives you more clearance for going into the backyard from the Front Hallway. It also provides a view of the backyard from the FR.

• Increasing the width of the doorway to the Front Hallway gives you more seating clearance.

Drawback: No pantry space. There also seems to be a lot of wasted space in front of the slider...an area about 72" x 88". It would be nice if there was a way to put a shallow pantry in that area.

So....what do you think?

Buehl,

Thanks for taking the time to rework my layout! I can't remove the wall to increase the space that leads to the front hallway. That's where the stairs to the basement are. I am planning on removing the two closets in my current layout, but I don't think I would have enough space for an island with seating.

We had thought about moving the refrigerator to that space, but I was hoping to keep the space into the sun room more open and felt like the fridge would block it(but I'm beginning to wonder if the angled peninsula is defeating that goal).

I do like the idea of more window space and my DH has mentioned a shallow pantry along the wall of the half bath. This does get complicated! I'd love to hear more suggestions! Thanks.

meg,
I went through a million layouts because I had an "island vision" for my kitchen. I absolutely love large working islands. BUT... my space/kitchen/layout of house; was not conducive to it. At the end, I realized that I had to let the house drive the layout and not my picture of my dream kitchen. I don't know if an island is the best setup for you though I do really like buehl's concept .... too bad about the stairs. How about a U shaped? It's an approximation for sure... I don't have software so I do the best I can. Just more food for thought...