I pick option C with all the upper cabs on the stove wall being deep and the others normal depth.

I would not like a prep sink where it is on your plan. It is near a walk by traffic area and the faucet seems to stick up in an odd area for it. I am not sure the back side of the prep faucet should be the first thing seen when approaching the kitchen. I'd put it in the corner by the window and just lose the top part of the awkward corner cab. If you can't move it that far, just move it further from the end than what is shown.....

If you can't recess the fridge, I'd shorten the peninsula. If you can recess it, then I'd toss a coin to decide, lol.

Hope you don't mind that I vote, even though I'm not a regular poster on this forum.

Shorten the peninsula by 3 inches?
Yes, I think so. Even with the fridge pushed into the wall, those extra inches will help keep the kitchen from having a bottleneck feeling at that point.

Option A or B?
IMHO, I'd keep the upper cabs at 12" depth. Option A.
Every inch of open space counts, and losing some of your
"breathing" room will make your space look more filled up.
I have a smallish kitchen, and as we plan a redo, I am mostly eliminating upper cabs
which show from other spaces. Even a couple of inches
can keep the eye from feeling confined. Other than big platters and such,
the 15" depth won't give you a significant amount of additional storage space.
So I guess I vote for OPTION A.......

Two very quick thoughts. Need to sleep.

1. Did you ditch the idea of bringing the 15" uppers closest to the sink wall down to the counter? I think having them bumped out to 15" without bringing them to the counter looks slightly off.

2. You don't have enough space at the peninsula for 3 bar stools. Each stool should have about 24" minimum. That means with 36", you don't even have enough space to fit 2 comfortably. You could possibly put 2 tiny little backless, perching stools for 2 very small kids who don't mind shoving each other a bit as they get in and out of the stools. If you put 2 dining chairs nex to each other with breathing room between and measure, you'll see what I mean.

I agree wtih Breezygirl. The third person sitting there, with a little sink in front of him/her, with the frigerator door being opened too, I think it is a bit much. Most likely, you could have two people sitting there comfortably, not three. Are you sure you want a second sink?

Most people will sit at the counter, do homework (if youre little) or read the newspaper and eat. With water on the counter from the faucet (as it will happen), it will get things wet or uncomfortable.

I understand that it is a nice luxury to have a second faucet, but maybe there's another way to put this extra money that you would pay a plumber, buy the hardware, etc. I'd say to save that money, and buy a nice espresso machine, or buy all new pots & pans.

Gain the inches through the walkway as best as you can to make the illusion of more space. As for seating there, two is company and three is a crowd.

At either length, I believe that only 2 people will fit comfortably at the overhang. We have a 7 ft. overhang that sits 3 people comfortably and we can squish 4 if one person sits somewhat cattycorner at the end. Guidelines will tell you to estimate 2' per person.

If I'm reading the msg correctly, the peninsula is 82inches. if it is shortened, it will be 79inches. (still enough for the 3 stools).

that being said, I agree about the odd placement of the prep sink. I think you'll find it more in the way of things you want to do there vs. helpful. (also agree, is that the first thing you want people seeing in the kitchen?) and the 3rd stool in front of it would be odd. I'm not really sure where a good place for a prep sink in your kitchen would be. what is it's purpose? (a water sink for others? a prep sink for cook?) As much as I love the idea of a prep sink, perhaps your kitchen just needs one sink that is good at double duty.

As far as the spacing is concerned, if you think you have enough storage, I'd go for a wider aisle. The power of visual space cannot be underestimated. It will really help your kitchen feel more open/airy ... if you don't have enough storage and you CAN recess the fridge, 40.5in is big enough for a passage. I don't think you'd be happy with 37in if you can't recess. It's your only entrance in and out of the kitchen.... and it's there with the fridge. Imagine someone standing in front of the fridge, trying to figure out what to take out... how much room is behind that person for others to squish by? Bottleneck situation.

now that I described that, I think I'd seriously want to recess the fridge AND shorten the peninsula by 3 inches - leaving a 44 inch aisle. Plenty of room. (caveat: I tend to feel crowded and like open spaces).

As far as cabinet depth is concerned - I'd make them all the same. or if you have one deeper, make it a hutch-style cab as Breezy had mentioned.

I have had a kitchen very similar to your layout and really loved it but 2 things that would have driven me crazy that you have in your plan are the prep sink at the end of the peninsula and the fridge opening directly at the end of the peninsula. Just my 2 cents but the entire are around the peninsula was the most congregated around area in the kitchen and the prep sink and fridge would have been completely in the way.

I remember your kitchen as it is almost exactly like the one I put in a few years ago! I do not have a prep sink. On occasion it would be nice to have one under the window on the peninsula as a bar sink while entertaining, but not a big deal. My refrigerator is positioned more towards the main sink with a small side entry pantry cabinet by the peninsula end. I have no issues with my refrigerator door this way.

Here's a photo showing my side pantry which I love!

Good luck with your kitchen! Can't wait to see the finished product.

Barb

Thanks for all your votes/thoughts.

The peninsula will be 82 inches (or 79 inches if shortened) so it should be long enough for 3 stools.

The discussion about the prep sink is interesting. The idea for the prep sink came from the GW forum as we hadn't really considered it before. The general thought for the prep sink was to add a second prep area (with water source) to the right of the range. The prep sink would also serve as an extra place to get water/wash hands without fully entering the main kitchen and interfering with the cook.

The peninsula is about 36 inches deep (12 inch overhang for the stools). Is it just bad placement (not enough room) for a prep sink in the peninsula in front of any seat? Or is it just a bad spot at that end? Do we not have a good place for a prep sink in our current layout? Is the prep sink overkill for our kitchen space/layout?

Dianalo, What is your thinking on pulling all the cabinets only on the stove wall out to 15 inches deep? Is it primarily for looks or the extra cabinet space?

Breezygirl, We did pretty much ditch the idea of bringing the end cabinets to the counter. We really didn't have a great idea (or need) for what we'd put in the appliance garage and didn't think it would be worth losing the countertop space. Do you think all the cabinets should be the same (12 inches deep) if we're not dropping them to the counter?

I think we're leaning to shortening the peninsula by 3 inches to make sure we've got a bigger opening to the kitchen.

But I'm really unsure now of the prep sink need or placement. I really can't tell if it would be in the way of the person seated in front of it. We definitely don't want it to be a negative for the kitchen after all this effort.

Still not sure about the cabinet runs toward the window wall and what would look and function best there.

Thanks for all your thoughts/votes. Please keep them coming as we really want to get this right.

The first thing I thought was that the prep sink is to much on the peninsula..just my opinion:)

I have a very similar layout and the one thing I don't like is that the aisle between the fridge and the peninsula is not wide enough. I'm not able to change it much as my floors are already done and I need a large fridge. I had to make do with finding a fridge with the least depth possible yet a full size. I would definately shorten the peninsula.

I agree that the prep sink would be in my way. I use that area as landing space for the fridge all the time. You have more space the right of your fridge than I do but I've never used that area because of the way the fridge doors open.

I would definitely shorten the peninsula and take out the prep sink. I prefer option A.

I have a similar shape. My peninsula is 73" long and I have 57" of walkway space at the end.

I vote shorten peninsula and ditch the prep sink (as much as I covet one). Imagine that you are in the "G," someone is at the fridge, and you want/need to get OUT of the kitchen. Too much of a pinch point, IMHO.

Throwing in my $.02 on the 15" wall cabinets...I have a couple of them and for function, they are fantastic and I highly recommend them. The extra 3" projection does not interfere with the counter space below. I actually like the dimension they give to your kitchen.

Good luck to you!

Without a doubt I would shorten the peninsula. I have a very similar layout and the pinch point between the fridge and the peninsula is the major reason for our renovation. Trying to get plates of hot food to the table from the stove while a little one is searching for the ketchup in the fridge is a real PITA.

Thanks again everyone.

Actually, the depth of the peninsula is 38 inches and we're looking at undermount prep sinks around 14"X14" inside dimensions (16"x16" outer dimension). We assume this size could have a disposal for prep purposes.

Does this change anyone's thoughts on whether it would fit better and not interfere with the person seated in front of it?

I suggested just going deeper on the stove wall because with the hood breaking up the line, it would not feel visually too full. You could do the reverse and put it on the other side, now that I think about it more. If you prep a lot on the stove side, it would feel more spacious to put the deep ones on the other side.
I am also a big fan of open shelving as it makes a visual statement and also makes reaching things easy. It saves money and preserves flexibility. If you went with deeper cabs on the fridge wall and did open shelves on the stove wall, it would maximize natural light and air flow. You could even have shelves wrap the corner for a very nice look.

I was not crazy about the deeper cabs only on the end. That exposes the sides of 2 cabs and does not gain you much. If you went with more deeper cabs, then you will notice the storage difference.

FWIW, I like bbtondo's layout for the fridge. It serves to make the chokepoint seem less a problem and since you have plenty of counter space, you would gain storage in the tall cab without losing function. You also have a good distance between the stove area and the wall opposite, so you would not be crowded when cooking. If you could still recess the fridge, I'd consider that a great idea.... if not, it is still a contender.

We have G shaped kitchen with items in same places but there's 5 feet between door of non-recessed regular door refrig and the end of peninsula (less the overhang). The farther the refrig retreats from the range, the longer the commute--our commute is quite long but we needed it because of large second sink and sufficient space for all we're doing. Our peninsula is pretty deep but even so it's rare for someone to sit in front of second sink unless other seats are taken. Stuff is plunked there too often and having faucet in front of you is not fun.

I'd remove the small sink from that position in your drawing. You don't have enough room for it --you sacrifice plunk space and it wrecks the stool area. But you still have a snub-nose peninsula if you shorten it even without a sink on it. No big deal if you don't need to seat and eat.

How important is the peninsula seating? Is there a powder room for handwashing? Have you considered a movable cart in middle of U-shaped kitchen? Or a very narrow island within a kitchen that runs from windows all the way to door to dining room?

I didn't read your original thread, but if you ever have 2 people in that kitchen working at once, or if you will have anyone wanting to get a drink of water or wash their hands while anyone is working I'd keep the prep sink, yes, even if it make the third stool less than ideal, and even if it means the landing space for the fridge is a little awkward (you can "land" things to the right of the fridge, too). I'm imagining someone at the stove or sink where this large sink is the only sink, and trying to stop aside to allow a handwasher/drink-getter/kitchen helper access to the sink would get annoying. The upsides to having that second sink will outweigh the downsides, IMO.

After looking at the renderings a few times, I think you should have deeper upper cabinets on the refrigerator side. The likelihood of prepping in that area is much less, so I think I would put the deeper uppers over there and keep the ones on the side of the range at the standard 12" depth. Have you done a storage layout yet? I think since your dishwasher is nearest to that wall, the dishes, silverware, etc would naturally go well on that wall. Also- have you ever sat at an overhang with only 12"? If you haven't, I recommend that you mock it up. I'm 5'7" and my legs always hit when the overhang is 12" (my mom has it). Do you have any extra space between the cabinet behind the peninsula and the counter overhang? If you do, and you could add some depth to the counter there, it would increase the distance between the barstool and the prep sink, which may solve that problem. In regard to the distance between the Ref and the end of the peninsula, I would lose a few inches on the peninsula to give the area better flow. HTH.

Thanks brian, kris, florantha, dianalo, and everyone for you suggestions and thoughts.

I'll likely add one more post with our final layout.