JDez, I like the first one too, but I like the second one too! I'm getting some good advice here, but still hard to decide. Thanks for your reply. carsonheim, how much room would I need on each side of the fridge so it could open all the way? I could add a narrow tall cabinet there if that would help? debrak, The MW could be on the island or next to the fridge in the 1st layout. The MW has me stumped too because it seems logical to have the dishes in that cabinet above the DW and the MW below the counter, but my elderly father lives with me, and I don't think the MW under the counter would work for him. Where should I put the dishes if I leave the MW there? sena01, thanks for the idea of providing a landing near the fridge and moving the MW cabinet. The MW and fridge location are what concerns me most because someone is always getting in the fridge or microwave while I'm trying to work in the kitchen. Drives me nuts in my current layout. Thanks for the ideas so far. For me, I like the island facing the sink because the view out those windows is pretty and I think you could see the TV from the island that way. So, I may draw it up that way with some of the suggestions, and then get more advice for fine tuning. Also, where should I keep the dishes? I want them out of the area near the stove, but still close to the DW. What are your thoughts? If I went with the layout of the island facing the window, how are from the main sink should the island be to allow someone to make a sandwich at the island, and someone to do dishes? This will be my first REAL kitchen, so I have lots of questions. : )

Getting there! A few comments: The refrigerator needs landing space. Regarding the peninsula -- you still need enough space to accommodate the table you plan to put in the same room. Windows -- I highly recommend wide, counter-height windows to bring in as much light as possible and to take advantage of the view. Regarding children -- do your grown children ever visit and give you a hand in the Kitchen? Will you eventually have grandchildren who will want to help Grandma (or Grandpa) in the Kitchen? . How about something like this? It gives you everything you asked for and fixes the issues I saw above: It still has a counter-depth refrigerator, but if you really want a bigger refrigerator, you could put in a standard-depth. (But, do you really need a larger refrigerator if it's just the two of you?) In addition, there is no worry about a bottleneck at the refrigerator. (I do have to ask, though - you say it's only the two of you and that you do not work in the Kitchen at the same time...so, why is there a bottleneck?) The primary work zones are nicely separated so there is no contention for counterspace (e.g., dirty dishes stacked on the counter will not be in the way of the Prep Zone/workspace) The sink is large enough to handle both cleaning up and prepping - it's a Kohler Stages 45 (http://www.us.kohler.com/us/Stages-45-x-18-1-2-x-9-13-16-under-mount-single-bowl-with-wet-surface-area-kitchen-sink/productDetail/kitchen-sinks/427383.htm?skuId=405416&brandId=432902) It gives you plenty of workspace in the primary Prep Zone. There is plenty of dish storage and it's close to the table space. The MW drawer is next to the refrigerator in a "Snack Center" - so someone not preparing a meal can use the MW without getting in the way of someone preparing a meal (or even cleaning up) - not bottleneck. -- I highly recommend a MW drawer b/c of how easy it is to use, especially as we get older. It is opened by giving it a gentle tug and is closed by giving it a gentle nudge - the drawer then opens/closes by itself. To stir food, you do not have to take it out, just open, reach down to stir, and close. It's also easier and safer to lift it up to the counter than taking it out from above the counter (risking sloshing it and burning your face with splashes). -- If you don't want a drawer, then I recommend a MW sitting on the counter in the Snack Center. The sink wall cabinets and counters are 3" deeper than standard to give you more storage as well as more counterspace. 3" does make a difference! Those 3" also give you more space b/w the sink and window so it's easier to clean behind the faucet as well as increases your faucet options b/c you don't have to worry about the faucet working properly with a window sill right behind it. (Sometimes the window sill gets in the way of the faucet handle and does not allow full use of the handle.) -- If you cannot get deeper cabinets, then pull them out 3" from the wall - you will still benefit from the increased counter depth. Note the 3 corners are all handled differently. -- The peninsula corner has a cabinet turned 90 degrees so it is accessible from the dining side. You can store tablecloths, napkins, placemats, etc. - those things used in the DR only. When you do this, you do have to ensure you have 3" of filler on each side of the inside corner so the drawer fronts/doors and pulls/knobs clear the same on the other side of the corner. In this case, simply increase the width of the cabinet - the back of the cabinet acts as filler inside the Kitchen. This is the most efficient use of corner space. -- The corner b/w the sink and range wall is voided out to give you wider cabinets on each side of the corner. As with the above, you need 3" on each inside corner. -- The corner b/w the range and refrigerator wall is a corner susan for storing small appliances. This is a great way to store small appliances as you have two shelves split b/w the top & bottom of the cabinet and anything you want is always in front and easy to remove/put away - simply rotate the shelf until the item is in front of you! -- Stay away from blind corner cabinets - they're the worst use of corner space. Access is rarely easy. With the (expensive) swing outs, if something falls off the shelf, you cannot close the swing out until you retrieve the fallen item - and that usually means crawling inside to retrieve the item. . Layout #3: . Layout #3 Zone Map: .

Your pictures show a huge DR space with more than enough room for 12 but your renderings make the space look much smaller. I much prefer to work from a 2D floor plan with details

This would be my personal fav. Where I have the long scribble to the left end is a pull out reach in pantry similar to those shown by others. I added a small cabinet left of the range hood. The area above the sink are shelves. Not everyone likes shelves but I love mine. Mine are wood with a cork liner on top. All my every day dishes are an off white. They go from dishwasher to shelf in seconds. Plus, it’s simple but visually nice. If budget is tight shelves will be cheaper. Also, with this layout you could do “plain” laminate/Formica countertops on the perimeters (there are some very cool laminate‘s these days) and splurge on a beautiful stone or quartz for the island. To free up more space do corner banquette seating and add two chairs on the outside. Or, if too cramped you might do a banquette corner seat for four. Edited:( not my rendering below, I’m just tweaking it). You could keep the shallow cabinets shallow on the wall joining the living area. Or, do full depth base cabinets that would bump out five or six inches into the living room with an open pass-thru between the uppers and lowers into the living room. You could even put a 30” built-in beverage cooler/refrigerator in that section. The cooler would face front in the kitchen and have a dummy door on living room side. The other door would be accessible from the kitchen and living room. In a perfect world there would be a small prep sink but the world isn’t perfect. However...I think there isn’t enough of a walkway to spare a few inches for a bump out Into the living area? Is the floor plan to scale in that area as far as openings go?