thanks, blondelle, for the input! The issue with the vanity color is that all three baths, kitchen, and living room are completely done with these same cabinets and same color. I agree with you that a dark vanity and travertine-style floor would really update the bath, but then would the bath still have continuity with the rest of the house (dated as it may be)? Likely the correct answer is "update the rest of the house" LOL so maybe I need to wrap my head around refinishing at least *some* of the cabinets. also, we have tile throughout the rest of the house and DH is really wanting a more comfortable surface. But I really don't want to redo this bath ever again so I'll see about finding some really thin tile to show DH. msgreatdeals, it seems that alot of people have a dark vanity with a light countertop or vice versa, with the floor matching either depending on the mood you're trying to evoke. And if you already have one bath with a white vanity and the same floor, the dark vanity could be used to differentiate the two baths. cheers

I'll be honest, the DW placement would now be a royal pain for me and my family (and would be a reason to remodel!) In our home, the DW is often loaded/unloaded/opened for whatever reason while prepping is going on. With the DW in this location, it means every time the DW needs to be opened you will have to step aside. IF your family is very disciplined to always load & run the DW immediately after dinner (or other meals) and unload it immediately after it finishes running (or at least before any meal prep or cooking takes place), then it may work for you in this location. In our home, with two working parents plus two busy & active children, it just doesn't happen. Invariably, there's cleanup or unloading of the DW going on at the same time as meal prep so the DW is open (or opened/closed/opened/closed/etc.) quite a bit during prep & cooking. If I had to choose b/w the DW in the primary Prep Zone and around the corner, I'd pick around the corner. If you put it at the end of the run, it would not be in the way as much as you think while at the sink and it would be easy to load/unload as well as unload directly into the dish & glasses cabinet above. You also now have all three primary work zones (Prep, Cooking, Cleanup) crammed into one corner of your kitchen. One other concern...if the DW is open while someone is cooking, the cook must be very careful not to back into the open DW door. (The DW door extends approx 27" out from the cabinet when open.) This is a concern primarily b/c when cooking you're working with hot pots/pans. If you back into an open DW door while carrying a hot pot, even a slight loss of balance on your part could result in spilled/sloshed contents. I would try: DW + 9" + 33" corner susan (not recycle) ...round the corner 36" susan (36" on this side) + 9" + 33" sink base + 24" cabinet + 36" recycle susan ...round the corner 36" susan + 1/2" space + 30" range + 1/2" space + 25" cabinet (or whatever will fit) + 3/4" panel + 36" refrigerator + 3/4" panel This gives you 36" of prep space next to the sink as well as another 12" to the left of the range. You also have plenty of space for working & landing to the right of the range. I would use 2 of the recycle bins for recycling and the third for trash, especially as you don't have much trash. One other thing... Trash & recycling work much better inside the Prep Zone and next to the Cooking Zone than across the kitchen. I made the mistake of putting my trash & recycle bins next to my cleanup sink (in the Cleanup Zone) and across a 6' aisle from my Prep & Cooking Zones and it's the biggest regret I have in my kitchen. I find that I generate far more trash, recyclables, & composting, while prepping and cooking than I do while cleaning up and for far longer periods of time. Take what you will of the above comments, just think about how you and your family works & functions b/f finalizing your design. Here is a link that might be useful:

My questions: Why does the sink have to be centered under the window? How flexible are you with windows and doors? If flexible (i.e., can change sizes or locations), your options open up considerably. Even just changing sizes (not locations) will give you many more options. Can the window be changed/moved? Can the patio doors be changed to 48" wide total (two 24" doors instead of two 30" doors)? BTW...I also advise you not to assume your teens will be out of the house "soon". There is a very good possibility they will be back following graduation. More and more, young adults are returning to the "nest" for a few years until they can get established in a career and are able to afford to live on their own. This means you could be looking at 3 or 4 cooks and more entertaining in the next few years. My advice is to come up with a kitchen that will work well with one or two (you and your spouse) as well as with 3 or 4. Your questions: Should I keep the short wall at the corner of the peninsula, or should I get rid of it, and make the counter top go all the way to the end? To the right of the counter top, about 1' away is a door to the laundry room. I think I would like it to be opened up all the way. if I make the change as #1 will it look better to have the wall cab at both sides of refrig 12 inch deep? Like the others, I think moving the refrigerator would to the long wall would be better overall. It will get the refrigerator out of the dead end and easily accessible to both people working in the kitchen as well as keep someone looking for a drink or snack from getting in the way of those working in the kitchen (e.g., at the sink or peninsula). It will also open up that area much more. The long wall is plenty open enough that the refrigerator will not "close it in"...not so the base of the "U" where it's currently located. any suggestion on the placement of glass door wall cabs? No opinion right now. Anyone using Wolf 36 inch all gas range - did you make the hood cabinets 3 inch longer on each side (to 42 inch) like suggested by the range instruction? I think it looks too bulky but afraid the heat will damage the cab. I highly recommend making the hood 6" wider (3" for each side). We like the look of decorative hood. However we do cook heavily. We are planning to get a ventilation hood with higher cfm but still wondering if the decorative will hood hold up to the cooking grease and smokes? (To my experience stainless steel is not the easiest to clean either, sigh) I like the idea of a decorative wood hood to match the rest of the cabinetry. We have a SS hood, and it's not that bad keeping it clean. We don't do a lot of greasy cooking, but we do enough...browning meat for tacos, sloppy joes, chili, etc. However, I like the decorative hood idea better! Is a wall oven a must in any kitchen? I'll get a Wolf range with oven. I don't think I'll need it and currently planning to stay in this house for more than 10 years. Definitely not! If you don't have a need for an extra oven, don't get one! However, if you plan to stay in this home when you retire ("age in place"), you might consider at least making a place for one in the future. Or, you could put one in now...maybe an oven/MW stack. Wall cab besides the hood - they are not as symmetric as I'd like. Am I being too picky? No opinion right now. Base cabinets - drawers or pull out cabinets? Pros and cons for each? Which should be next to the cooking range? Drawers! Drawers, IMHO, are far better than roll out tray shelves (ROTS) (a.k.a., pull out shelves). I've linked a thread discussing the pros/cons of each. You may need one for tall items, but you'd be surprised how much will fit in a single deep drawer. If by "pull out cabinets" you mean attached to the door and pull out when you open the door (like a trash pullout, for example), depending on the application, they can also be more useful than regular cabinets (upper & base). I have two sets of pots & pans...for gluten-free cooking (me) and for all other cooking. All of them are stored in drawers...and it's a great way to store them. The "regular" pots & pans are stored in 36" wide drawers under my cooktop...top shallow drawer has knives & prep tools (for "regular" cooking), the middle deep drawer has pots, the bottom deep drawer has pans and a wok. My GF pots are in two deep 24" drawers (fewer of them). My mother stores hers in regular base cabinets and they're a pain to access b/c you have to get on your hands & knees to get the items in the back. ROTS would be better, but then things can fall off. Drawers, to me, are far better. The only other type of storage I recommend for pots & pans is in a corner susan...that's what we had in our old kitchen & it worked very well. Everything was always in right in front of your...just rotate the susan and there's the item you need! How about something like this...assuming the window and doors can be changed...? Layout #1: This gives you a Prep Zone that will not be in conflict with the Cleanup Zone. It also gives you a lot of prep space b/w the prep sink on the peninsula and the range on the right wall. Your refrigerator is located so it's easily accessible from the kitchen, the DR, the LR, and the outside...without non-kitchen work activities getting the way of kitchen activities (prepping, cooking, cleaning up). There's even a secondary Prep Zone b/w the range and cleanup sink under the window. It has an optional oven stack for a MW alcove and wall oven. If you decide against it, see Layout #2 (below) for an idea. You have a 6' wide pantry with 12" deep shelves...a depth most of here at GW have found to be close to "perfect". The shelves are not so deep that things get lost, but they're deep enough to stack 2 or 3 cans (front-to-back), the majority of small appliances, most storage containers (Tupperware, Rubbermaid, Container Store, etc.) I put in a small table, but I don't think you'll need it with the peninsula seating. Speaking of seating at the peninsula, there are 4 seats and a 15" overhang. I did move the peninsula cabinets a bit toward the DR so they're flush with the wall b/w the LR & Kitchen. Yes, seating will be on the DR side with the higher ceiling, but I think it will be fine b/c there are no upper cabinets in that same space to draw attention to the ceiling difference. The cabinet in the corner to the right of the range is turned 90 degrees so it faces the DR. This is a better use of space a blind cabinet, and even better than a corner susan. In it, you could store items needed in the DR...table cloths, place mats, candles, etc. If you don't need additional storage in the DR, it could be used for seasonal kitchen items. Here is Layout #1 with Zones: Layout #2: Here is a link that might be useful: Thread: Drawers or doors with pull outs?

I’ve project managed for owners on vacation who didn’t want to live in the middle of the mess. 2-3X a week pictures for them, and I solve the issues. Because the design work was all done in advance, issues that need to involve them are exceedingly few, to none. I’m there on the job site for the important times and dates, and performing quality control, with adherence to the agreed upon design standards. And they are off visiting relatives or staying in an extended vacation spot. Bear in mind that “daily cleaning” means “Broom Clean” as the standard. It’s not your MIL coming for white glove inspection! Broom Clean is chunks swept up. The area under construction should be a no walk through zone, behind plastic, with an air scrubber exhausting out a window set up for any of the messy parts. That’s an extra line item, as it is an extra hassle and expensive that many contractors don’t do. The return air vents should have filters taped in front of them, and other air vents should be sealed. I insist on it on my jobs. I also insist on a post construction cleaning service. That is not a standard that many contractors operate under. Those that do this will not be the inexpensive guys, as it adds to their overhead. Which is why it’s called out in a contract as an Extra Service level.