prefer the option 1.

Option 1 gets my vote.

another for option 1

The greyed portions that you have drawn on the lower part of the uppers - is that glass? Then the greyed portion on the sink wall - is that the MW or more glass? opaque glass?

Have you tried using 2 uppers the same size with a bit of open space around the hood?

option 1

Thanks for the comments!

blfenton-- lower parts are cabinets with translucent glass with 1/4" aluminum frame. It is a single box with 2 shelves (32" high) but the door is split in two and lifts up, similar to this:

Here is a conceptually similar look--

One advantage is that when open you can still work in front of it because the cabinet door will be overhead.

Steph2000 I did try opening them up around the hood but we want to hide the transition in the backsplash from tile to paint as much as possible, which is the main reason there is a single vertical upper in the first rendering. Plus of course it gives more storage. We had been thinking of a glass tile, but now are starting to consider something more monolithic like large porcelain tiles with a horizontal "grain". In this case we could maybe run it up to the ceiling (@ 5$ /ft rather than $25/ft) and space the cabinets out.

How badly do you need that storage space? it might be nice to leave that wall topless and make it a fancy feature wall; or if you need the storage you could put uppers above dishwasher or stack the horizontals.

sandca--We considered going topless but aren't neat enough and don't have a lot of feature-type items. I was planning on using some of those cabinets near stove for dry storage (pasta/canned goods etc)

To complete the picture somewhat, here is another view--

In actually think both look all right, just different. What is more functional for you?

Ok I vote for #1 but I wouldn't do the translucent cupboards around the corner on the sink wall. I would leave the symmetry of the translucent cupboards on the range wall and make it a focal area.

On the sink wall I see a bit of an issue with balance. With the translucent cupboard (or any cupboard) on the sink wall to the left it seems like it is tipping into the corner towards the range. If you're going for symmetry the sink wall, for me anyway, isn't working. Your fridge wall looks balanced weight-wise as does the range wall using option #1 but not the sink wall.

If you don't need that lower cupboard to the left of the sink I would maybe (I'd have to see a rendering) leave the sink wall with all high uppers. Or perhaps do an under cupboard shelf at the DW end and perhaps do another where you currently have the copboard to the left of the sink.

Just comments and they may or may not make sense.

I agree that the sink wall is a bit bare. I had thought about a hanging rack for wine glasses above the sink, and maybe a shelf to the right over the dishwasher. I can't find exactly what I'm looking for in this app or google warehouse, but below you'll see a few ideas. The virtual world makes it so easy...

original--

high uppers only-- would work if we had a lot of display items for a shelf. In fact our architect was big on the shelfs thing but reality is we're just not neat enough and don't deserve open shelves!

symmetric high uppers-- (which I don't like so much--was hoping to keep it more open upon entry from living/dining room)

A pair of shelfs to balance it out--

Rack + shelf with a wood backing for more balance?

I actually like #2...

But I'd like it added within the layout in the 3rd pic in your last post (symmetric high uppers)...but JMHO!

I would keep above the sink open and then maybe just a shelf above the DW. I like the symmetric high uppers #3 but it's ok if you don't and so then I would replace the cupboard above the DW with a shelf - like #4 but no shelf above the sink. This is just my opinion and it sounds like you lots of options.

I like your last pic of a rack and a shelf, but I'd extend the shelf over the sink as well.

Thanks for all the feedback!

I like the look of the high uppers only + shelves, but am not quite ready to let go of that storage, especially given that of the 4 possible corners (upper / lower) we will only use 1 lower (super susan).

Another option would be to move the doubles to the end of the run over the dishwasher. This would be the most **practical** -- good spot for glasses and mugs. Dishes will be in drawers on peninsula directly across from dishwasher.

So the final 3 ?....

High uppers only, with a pair of shelves:

Doubles in the corner--shelf at the end:

Double over the dishwasher:

I changed the backsplash color to something closer to our current thinking (porcelain with horizontal "grain"). Also, the handle pulls will probably not be as long as shown in the rendering and the rift-cut grain (veneer) will probably be horizontal as well.

Oh well... I did some measurements and now I'm thinking that the high uppers are in fact a bit too high to be really useful. What I'm thinking of doing is lowering them to an elevation of 5'4" and making them taller-- about 22". The doors would still lift up. Then I'd do a row of three of them, like below. This gives the nice symmetry, and also will line up with the bottom of the range hood. Plus more useful, and still a pretty open feel on that wall.

Would use either the Blum HS (up and over) or HK (stay lift) mechanisms.

Nope--that didn't fly.

Here's where we've ended up.

I think (hope!!!) we've got it. Lots of challenges. Lighting and plumbing already roughed in, so uppers had to follow the base cabinets. Most day to day dishes will go in drawers on the peninsula, but we wanted to keep glasses and mugs handy. This was the problem with most of my first attempts that had high uppers over the dishwasher. So we decided to put a vertical (hinge on right) above the dishwasher. This also provides symmetry with the vertical on the opposite corner, and balances out the wall.

As a result we ended up with a notch over the sink, which I wanted to avoid, but at least it's pretty wide and will provide an opportunity for a single shelf or short wide art or drying rack for wine glasses or...

Here are a series of renderings as you walk into and through the kitchen to the family room and turn around and look back at the kitchen.

From fridge wall--

From end of peninsula--

From prep sink--

From family room, the vertical cabinet mirrors the shelf that in part provides support to the peninsula.

Here is my sons kitchen, he has a cabinet like you have over the sink. that is not a good photo, but maybe It will help you some.

I like option 1 as well for symmetry. As far as the sink wall, I agree with Blfenton. In your latest version, can you change the upper above the dishwasher to also have a glass lift-up door? Or can you change the glass lift-up upper to the left of the sink into two regular left-hinged cabinets? IMHO, I think it looks unbalanced the way it is to have glass on just that one cabinet on that wall.

The problem / challenge I realized with the earlier layout with symmetric high uppers over sink is that actually it wasn't symmetric over the sink. There is a light right in front of the sink and then the notch would be off center of the light in the ceiling-- at this point I can't change the lighting. (horrible electrician experience, but that's another story). If we make the cabinet on the right wood over glass then it really wants to be wider. This then makes the notch narrower and throws off the geometry.

Our other contender was to do a double-upper over the fridge and then put a regular vert in the corner which could be a blind corner if we want, like this:

(I put some glass/steel above the sink--this might be an alternate color tile, or something else... or nothing...)

DW prefers either an all wood or all glass cabinet over dish washer so we can put 2 shelves in it, as this will be for cups and mugs. She thinks it would look funny to have a shelf inside 1/3 of the way up the cabinet with a split wood/glass door. Also, she (and our architect) didn't really like the single vert cabinet in the corner of the run.

Same views, single vert at end, with shiny stuff:

Our architect says this view is misleading, in that your eyes will never just see the one wall. So the end of peninsula view is probably the most telling:

The rendering is also probably misleading because we have been thinking of using obscure glass, which is not nearly as shiny as this shows. The app just doesn't have a good texture to simulate that.

I think I like it better overall with the single vert at the end-- it's a bit less busy, a bit calmer? I would like it maybe a bit more with the single vert a bit wider and the double upper on the same wall a bit narrower, but I want to keep the single vert to be really close to the height of the wood cabinet to its left (now it's 1 inch wider).

Between the corner and the double upper there is 3" filler, plenty to allow the door to swing up and not hit handles on the adjacent corner cabinet next to the range. I could maybe increase this another inch and reduce that cabinet by an inch and then make the vert 1 inch wider, but that's about it.

Another option would be to make the vert door all glass--but then it would be the only one like that.

I like the one that you posted at 3:58 today but can the cabinet over the DW be made to be the same width as the DW - 24" and I would make it all wood. It looks like you are going for a clean contemporary look in which case I wouldn't put anything under the cabinet that is over the sink. I don't like the latest one at 11:51 that you posted.

I like the opaque/translucent glass cabinets that you are doing but the latest ideas are overkill in that area. You are losing the uniqueness of that type of cupboard by doing too much of it in your latest drawings. Just my 2cents.

Thanks-- yeah, the 3:58 is the last DW-approved one.

Here it is at 20" wide

The advantage of this is then I can reduce the width of the upper over the sink such that it can be 3'3" and then be able to use the lesser expensive HK-S hinge set rather than the HK. Also the double to the left of it gets a bit narrower as well.

I originally had the cabinet at 17", where it can clearly be 1 door.

With 20", it's on the cusp as to whether it should be 1 or 2 doors.

At 24", it would have to be either 2 doors or a lift up, which would be in keeping with most everything else. But 24" seemed a bit massive to me.

What do you think of this width / 1 door /2 door / lift up / normal hinge issue?

I think even at 20 it might be better as the folding lift up (all wood) or the HK-S up and over style.

How wide is the cabinet in the corner to the left of the stove? If you're happy with the way the 20" works and can do a single door than I would probably go with that - 17" seems a little narrow.

16" wide to the left of the stove. Agree that 17 is too narrow. It is really amazing how much difference a couple inches can make.

Probably go with the 20 and bi-fold it like the others. 20 is a bit wide for a single door but a bit narrow for two doors. Use this mechanism: