I suppose I should add that my home is a 2700 sq ft mid-90's midwestern colonial, with vinyl/brick exterior and brick fireplace. We have knock-down textured plaster walls and ceilings and the ceilings are a standard 8' high. We have light stained trim and windows throughout -- I prefer white, but too much work to change. My style is somewhat eclectic, and leans toward casual English Country. I'm attaching a photo of my dining room table (which may end up in my kitchen) for reference of my style.

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Illustration of idea #1...

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Out the door for church, will be back this afternoon...and work w/it then! [This is my way of bumping it for you since it's getting close to the bottom of the first page!]

Talk to you later today!

Here is my family room as looking from the eating area. The desk placement is only temporary.

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Here is the other view of the family room... sorry no direct pics of kitchen, hopefully this gives an idea of home tho.

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I'm not much help, since I don't have any finished pics to show you, but wanted to say how similiar your kitchen/eating area footprint is to the plan we are building in the spring. Our blueprint calls for a 45 degree angle peninsula.

I really like your cabinet run extending into the eating area; wish we could do something like that, but just not enough space. Thought of adding a really narrow buffet along the wall. (The dining window next to the DW will be deleted and the other window opposite will be changed to a smaller octagonal).

Dawn

I like your idea for the angled peninsula. My first idea was to create a galley with a row of cabinets parallel to the stove run with seating on the window side, but that wouldn't work with your soffits and may be more of a change than you want. That was before I got to your peninsula plan. Your idea seems to give you more counter, enclose the room more and work with the existing style/shapes of your house.

If the counter in the eating area is a problem, could you put in a nice full wall of cabinets instead? It could hold pantry items as well as the kids' school stuff, but behind closed doors.

Dawn T... Wow... that is very similar. I like your layout. I keep playing with moving my island around (pretending it's a peninsula) and I tried the straight 45 degree peninsula. In my house, it seems to be missing something, since I don't have an angled wall opposite it. Thanks for posting, tho... gives me things to consider.

rhome410... I hadn't thought of the galley idea -- but yeah, I think that might make things tight (and a bit too expensive). I was also thinking of the wall of cabinets on the eating side -- do you think I could just use all uppers (12" deep cabinets) floor to soffit? I wonder if that would look okay. I'd have to prop the bottom up I think to add a toe kick.

My original idea was actually to bump out that sink corner and make the whole room larger and more square. Then I was going to add a very large center island with seating. However, this seems to be a very pricey idea, having to open up the outside wall and also support the second story. To do all that for just 36 sq ft seems too much. So... that's why I'm working on plan B. ;)

Thank you both for taking the time to post. I really do appreciate the perspective!

Lis

As you dislike the run of cabinets in the eating area, how about replacing them with pantry cabinets or leaving the bottom cabinets and replacing the uppers with hutches? Or removing that run all together.

The second point you make is that you don't like the openness from the family room to the kitchen area. Have you given thought to having an eating bar/homework desk attached to the wall across from your fridge? Maybe 5-6 feet long still leaving a large walkway into the family room, you could have 2 stools on the kitchen side facing into the family room.

jade.d... no, I haven't thought of that. See... that's what I love about this forum. I'll have to take a look at that idea. It's an interesting one.

Thanks!

How about a slight variation on your plan--jutting the angled peninsula out a bit farther so it aligns with the fridge? Or a freestanding island set out as a barrier from the family room? The scale may be off a bit, but here are my attempts at illustrating this:

I really like your angled peninsula! I don't have any big ideas, but since you're keeping expenses down I can suggest some small things. You can't really wall off if you're having seating at the peninsula, but you can make a visual separation with more smaller pendant lights (rather than fewer larger ones). You could also do something tricky like making (having made) one or two shades of chain and colored disks or other interesting materials, that can easily be raised and lowered. Something wired up like a roman shade. For more money you could even have them motorized on a remote :) But without the motor it would be an inexpensive option.

For the run of cupboards in the dining room, if they look good, but just aren't useful to the kitchen, you can make them into a built in buffet by refinishing them to go with your furniture (matching or contrast). Then put "dining room" things like a fancy bowl and candlesticks on the counter so that when it's done it's easier to convince the family that it's no longer a place to put random stuff. The cupboards then become an out of your hair place for serving pieces you use twice a year, company dishes, table linens, or even extra paper towels :)

In my current kitchen the fridge opens up to the end of the peninsula like yours does in your plan. A lot of this (to be demo'd) kitchen is inconvenient, but that really isn't. The peninsula end becomes a landing area. My one concern is that you only show three feet of walkway there, where I have four plus, though I think with a side by side, which makes it easier. You might find that a little tight, but that's something you can practice with your portable island--and probably already have :)

holligator... yes, I'd like to jut out more, but I'm afraid that will cramp the space in the dining area too much for a table. Anyone know what standard space is needed for that?

As for the island further out... I tried that with my portable... It is too far from the rest of the kitchen, unfortunately.

plllog... thank you too for the ideas and the feedback about the fridge/counter spacing. It actually is closer to 40 or so inches away and seems okay. I have tested with the portable, as you thought. ;)

Funny... I'm sitting here with painters tape marking off the possibilities on the floor... and -- it is OVERWHELMING. I can only imaging how difficult it is for those of you who are starting from scratch! I just hate to settle on something, do it, and then have a major "OH, NO!" moment where I realize I should have done something different that would have made more sense.

Lis

What about closing off that 3' opening between the fridge and that short wall dividing the kitchen from the FR? Then make the penninsula go from the fridge out, so it more divides the FR from the kitchen.

Just take holligator's drawn-in angled penninsula, move it 3 squares to the right and 5 squares down. You'd need to put a little space to the R of the fridge so it's not crammed up against the penninsula, but hopefully you get the idea of what I'm trying to describe.

Voila, you've just found some space and made your kitchen bigger.

Oooh, I love that idea, weedyacres!

Here's a rough attempt at that version. I made the peninsula two levels to further shield the family room from the view or the kitchen. You could also extend that upper level around the corner for more seating, if you like. There would be enough room in that corner for a lazy susan, too.

I actually like the original peninsula from Creekylis' idea #1. The refrigerator location is actually a plus...it makes it available to not only the kitchen but also to the DR, FR, & Nook and has the added bonus that if someone from the Nook or FR needs to get to the refrigerator s/he won't have to go into the kitchen and possibly interfere w/prep/cooking/cleaning up. Using the same thoughts, having a peninsula next to the refrigerator forces someone going to the refrigerator for a snack to enter the working area of the kitchen.

If it were me, I also would not want to close off the entry hall and force everyone to go through the FR to get to the Nook or Kitchen (and, to get to the kitchen you have to go around the peninsula).

Maybe you could take Weedyacres' idea only make it a free-standing peninsula attached to that small 3' wall. It would give you more space in the Nook. If you have the seating facing the kitchen you could then, on the kitchen side, have an undercounter MW and store snacks in drawer next to the MW. See the picture below. Yes, someone from the FR will have to go around to get to the MW or refrigerator, but it shouldn't be too bad since it's not that big a detour. There will still be some separation from the kitchen work area as well.

Oops! I missed where you said the island was too far away...this one is even further away.

Well, then I prefer your idea #1 at this point, but extend it "down" so it ends at the same point the sink/DR wall cabinet run ends.

HTH!

Thanks again for ideas! I'm still playing with tape on the floor and pulling my hair out. :)

I'm sure there is answer somewhere.

Lis

(P.S.... I had trouble getting here this morning -- stuck in AD HELL with the babiesrus ad thingy.)

I still think your idea was the best to accomplish what you want. Yes I think it'd be OK to have floor to ceiling cabinets that all fit under the 1 ft soffit if that's what you will find useful. BTW, I love your table!

As far as ads, can you download and use Mozilla Firefox as your browser? (free) Much less (nonexistent) ad problems when visiting this site through Firefox. My pop-up blocker on my MSN didn't do any good, but I'm having good luck with Firefox.

Thanks again everyone... I've been living with tape on my floor for a couple of days now -- trying to visualize my original peninsula plan -- and it seems so very small. I'm not sure if I will accomplish the look/function that I want. I have three kids, so ideally I'd like to sit three stools there. Oh, this is frustrating!

I'll keep everyone updated on my changes!

Lis

I really like your peninsula idea #1 near the DR, not sure if that limits your DR space though.
I've noticed there are so many ppl putting in very unique islands with seating. Have you considered this? The storage is looks awesome and there are a lot of neat seating styles. You might want to search the site for islands with seating.
I really like davewg's "Kitchen Floorplan - Comments Wanted - Plan from KD" own design of a island. Not sure if that is what your looking for but it's always great to look at others wonderful kitchens anyway LOL !!!
saskatchewan girl

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Floorplan - Comments Wanted - Plan from KD

How about getting a little creative with the island shape and including more of a table top look for part of it? These two options include a stretch of prep surface for you and seating for all the kids plus one. The hexagon one even mimics the shape of your dining area.

I'm a big believer in long stretches of counter so I like hollygator's plan a lot, for a number of reasons:

--It isn't that big a deal for people to get to the refrig even if they have to swerve around the peninsula. And they stay out of the cook's way, so it doesn't really matter.

--Much easier for multiple cooks in that kitchen.

--Space to add a prep sink and maybe even refrig drawers, or a bar refrig, on that peninsula. This further reduces casual beverage-related traffic and makes it even easier for multiple cooks.

The only issue is, will it be inconvenient for people coming up from the basement?

Okay... these latest ideas have really got me thinking! Funny, when I first saw them I thought it would be awkward to have the island directly opposite the main kitchen entry... but then I remembered that I recently had put my round coffee table in exactly that spot (the kids were using it as a mini dining table) and it felt SO right to have SOMETHING there. Hmmm... I will have to tape this one out on the floor and play. THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!

Lis

P.S... honestly, it is so great to "collaborate" with design. Someone always comes up with something I wouldn't have on my own.

I like Holligator's second pic...I like how it carries through with the shape from the Nook. It shouldn't really affect people coming in from the Entry or the basement since they can easily veer into the Kitchen or FR or even b/w the wall & the island....although there isn't much clearance there.