It was the full U. The more I thought about those 2 corners, the more nervous I got with that layout. I will probably just do a small trash pull out instead of the prep sink...as long as I have somewhere to sweep cuttings and scraps, I think it'll be ok. Now that the girls are 15, they're less interested in "helping" and when they do, they're pretty good about not getting under foot. Of course, DH always manages to be standing in front of the cupboard I need to access, no matter where it is. The hip bumping corner hasn't been a problem in the current kitchen but it's only 5". We may be able to keep it that small depending on how we arrange the sink and which sink we get. Those bump outs have really made this kitchen difficult. Rhome, I really appreciate your kindness and help. I had worked 2 straight days finalizing the cabinet specs when I realized there was a problem with the ovens and I was just ready to give up. I'm feeling much better now and very confident that this new layout will work. Thanks again.

Have you considered swapping sink and DW, and widening the window? That would give you more room between sink and range for prep. As it is, you have very little room for that and an angled counter to contend with, too. My current kitchen has a long stretch of counter but it isn't between sink and cook top. I only have 16" on either side of my cook top. I end up prepping in multiple places; it's inefficient and frustrating. When we remodel (hope to start soon, yay!) I will gain a 42" span of counter between sink and cook top. I can not wait! Are you still going with IKEA cabs? I didn't realize they had an 18" wide cab. Anyhoo, here's a slight tweak to your plan, aimed at giving you more counter between sink and range. It also will MOL center the sink and window on the upper wall. Here's what I did: Swapped sink and DW placement Widened the sink wall window Adjusted the cabs to the left of the sink Added a spacer between far left cab and wall so drawers will clear door molding Added a spacer between DW and blind corner cabinet so an open DW door will clear the rnage. Swapped out angled corner cabinet for blind corner cabinet. You can go with IKEA's cab with the pull-out organizer or you can purchase a Rev-a-Shelf pull-out organizer (may give you more usable storage space). See link below. I moved the 2" spacer you had to the right of the range to the left of the range and grew it an inch to allow for 48" of upper cabs and to give a bit more clearance to open the DW (when open, mine extends 26.25" out from the face of the base cab next to it.) Obviously, this extends the range wall cabs an inch towards the doorway. I didn't calculate the clearance between range wall cabs and fridge wall cab. I swapped out the 24" base and upper cabs next to the fridge for a 24" pull-out pantry to make up for the loss of upper cab space due to wider window. While the sink and window are MOL centered on that top wall, I opted not to add an upper to the right of the sink. That avoids the dreaded blind corner. However, you could add an upper if symmetry is critical for you. You could also widen the window even more. Or fill the space with artwork or decorative plates. Here are some images with different treatments on each side of the sink window. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/100-square-foot-kitchen-remodel-craftsman-kitchen-minneapolis-phvw-vp~5402770) [Craftsman Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/craftsman-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2116) by Minneapolis Architects & Building Designers David Heide Design Studio [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/custom-kitchen-eclectic-kitchen-toronto-phvw-vp~1765282) [Eclectic Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104) by Barrie Kitchen & Bath Remodelers Madison Taylor [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/annas-sunny-vintage-kitchen-victorian-kitchen-portland-phvw-vp~2960708) [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Portland Design-Build Firms Arciform [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/vintage-barn-frame-addition-to-dutch-stone-house-traditional-kitchen-boston-phvw-vp~4037746) [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Chatham Architects & Building Designers KATE JOHNS AIA [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/integrity-windows-and-doors-traditional-kitchen-phvw-vp~13972916) [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Palo Alto Windows Integrity Windows and Doors If you haven't already done so, do a tally of what you own and need to store in your kitchen and check that each will fit where you think it will. Is a 3" spacer between wall and 15" pantry cab enough space for the pantry cab doors to clear the baseboard heater? Your drawing makes it look like it won't but I don't know if the baseboard heater placement on your drawing is where it will be IRL. What kind of door handle do you have on your back door? Is it a knob? And if so, is it high enough so that you can pull the drawer out of the cab near the door? I just checked my door knobs and they are at 36", which is counter height so this shouldn't be an issue but I wanted to make sure you checked this now and not discover an uh-oh later. Pity IKEA doesn't offer a 30" sink base so that you could gain a bit more counter and cab storage. Maybe there's an IKEA hack that will allow you to take a 30" base cab and use it as a sink base. Here is a link that might be useful: Rev-a-Shelf Blind Corner Pull-out

I have friends whose home has a similar kitchen layout and there is lots of room inside it for 3 or 4 of us ladies helping to set-up or clean up when our church fellowship group (20 or so people, including kids) meets there for Bible study and meals. The large snack bar wrapping around the sink area works great to allow lots of people to communicate with the cook, but keep out of her hair. It also doubles as a serving "buffet" of sorts. Also, with the wide sink area, the diagonal relationship to the dishwasher isn't as much a problem as the typical snug, stuck-in-a tight- corner sink/dishwasher. I like having a sink area like that which can overlook both the dining and family room areas. The refrigerator is a bit far from the dining area, though I can see why it is placed where it is so as not to block the light and view into the dining room (if it was at the other end.) Please don't swap the kitchen with the dining area---the dining area would have no windows !!!Yikes. It is more acceptable for an open kitchen not to have windows as it is getting lots of borrowed light and view. As others have said--the window placement and room layout of the overall house is far from ideal, though. All the windows across the front would have to be small due to the nature of what is underneath them, and none of the regular living spaces has a view to the front. You only have utilitarian- type rooms across the front.( And the windows where you have them in the walk-in closet either limit the rod space or mean you have hangers across the windows!) If your lot size allows, could you rework the plan and put the laundry between the kitchen and garage and let the kitchen have a window to the front? Then you would have a view to both the front yard and the back yard from that space. I do realize that would entail some serious reworking of your plan, however. I am not sure how committed you already are to this overall plan. I've also seen family rooms like yours with just two small windows on either side of the fireplace and the rooms just seem to "scream" for more light and view. Having a fireplace on the window wall usually works best if the long dimension of the family room is parallel with the window wall, allowing for larger windows. I know that would require serious reworking of your plan (again-sorry) if you changed the orientation of the family room to accommodate more windows, but perhaps it would also solve some of the other issues (if your lot can accommodate a wider overall plan.)You could also move the fireplace to the side wall, but I know that the venting of the fireplace gets more expensive. In either case, make sure you do a furniture layout on your plan before you finalize the family room--you may discover that the size and layout of your kitchen island may need to change in order to best accommodate your family room furniture layout. You may also want to plan an alternative, optional arrangement for that tv in case you decide after awhile that you don't like it above the fireplace. (I hate watching it above the fireplace at my friend's house, but they like it because they are usually standing up in the kitchen watching it. They also have a separate media room---maybe because they wanted a more comfortable arrangement?) I don't mean to discourage you, but as a former architect, I just want to point out some things for you to consider that you might not have thought about. Good design usually takes countless hours (really, days and days) of thought, trial and error, and "massaging" and tweaking. Don't give up--keep looking around and/or reworking until you get the best plan for the situation, budget, lot constraints, etc. I hope you end up with a plan that you are totally happy with. (Also, a 4' porch is really tight--if you can possibly add a few feet or more, you will be able to enjoy it so much more!) HTH.

Thank you for all the comments. To answer some questions.... The wall on the left is 163". The baby gates are for babies (but there is a possibility of getting a dog in the future). The doorway at the bottom of the kitchen leads to the living room. There are currently two adults who both cook, although generally not at the same time, plus one toddler, and second baby on the way in this growing family. The fridge isn't against a wall - it has an 30" pantry and mini oven on it's left, which this angle shows a little more clearly. I agree that the space at the sides of the counter are too narrow - especially the side with the sink. Perhaps this is why the space feels so crowded? We have opted for no upper cabinets - just a small shelf for some greenery, and to fit the task lighting (led strips) to the underside of. We are hoping this keeps the kitchen feeling open and un-cluttered. So, once I switch the dishwasher to the right of the sink, and slide the sink closer to the corner, it opens up the space around the sink more, and allows space for a kitchen door to the outside. This seems to improve the issues of the narrow space around the sink, and the usability of the corner (prep and cleanup at the same time).