I think the basic layout is on the right track. The dishwasher is in the right place given your restraints, and I don't think the sink not being under the window is an issue at all.

On your 6' end wall, I would recommend moving the range as far as comfortable towards the window wall. Starting from the window wall corner, maybe a 12" tray/cutting board cabinet, 30" range, then a 30" cabinet. This gives you one bigger, useful cabinet, and more importantly, maximizes space between the sink and range which is prime prep real estate.

Most refrigerators don't open fully if they are directly next to a wall. Check your specs. You may need a narrow cabinet to space the refrigerator off the wall.

since there is no island wouldn't you want the peninsula to serve a similar function? any seating? when you pull out things from the fridge, you'll have to cross over the kitchen to the sink, a bit inconvenient for me. when you pull things out of the dishwasher, is there the dish cab or cutlery drawer nearby?

Agree with comment above about the ref next to a wall. I'd put a narrow broom closet next to the wall so you can open your fridge doors all the way.

When cooking veggies, you'll be criss crossing the kitchen to take out veggies, wash, then back to the long counter to prep. Or you'll be prepping in the small space between sink and cook top.

I'd also think about where your trash will go. When you can prep near the sink a single trash bin works for both prep and clean up. If the sink and prep area aren't next to each other, then you're either carrying trash somewhere or using two trash receptacles.

Hoping Buehl or other layout gurus chime in.

I'd thought about bumping the stove to one side ... the idea being, instead of having two small "not good for much" spots on the two sides of the stove, instead have one larger space. I kind of feel like the stove is the weak point in this design, but my current stove is in a "corner" next to a peninsula, and I don't really love or hate it.

On the other hand, my current refrigerator is in a corner, and I hate that. I'm planning on a French door fridge, and I believe I have some double-think on how that's going to work in that department. I do think a little cabinet squeezed in could fix that issue.

Yes, the peninsula will be the main prep space, but it's within arm's reach of the refrigerator. I see no problem.

Yes, empty space below the window will be all drawers, so it'll be handy to open the dishwasher and load up the drawers.

I may go with a pop-up for my KitchenAide mixer in that under-window area ... but, still, plenty of drawer space.

The cabs next to B seem closer to the DW and the DR than the cabs on the fridge wall. I'd consider more uppers there and keep glasses/plates etc in the butler's pantry (maybe glass backsplash in instead of a window?).

I would move the stove to the left, for sure. My kitchen is a U. Pre-remodel, I had a sink, a 36" lazy susan, then range. In the remodel, I put in a smaller sink, moved the range a foot away from the corner, and put wonderful drawers on each side of the corner. The difference that extra foot made in the prep area is fantastic!

I don't think putting dishes away next to the fridge would be a huge deal. When the DW is open, it's not very far to the opposite wall. It would be just as many steps to go to the pantry area.

Where will you put a MW?

Is the sink taking up too much prep area? Do you plan to prep under the window....with your back to the great room?

What about something like this? Just a quick idea :)

No, the drawers under the sink would be closer to the dishwasher -- it'd be easy to stand in front of the sink and reach the dish drawers without more than one step, whereas the cabinets in the butler's pantry (next to B, the broom closet) would be 1-2 steps and through a door.

However, I am intrigued by the idea of doing away with the window in the butler's pantry, which I do not particularly value ... in favor of more upper cabinets. I'm wondering about how that would affect the exterior ... but then I'm also thinking of a house in my neighborhood that seemed to be "missing" a window, and they put in a piece of artwork in wrought iron -- it simulates a window in a spot where a window was needed. Or I've seen cabinets with glass on both sides, so the sun would shine through the cabinets. That is probably expensive, but it might be worth it for this small spot.

Food for thought.

I'm planning to go with a large prep sink like the Kohler Stages or the Kallista Multiere, which include cutting boards, and they ARE the prep space. The area under the window would be a secondary prep space, but the sink area would be the primary spot. I do prefer to prep "looking out" towards the room.

Trash will be under the sink.

Yes to a couple stools on the "outside" of the peninsula. I'm not dead-set on some "island seating", but my husband is. I'd rather have more storage. That peninsula is going to be something like 8-9', so we'll probably have two stools and one cabinet facing the great room.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I'm thinking of putting the microwave into the butler's pantry. I don't use it much, and that'll mean it's out of the way.

Thanks, folks.

Speaking of cutting boards... Our U kitchen has the fridge in the same spot (though sink and range are reversed). We have a pull-out cutting board next to the range - but DH really wishes we had another one next to the fridge, where he's just slicing things up for a salad or sandwich.

In the butler pantry, you could also mount glass shelves in front of the window, and store the more attractive serving pieces or containers, and an African violet or two :)

I have a U kitchen also and this layout is very similar to the one I am considering. I think your layout looks great! I really don't want my main prep space to face a wall if it can be avoided, which is why I'm looking to do what you have here - an extra large "workspace" sink in the peninsula. I think this will be a huge feature in the kitchen.

My peninsula will be 34-36" deep. I think this is good as it gives usable space behind the sink , but it's not so huge that you can't reach across it. I also don't want "official" meal seating at mine, just a spot for a stool or two for perching, so I'm thinking of going with just a 10-12" overhang on the short end and part of the back. I also want to maximise storage.

If it was me, I would not off-centre the range. I think it would look off being that it's at the end of the "U" and I don't think the space is big enough to handle that kind of visual oddity.

The end of my "U" is 10' and I'm in the same situation with the smaller, less useful space on either side of the range. I think you're saying you have 18-20" to the corners, but you don't need corner access? I think 20" drawers are totally usable! I only have 17" to the corner, but I'm considering lazy susans. I think I will use one space for a spice/oils pull-out. I have my heart set on a cutting board pull-out, because I now store my cutting boards on top of each other in a deep drawer and it isn't a good option.

Will you be putting an upper on both sides of the 5' window?

An idea that I had when I was considering possibly leaving the space under my window empty, was to install a butcher block counter in that space, to visually define it and create a "setting" or "vignette" with it. Not that you have to, it's totally fine to not define the window area, but I really liked this idea:

Oh, no -- I can't have African violets. If they knew I'd bought them, they'd just go ahead and die on the car ride home and save themselves the agony of withering away under my care.

Aineland, yes, our plans sound very much alike. I like this U-shaped design because it'll keep people OUT of my kitchen, yet it's still connected to the main room. And, like you, I don't want "official seating" at the peninsula -- just a place where one person could sit and chat, or a stool I could pull over to the working side.

I hear you when you say the 6' U may not be big enough to handle the "visual oddity" of the range being off-center. I think the answer is, I have to wait and see just how wide I make the peninsula and judge accordingly. As for remaining drawer space, though, remember that 20" of space doesn't allow a 20" drawer. I do like the idea of one deep pull drawer in that area for oils. I've seen one style repeatedly that looks like the above pictures, but has a deep cut-out on one side so you could read the bottles? I think it's called a "chef drawer"?

I'm moderately against lazy susans, having had a bad experience with one in the apartment attached to my mom's house. Plus they're quite expensive, whereas turning that storage space towards the entryway on the other side of the wall will be cheap -- and useful, albeit in another room!

I am uncertain about whether to have two uppers flanking the window. The plan shows two windows above the cabinet, which total 5' -- I love the idea of all that natural light flooding into the room, and the window "mirrors" a window in a bedroom on the other side of the house, so NO changes to the window. But since this thread has made me realize I do need a narrow cabinet to the side of the refrigerator, I'm not going to have much space to the left of the window ... definitely we'll have an upper to the right of the window.

I don't want to "crowd" the window, if that makes any sense. If I had to say right this minute, I'd say no cabinet to the left of the window, yes to cabinet on the right of the window ... one simple shelf ABOVE the window for some nice display items, and simple bright floral curtains.

I do like the "vignette" you show above, but in my kitchen, I don't think it'd be the right choice. You know, you can like something without saying, "It's for me". My "words" are calm, charming, comfortable, cozy, nostalgic ... and I think that means keeping the same cabinets and colors all the way around the small kitchen. However, I am seriously thinking about butcher block instead of granite.

mrspete, I'm really enjoying this discussion. We are going through similar issues and thought processes. "Calm" is one of my main goals, in the new kitchen and in life.

My kitchen is an L + island, but isn't very big. On the range side of the L, I have an 18" cabinet to the left of the stove, which leaves a 10" cabinet on the right. I think I've also decided on a "chef's drawer" for oils and such. I'm doing frameless cabinets and the inside drawer dimension is 6.75 x 19.75". The drawer below will hold cutting boards up to 12.5" wide.

DIY2Much2Do -- cool name and nice picture.

Yes, that's exactly the thing I meant when I said "chef's drawer". Yes, I have lots of bottles of oils (and vinegars and sprays like Pam) that would be nice to store in such a drawer. Some of my bottles are large, so this drawer looks practical.

If indeed I have 6' -- and I am definitely going with standard sized appliances -- that'd leave a total of 3 1/2' between the two sides. So maybe 18-21" on each side, depending upon exactly how wide we end up making the peninsula. Enough to be valuable space.

I have 18" between sink and corner, and it is a wonderful 4-drawer stack. Top: small miscellaneous utensils; second: bags and wraps; third: towels and dishcloths; bottom: a plastic tub for potatoes and onions, plus space for rolling pins and an eggbeater.

I have one super susan which I love (infinitely better than the old lazy susan I replaced!), but I closed off the other corner. I think accessing the corner space from another room is excellent use of the space - assuming you have something logical to put there. In my case, that wasn't an option - behind one corner is a bathtub, the other is an outside wall. It's all about where you need the storage. My SS is perfect for small appliances, and I didn't have another space for them.

I am no layout expert, and this is a bit random. But what about putting the refrigerator in your butler's pantry? It would be closer to your sink and close to the dining/great room but out of the main kitchen work space for people getting drinks. It would also be very handy for unloading groceries as I assume you would be bringing them in from the garage.

Are you planning the foyer side to be cabinet or drawers? I'm thinking that drawers would be so much more useful on that side, but of course it depends on how you are planning to use them.

Just running with Crl's idea of moving the fridge. Would this put the range too far from the sink?

It would give you the opportunity to have tile all around the windows and the range wall would really pop! Maybe a plate rack by sink? Uppers would be on the one wall, with possibility of little upper on other side of range.

Just an idea...have fun with the planning!

Just chiming in to say moving the fridge really opens up that space and give you such fantastic, long stretches over counter. And the fridge is still conveniently located. Oh, do it.

And love Lavender's idea.

LL, I don't think that allows for a very good landing space for the fridge, and possibly not enough room to slide it out.

Since this is a new build...I think that wall could be moved back a foot or so. It would give better space in the pantry, no matter what the layout!

Hmm. LL that is somewhat similar to the kitchen in Don Gardners Powell House Plan. Have you seen this one Mrs Pete?

I would only do that if the whole refrigerator wall were moved back at least a foot, maybe two. Is that possible?

I don't see how moving the refrigerator to the butler's pantry would make it closer to the sink. It'd be farther forward, yes, but more steps ... and through a doorway. No, I'm not into that idea. Plus I really want the butler's pantry for things that're used only occasionally: the microwave, the toaster, the coffee pot.

As for people getting drinks, they can come into the perimeter of the kitchen (glasses'll be next to the 'fridge), and they'll be minimally invasive -- not like they're going through the work area.

By "foyer side", you mean the items next to the range? On one side -- probably the right, since I'm right handed -- I want a top drawer for spatulas, wooden spoons, and so forth: Things that're used on the stovetop. And under that, I'm beginning to fall for the idea of the chef drawer for oils and vinegars. On the other side -- probably the left -- I think one drawer for hot mitts ... and underneath that I'm leaning towards a tall, traditional cabinet for cookie sheets, etc.

I thought about moving the range to that position -- I agree it would be functional in that spot, but I don't want it under the window, nor do I want to split the windows. The windows "match" windows in another part of the house, and I love the exterior.

I was considering knocking the butler's pantry back that 2' or so to "even it up" with the front wall. It would be a money saver, but would I still be pleased with the exterior? I'm very tempted. And if I did this, I'd make the pantry the "front side" so it could be a little deeper ... and then move the cabinets to the far side. If I did that ... perhaps an opening towards the dining room table, so that the butler's pantry could act as a serving area? But, no. I have the island for serving, and I don't have all that much wall for art work. Still, flattening out the front wall is tempting.

Yes, I have seen the Powell. If you look at Don Gardner's website, they list THREE houses together as kind of "sister plans" -- my term, not theirs. They're the Violet, the Powell and the Coleraine. They're very similar, but it's the butler's pantry entry that makes me prefer the Coleraine. However, I prefer the entryway in ... is it the Powell?

What if the refrigerator is turned to be part of the kitchen instead of the pantry? Like this:

We're just offering some ideas. If they don't work for you, maybe they will help someone else....

I was actually thinking of the refrigerator on the pantry wall that is labeled pantry, which would put it quite close to the sink. But if it doesn't work for you, then it just doesn't.

Crl- That is a good idea. Then you wouldn't see the fridge, but it would be very handy!

Not everyone wants to see the fridge (I'd rather not, but it's front and center in my plan...LOL) but that location would be nice.

I've thought about moving the fridge to our pantry, but there's no good place to put it that wouldn't eliminate half our pantry space :(

Bpath- Nice switch! That's a very clever way to use the space.

Oooh, that last drawing ... that has great promise, and the pantry is larger. Let me ruminate on this ...

I like Lavender_Lass' first idea for placement of the range and a prep sink - it's the most functional.

Regarding the last one (and similar ones)...the water is too far away from the Prep/Cooking Zone area. Yes, it's close to the base of the "U", but it's too far from the range for emptying a pot of water, etc. In Lavender's first idea, the water is close to the range but with enough (but not too much) counterspace b/w the sink and the range. Believe it or not, you can have too much counterspace in a Prep Zone if it separates the water access from the range by too much. 42" is, in my opinion, the minimum you should have with 54" the maximum. Also, it's best not to have to cross the entire kitchen to go b/w the sink and range. Around a corner is OK b/c you don't have to cross another work zone or cross traffic (you just slide down).

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"...turning that storage space towards the entryway on the other side of the wall will be cheap..."

Be aware that the cabinet will most likely have to be modified to include a toekick on the back - so that will add to the cost. As will finishing the back of cabinet.

This is assuming you use a 27" to 30" wide base cabinet so you don't have to have 3" to 4" of filler on the kitchen side.

Buehl- Mrs Pete likes her big sink for prep. Maybe combining the two plans?

Another consideration for prep sink on the peninsula as lavender lass sketched it:

Do you really want the pile of dirty pots and pans that accumulate when you are cooking to be on the counter facing the living area? And do you want your prep area to force you to have your back to the living area when you are doing what you will spend the most time in your kitchen doing?

Isn't it better to have two sinks, a prep sink on the peninsula, so you can prep there, and a cleanup sink on the window wall so you can pile dirty dishes relatively out of sight?

I do like the idea of turning the fridge to face the kitchen.

In my opinion, there is no need for two sinks in a kitchen this size, when one of them will be a Stages 45 or similar large workstation sink. These sinks ARE the prep space.

Lavender_lass's plan with the walk in pantry and range and sink opposite each other is very, very good. I would be really excited about that plan if it were my kitchen! (But I also really like your original plan)

I totally hear you about wanting "breathing room" around the kitchen window. I think that makes for a very elegant and attractive feature. And I too would want to keep that 5' window centred there for exterior purposes. I know you said you didn't want the range in front of the window, but have you looked at pictures of that? It can look really unique and charming.

You mentioned in your original comments that you feel the butler's pantry "makes the kitchen". You choose this home plan in part because you were drawn to that feature. I totally see where you are coming from with that, and if you feel really drawn to the feeling of that type of space (a pretty pass-through type of space), then that points to leaving the plan with that area intact.

Either way, it's great to know the options and there are some really great ideas here.

So many ideas!

First, turning the refrigerator seems to be the best single idea here. It's something that I had never considered. I looked at the dimensions, and initially I said, "It just isn't possible" because the entire butler's pantry area is 8' wide ... but then I realized that L-Lass had extended the width a bit (which seems totally possible), so we could still have a comfortable walkway and cabinets on the other side. I think this one's a real keeper!

Lots of discussion about the sink:

Ainelane's clearly familiar with these sinks (as are a couple other posters), but I don't think everyone is. I'm set on either the Kohler Stages 45 or the Kallista Multiere, which are PREP SINKS. They include a series of cutting boards and collanders, and they totally play into the type of cooking I do on a daily basis. Thus, the peninsula IS the prep spot. The distance between the water and the main prep space is ZERO.

I did briefly consider going with two sinks ... and I won't say that's out of the question completely, but this is a small kitchen, and a second sink (I'd choose a large sink because it would be the clean up sink) would eat up SO MUCH storage ... without adding all that much additional function to a kitchen that already has a 4' sink! I've inventoried my kitchenware; with this under-window storage, it all works ... without that storage, I'm short on space. I don't 'specially value that countertop area so much as the storage underneath.

I'm not in the least concerned about dirty dishes being in the sink facing the main living area. Take a look at HOW HONKIN' BIG a 4' sink is; the number of dishes I typically dirty during a meal can easily be concealed in this sink ... while still maintaing space for prepping on the cutting boards above.

The whole peninsula is not quite 10', so not quite 8' sticks out from the cabinets ... and with a 2' dishwasher and a 4' sink, that only leaves 18-20" of cabinet ... so the sink and the range (in the original picture) are close together. 3-4' apart. On the other hand, if I moved the range to the "front of the house wall", they'd be approximately 6' apart /straight across the kitchen.

The range totally works on the "front of the house wall", but I just don't want to split the window. I love the exterior of the house, and splitting these windows would mean splitting windows in a bedroom too. It's a perfectly reasonable choice, but I just don't want to go there.

I am intrigued by the above picture of the range under the windows; that window is bigger than mine will be, but that does look great. Lovely white kitchen, great windows. I like the hood too. And I like that this would make the short-y end of the U into storage and could have lots of uppers with glass fronts. Nice. My big concern: How impossibly hard would it be to keep that window CLEAN with a range underneath?

Or is this the answer: Something about the range is going to end up being less-than-ideal. Will it be the end-of-the-U location, or will it be placement under the windows? Really, this is the only thing that doesn't make me say, "Ah, just right!" And with no other options available, I think it comes down to which of these I can best live with -- and neither option is BAD, just not quite perfect. And something will ALWAYS be not quite perfect.

I also like the island in that picture -- it shows about the amount of seating I envision ... and then a bit of storage on the other side.

Yes, the butler's pantry and its relation to the kitchen was one of the "big deal items" in choosing this plan. I started with the idea of a smallish kitchen and a large pantry (this isn't quite as large as I'd envisioned) ... and I wanted an area to keep "not so often" stuff like the coffee pot, toaster and microwave ... and I've always had a love of U-shaped kitchens (when they're done right -- often I think they're done wrong) ... and it all seems to come together nicely in this plan.

I totally appreciate all the ideas, but keep in mind that everything won't work with my own thoughts! Don't take offense if I don't jump all over every idea!

Before you even start considering the range in front of the window, you should check with your municipality because it's not permitted everywhere.

I definitely would not split the window either. The exterior symmetry with the bedroom window is too important.

There will be lots of people who pile on against the range in front of the window (and like sjhockeyfan mentioned, there are some places where it's a code issue) but I think it's one of those things that's outside the box and worth considering. (You've already thought outside the box by NOT placing the sink under the window!)

It might be possible to make the counter run on your "front of the house" wall be 30" deep cabinets. That would allow a bit of extra space between the back of the range and the window. There is a pro and con to nearly every decision, but I think it must be noted that the pros of placing the range in front of the window is having the whole end of the "U" be upper and lowers. That makes so much visual sense and gives a lot of storage. The other pro is that both your prep space and your cooking space face a view of some kind, not towards a wall! Not many kitchens get to have that feature.

You are right that something about the placement is going to be less than ideal. This has been my single biggest hurdle - accepting that things are not all going to "click" into perfection. I read a quote last week that I've been trying to drill into my head: "Perfection is the enemy of good". We can overlook good solutions in our quest for perfection! Well, I can anyway :)

I'm with you on loving a well done "U" kitchen! I think you have some fabulous options and your kitchen is going to be so lovely.

I have a U kitchen with sink in the middle, cooktop and fridge on one leg, peninsula on the other leg. I really like this configuration. The DW is between the sink and peninsula which makes it 99% step-free to put dishes away. I prep dinner in a tiny space between sink and cooktop. I could do it on the peninsula with lots of space, but then I'm carrying things back and forth. And, as I finish with a cutting board, bowl, spoon, it goes right into the sink or DW...and the sink is handy for handwashing without dripping my chicken-juicy hands across the floor. We use the peninsula for making lunch and breakfast, and for baking, and it's the landing pad for the oven on the other side of the room. Again, the DW and sink are perfectly handy. (And with this configuration and size, I have no need, let alone place, for a prep sink.)

All this to say, I like your first layout, especially if you move the range to left of center. It gives you more prep space between sink and range, as well as plenty right next to the range on the front-of-house wall (I think that would be a great baking wall and lunch/breakfast wall, right next to the fridge like that).

Regarding the usefulness of a prep sink: the usefulness is dependent on the layout, not the kitchen size. There's a common misconception out there that kitchen size is what determines the need/usefulness of a prep sink. It is not - or at least not the primary reason. It's all about LAYOUT and workflow, etc. I.e., what makes the kitchen the most functional.

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Yes, the Stages sink is designed to be a preparation sink, but it has to be placed properly in the workflow and with enough space around it in the correct places to function the way it's designed to function. Just stating something is XXX does not mean it will function well that way if it's not laid out properly.

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I realize that Mrspete has visual constraints that are important to her - so in her case form is first, function second. That's OK as we all want different things from our kitchens). It's important that we know that, though, so we don't highlight function b/f form.

Will the layout work without a separate cleanup and prep sink? Yes. Is it the best functionally? Not necessarily, but that's not always the most important thing - as in this case. Even if it's not the best functionally, if it makes Mrspete happy, she will make do and make it work for her.

I didn't know a range under a window could be against code. How can I search for this information?

If I go that direction, slightly deeper cabinets are a great idea; a few more inches would remove some of the window cleaning difficulty. Of course, that would also mean further to reach, and I am not quite 5' tall.

Yes, the idea that I'd have "a view" in two directions is one of the things I like about this kitchen.

Bpathhome, I had that very kitchen in a house I rented right after college! However, I did prep on the "empty" peninsula quite a bit. Why? Mainly because we had a dining table across that peninsula, making it "the most social spot". I loved that kitchen, and I think it's why I like U-shaped kitchens today.

The negative about that particular kitchen was that it had cabinets above the "empty" peninsula, which meant I didn't have an uninterrupted view of the person sitting at the table. One thing I've come to realize is that I don't like "overhead clutter", including large pendants.

Buehl, I am genuinely sorry that you don't approve of the layout, but I don't think the layout is poor. The one choice where I really am placing form over function is the choice not to split the window.

Haha MrsPete, I do have the overhead cabinets, though it's the perfect combination: they are high and I am short :)

Regarding the range under a window and possible code issues - since this option came up for my layout, I asked my GC if it's allowed and he said there are absolutely no problems with it. Just to be extra sure, I called my city hall and spoke with the building permit people and they acted like I had a screw loose when I said that I had read on the internet that some municipalities don't allow it! Upon further internet research, it seems there ARE a few places that have code issues with this, but most places it's no problem. That's what I took from all my reading anyway.

And I just have to add that I totally hear you about having space with no overhead clutter in your face! My peninsula now has those uppers that hang over it, blocking my view. Ugh!

Getting to stand at the peninsula and see out into the room and prep at my new giant sink will be very exciting for me :)

If I go that direction, slightly deeper cabinets are a great idea; a few more inches would remove some of the window cleaning difficulty. Of course, that would also mean further to reach, and I am not quite 5' tall.

I'm confused. How would slightly deeper cabinets make window cleaning easier?

I think the idea is that deeper cabinets would reduce the spatter onto the windows as they would be farther away from the burners?

Yes, slightly deeper cabinets would mean that less splatter would have the opportunity to reach the windows ... but cleaning those windows would be more difficult because they'd be more difficult to reach. Sounds like a bit of a give-and-take.

Yes, but you would avoid the 'what do I choose' for a backsplash behind the range :)

My proposed layout is very similar to the first plan here, except the sink is on the exterior wall instead of the peninsula. I won't have a butler's pantry - or any other kind of pantry, alas. In a small kitchen such as mine, I see very little reason to have a prep sink even without the Stages sink. The vast majority of our prep will still happen at the sink - and between the sink and range. I really want the expanse of peninsula counter to be freed up for seating, the illusion of space and an uninterrupted surface for putting out food and drinks and whatever else.

Meanwhile, other posters seem to be noting that the Stages doesn't work as well on a cabinet run with uppers and is best for islands and open peninsulas and such. So, for Mrspete, that part seems to work well, while it has me all but ruling out a Stages. Many folks have also cautioned against the sink and range being on opposite sides of the aisle - for safety reasons as well as the convenience of the counter between the sink and range as an important prep and staging zone.

When the issue of a range on a window has come up, people have commented consistently that grease and grime does not seem to be attracted to the window and it's at least as easy to clean as tile. My aunt has a backsplash window behind her range - and zero complaints. She loves it - and has now implemented it again in her newest house. However, that being said, I like the range on the bottom of the U just fine - and it avoids the problems with the range and sink being on opposite sides of the aisle. I'm going that route - and I am leaning towards not using uppers on that small wall. My big anxiety there is how to center the range on the wall - or give the illusion of it being centered, given I have a bump out to deal with on the right side.

I do like the proposed turning of the fridge with the larger pantry behind it, though. Assuming the plan can be tweaked like that, it seems like there's a lot of value in doing it.