I've seen some nice leather ottomans that are about 15-18" square, with lids that open up so you can actually use them for storage. Gosh, put casters on one or two ottomans and you'd have a great place for photobooks, magazines, or an occasional drinking glass. I think they also come in more of a rectangular size too. The leather upholstery would at least be soft if someone bumped into it and the casters would make it easy to move out of the way.

There are several alternatives available. Bi-fold, which would narrow the opening. Cafe style hinged either single or double acting. Tambour, similar to those found in appliance garages and storage units, which can be motor controled. Of course there is hinged at the top or bottom, that can be a little cumbersome for small individuals and narrow hallways

Wow! Thanks for all the feedback. I have been leaning towards tightback (with no back cushions) all along. As matter of fact, I have a camelback sofa in my living room that I have had reupholstered twice, and it is 25 years old now. In our great room we have been using one that was my Mother in laws and it is probably at least 40 yrs. old or more. It is a classic Lawson with down-filled, loose back cushions that always need plumping. It is well made, I know she had it redone quite a few times. It is great to nap on, but not for sitting very long because of the low back. Anyhow, I want to make a wise decision and get quality and comfort, plus style of course. I need firm and not so deep a seat. What about leather colors? I just can't get excited about brown leather, and definitely not black. Thanks for the input!

Thanks for the comments and things to chew over, everyone! To answer some of the questions-- We can't do a wall oven further to the right of the current stove location as that's a relatively small entryway, due to the fact that the fridge is on the opposite wall and can't be moved or recessed. Unfortunately we are locked into our configuration, so trying to do the best with what we have. At least either way I know we'll end up with a more eye-pleasing setup than we've have now! (I must admit though I'd really love to have seen what the setup looked like when the house was built in the 50s.) Buehl, actually we're both quite short, 5'2" and 5'4". But even though I've seen some setups with the wall oven below the cooktop, I hadn't considered how low the oven controls would be. Do-able for us, but perhaps a little bit annoying. And then conversely because I'm short, I don't love the idea of having knobs along the side as the ones towards the back might be a bit of a reach for me. I'll try to find a setup in person before committing, though currently seems like we're leaning away from the idea at this point. We're not interested in moving to induction. I don't have a huge thing against it but my spouse does most of the cooking and put a foot down. I'm getting my biggest desires in this kitchen in almost every way, so I'm happy to stick with gas for that reason alone. ;) wdccruise, it's almost the researching separate appliances and finding two separate things that will go together that both have good reviews that kills the idea for me. It's hard enough trying to find one appliance. I also can't get the nagging feeling out of my head about how much more something truly built-in feels limiting if you run into issues down the line and need to replace. Whereas the beauty of a slide-in range is that it's just that, slide-in. I can change it out easily in the future should I have to. (Not that I want to! But I know nothing these days will last like the older appliances, which is the literal only reason I'm slightly sad to get rid of the 90s tank of a range we have currently. But good grief after almost 8 years in our house I hate looking at that ugly thing.) Beth H. it's this comment that really has me thinking: Since this is prob the last time you'll be redoing it while you live here, spend the extra amount and do it the best you can and exactly what you want. in the long run you'll be happier. Ultimately I think if we're going the extra mile, the extra mile and the thing we really both would be happiest with wouldn't be the wall oven/cooktop setup, but in actuality a pro-style range. As wdccruise noted it's really only a couple extra inches off the face of the cabinetry, even in a small space. I'm probably worrying too much about that area. I still love the idea of the sleekness of the look of a wall oven, though my spouse loves it less than I do. And even still, when I picture things in my head that will make this our perfect kitchen for this space, I'm really picturing a range. It's been really interesting the thought processes you go through in a kitchen reno. We did our bathroom several years ago and that was a complete gut job, but a much smaller scale obviously, and so many less things to think about. Phew!