I like everything about it, except the little "v" jog in the countertop on the island. I know you want to have people at the island facing each other, but that point looks dangerous.

What lightlystarched said - take that last cabinet and make it one foot deep instead?

I really like how you finished the end by the refrigerator. I =personally would find the microwave too low in the island but thats the same reason we are not buying a range. Too far to bend over. I agree with lightly starched with the "v" - recommend you round it out. Looks great overall. What cabinets are you going with?

Yes, lightlystarched, bmorepanic and salmon_slayer (what a name!), I agree, that 'V' is bothering me too.
Do you think it would work if we just softened the 'V' and the countertop corners on the cabinet or would it still be too large?

I am hoping to put an undercounter refrigerator there so a smaller one would not work for that purpose. But also don't want to create an eyesore. So I keep looking for pictures of something similar but haven't found anything yet.

salmon_slayer, we are going with Elm cabinets, it is a local brand here (NJ), marketed as "reasonably priced" (they think :)) custom cabinets. We saw them at a neighbor's house and were very impressed so decided to use them too. One benefit - same price for inset as for full overlay. I was very happy about that and decided to go with the inset but now learning it may be harder to achieve the integrated look with the dishwasher (the doors on the full overlay help to cover more of the appliances, something I didn't consider previously), so now thinking about that one again.

As far as the microwave goes, KD suggested the cabinet above the appliance garage. Well, it is very far from the fridge and also right next to the basement door. Our laundry and also a play area are in the basement so there is some traffic. Should I be concerned about it? The other option is the upper cabinet next to the refrigerator but even apart from the way it would look, it would mean dividing the upper cabinets on both sides of the range into a 24" and a 10" so loosing some storage on the right side as well.

What about the Advantium? You can use it as a second oven and it also works as a MW. It's smaller then a conventional oven but more then adequate to fit a 9x13 casserole dish, chicken, and for baking. I'm going to get one for sure.

I was going to suggest the same thing as remodelfla - we have a KA Ultima (pretty much the same thing as the Advantium) and I love it. In this heat, torching up the monstrous 36" range oven is not an option, so I've been baking in the Ultima. It is much smaller than an oven, obviously, but I can make a pan of 12 muffins just fine...it is a life saver in the summer.

I know, so many people like the advantium solution, but for some reason I am not attracted to the idea of cooking with lights. I am sure I am not the only one out there who is not comfortable with it. Or may be I just like making everything more complicated :)

So I was looking for something similar to these two products that would have a MW mode and a regular electric oven mode, without any lights or microwaves. I think there is only one, Miele speed oven, but I don't think it would work under the counter because of how the control panel is setup.

What about the hutch cabinet? The KD really thinks it would be fine to have either a micro or a small oven such as 24" Miele in that location (the cabinet would need to be 22" deep for the speed oven). I am worried about the distance from the fridge, the basement door, and also don't think we'll have much landing space next to it because something will probably be there on the counter to the right of the sink. Should I still consider that location?

The "hutch"...is that on the other side of the refrigerator? I'm not sure I'd like it there...unless that side faces the FR...then it might work out for snacks, but not so well for cooking. You say you don't use it much, when do you use it?

Island...eliminate the "V" and make it a smooth curve (so it meets the cabinet straight on).

How would you feel about switching the range & sink....and then move the prep sink to the other end of the island (and away from the seaters!)? For work flow the current locations are OK...if you plan to prep on the island next to the prep sink, but that person on the end is going to get splashed a lot! If you switched the range & sink and moved the prep sink you'd (1) still be able to prep on the island w/the prep sink, (2) give yourself an additional prep area b/w refrigerator & main sink or main sink & range, and (3) the person on the end of the island wouldn't get wet!

BTW...there's no reason why you can't have a small MW on your counter if you don't mind the look. Many people don't like a countertop MW b/c it takes up badly needed counterspace or b/c they don't want anything on their counters.

Hi Buehl, congratulations on your beautiful kitchen!

The "hutch" is the cabinet with the appliance garage, the micro can either take the place of the appliance garage or go just above it. Far from the fridge but close to the DR and the island. But also close to the basement door and the sink which is what i am concerned about.

We don't have a m/w now, so i don't know what I will use it for, DH wants to use it for reheating food, we are not big coffe drinkers and kids are used to cold milk unless they are sick. I am sure we'll use it when we are in a hurry to get something on the table.

I don't think I want to switch the range and the sink, I really like the range behind the island. It is four of us, so that last chair is most likely for "the cook", so i am not worried about it.

anna... I was just re-reading your post and your note about adding the posts and losing 6". It made me think of a poster on here who recently showed how they added posts/legs to a pull-out next to a sink or stove (can't remember). It looked like a finished end yet pulled out for a place that they could store spices, oils, etc. Thought it might be something for you to consider.

Is the door next to your appliance garage a pantry? I ask because I'm considering keeping a cheap MW in my walk in pantry just for DH to heat up his coffee, popcorn, defrost bagels. I'm seriously considering an Advantium as my second oven but not married to idea. I want a 2nd oven that's a speed oven but worry if switching out the plates for the MW function will be too much of a bother. If not, and you just need a MW periodically, have you considered a MW drawer in addition to the 2nd oven or just keep it on the counter top. A kitchen is suppose to be a kitchen afterall. I know I don't want alot of clutter on my countertops, but I do expect it to look and function like a working kitchen.

Lastly, how deep is that hutch on the end where it finishes off the frig? I absolutely love the look of that!

Depending on what kind of style you are going with in your layout (Full Overlay, Standard Overlay Face Frame or Full Inset Face Frame) you may be fine with still using a bigger sink. Just because there are posts or something special to bump-out the sink doesn't necessarily mean they will take space away from your sink. If you're going through a custom shop it shouldn't be much of a problem. I'm not sure how the modular cabinetry companies are on this issue. Here's a rough sketch of what I'm talking about (done w/ Full Overlay Cabinetry in mind).

{{gwi:1924588}}

Remodelfla, the glass door cabinets next to the refrigerator are going to be only 12" deep. We have a pipe from the 2nd floor bathroom under the ceiling on that wall so had to have cabinets there to cover the pipe by the crown molding. But don't have room to do more than 12".

The door you mentioned is the basement, not a pantry (I wish!)

Still working on the sink issue, the decorative posts I liked ended up costing way too much anyway. So KD is checking some other options.

Mnolan, thanks for your drawing, we started with the full overlay but switched to inset after learning that the cabinet line we selected has no upcharge for the inset. Now seems like things are getting more complicated with the inset cabinets in our particular situation. Still like the look so still trying to make it work but I keep wondering if it were simpler to design the sink cabinet as well as integrate the dishwasher and the refrigerator if we stayed with the full overlay.