I'll get the ball rolling.

First thing I noticed is the dw should go on the other side of the sink so it is not in a prep zone between the sink and cooktop.

Second, it is hard to tell, but is the sink faucet centered to the window? I would center it.

Beautiful big window. I like how you repeated the slight arch in the range hood design.

Edit: hey funky you beat me. I thought I was going to be the first post. Lol!

Well laid out. As the others have said, swap the DW. And change cabinets to more drawers.

Love the BIG window!

Have you read the thread for requesting help?
http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2843508/new-to-kitchens-read-me-first?n=195

You'll likely get prompted to post an overhead layout of the whole house for the gurus to have a better idea of work flow(s). And more background on how you use the kitchen (size of family, # of cooks, etc).

Could you provide additional details on your island? At 48" deep, you're going to either have a large overhang requiring supports, or a bit too short of an overhang to have shallow cabinets on the backside and still sit comfortably.

From - I like what I see. Pop the items out of the fridge, wash and prep and then on to your cook zone.

I am less worried than others on the DW position I guess, I seldom prep and have the DW running plus my DW is so quiet that if I need to work in that area, I don't even notice it unless the door pops open at the end of the cycle.

I would recommend more drawers. Drawers rock!

I have my DW between sink and range in my current kitchen and we all hate it. Loathe! Despise! It drives us all batty. Can not wait until we get to the point of moving the DW in our remodel. I'm bristling with impatience about it. This whole household will probably hold a big celebration when the big day happens.

When a microwave is under the counter, is it easy to see the controls and to see if the butter is melted?

I flipped the DW, and from a design longevity perspective only, I would consider all cabinets to the ceiling rather than staggered. You have enough interest going on without it and the little pockets exposed over the cabinets flanking the range would be kind of small dark recesses anyway.

If you can, get rid of the lower cabinets and put in drawers. They are much more functional and user-friendly than are cabinets. I know you have them in the island but add them on the perimeter as well.

I agree with getting rid of the staggered look, the cupboards on either side of the vent look like they are going to fall down. It looks like the only thing that is preventing that is that they are being squished together by the cupboards on either side.

I'm wondering about the value of putting in a prep sink in the island but without seeing a top view or better yet, a floorplan, it's hard to know whether or not it would be of value.

This is minor and it may already be in place but it's hard to tell - I assume the pantry is a split pantry with a top cupboard and then a lower but taller one - line the opening break with the bottom of your other cupboards so that your eye follows the division around the kitchen. Hopefully that makes sense.

Which way is the dining area? - that will tell you whether or not the fridge is in the right place or whether it should be switched with the double ovens.

Thank you for all of the comments!! As for the dishwasher, I understand the reason to put it on the left side; the reason it was on the right side was I thought because I am right handed it would be easier to load the dishwasher from the sink.

Do you think the varied heights will go out of style?

I plan on using most of the bottom cabinets with pull out draws, would you still recommend draws or will the pull out draws serve the same purpose?

Here is my first floor plan. Do not look at kitchen design, this was the architect's layout. The entire kitchen, dining room, and living room is open with no columns. The ceiling in the kitchen/dining room is 8 ft and the living room is vaulted. All of the dotted lines represent what is existing and will be taken out.

I had all drawers put in our kitchen last year, we love them. No more hands and knees in the dark looking for something. One drawer about 4 inches deep on top and then the rest of the space is 2 deep drawers. All baking pans are stored in the pantry.

Having recently moved from a GW designed custom kitchen with all drawers, to a builder grade kitchen with pullouts, I can only say, RUN from the pullouts. Drawers are the only way to go for functionality and ease of use.

With doors and pull out drawers it takes two motions to open door and pull out. With a drawer only you are reduced a single motion. Repeat this multiple thousands of times and the drawer only becomes the most efficient choice.

I don't like the staggered heights of the wall cabinets. Add me to the list that wants them all one height.

Be sure to make the corner base cabinet a blind cabinet or redesign as a super Susan. I hate wasted space opportunities.

I thought staggered cabinets were out of style a long time ago.

Drawers vs roll-outs - drawers win. Drawers are a one step process while roll-outs are not. Roll-outs will leave you with bashed cabinet doors from those who are in a rush to get whatever they want and from those who wind up using the doors to close the roll-outs.

Fridge looks ok if the DR is the area that is just below the island. Although now that I look at the entire floorplan I do wonder. You'll come in from the garage with all your groceries most of which will go into the fridge or the pantry so it would be nice for them to be beside each other. If the fridge and ovens were switched the fridge can be better used by those on the island or DR (from where it would be easier to get to) without going through your work area. If the ovens were moved to the fridge spot, they would be more out of the way of any traffic coming through and less likely of collisions. Consider how you envision baking. Those are just my thoughts - perhaps someone else can weigh in on this.

DW should be moved to the left side and it will take you about a week to get used to it, if that. But with the DW on the right it will be right in the middle of your prep area as someone mentioned. By putting it in on the left no one will be in your way when cleaning up and bringing dirty dishes into the area from the LR, DR or the island seating.

From - Your kitchen is going to be great. I

was also wondering about UC MWs and asked one of my friends why she liked it. I looked at her and we both started laughing as she said is was so easy for her and her mother to reach inside of it. She stands about 5 feet and her mother is under 5 feet. I am over 5'7", so it is awkward for me to reach in and also to see the controls.

There was a recent post on DW on the left or right. Some loved it on the right, others on the left and then some hated on the right and others on the left. It is a personal preference.

I have had DW on both sides and it never bothered me. In my current kitchen - it is on the left and the dish drawer pulls out on the right perpendicular to the DW. It was a major goal for my kitchen.

My old kitchen - plates were to the left of the DW, silverware to the right and glasses across the kitchen Ugghhhh!

Now most items are to the right of the DW (except pots, pans and baking items) making it so much faster to load and unload the DW.

I mentioned above - drawers rock - I still love my drawers but remember to include the weight of the drawer box with the total weight. I had a problem with my mega dish drawer but it has been resolved. (I hope)

Multi height cabinets are your preference. If you like them - go for it. If you plan to sell in a couple years - nix them. I went with ceiling height except for my caves in the sun room since the ceiling is vaulted.

I went with a Super Susan in my corner. If I hadn't been so stubborn on the 42 inch drawer, the opening could have been a bit bigger - but plenty big for me. I keep my big pasta pan, giant sauté pan, my heavy LeCr roaster, salad spinner, a set of old Corning with glass lids, colanders and more. I have a bifold style door. I can open the first panel and snag my salad spinner or a colander. If I open all of the way, I snag my pasta pan or giant sauté pan. After that, I spin to grab the other items. If you are young and flexible enough, you can even store a few items in the corners that are not on the turntable. I keep a couple of tall drink cups hiding back there. (I am almost 61 shhh) and can still accomplish this task.

Drawers vs roll outs: it depends on how you use them. I like to put the most often used pots and pans in the very front, making it easier to lift them out, not straight up. Even stacked ones are easy to get. But when I want something from the back, it's easy to get. Perhaps some of each?

I also prefer a combination of drawers and pullouts because some things I like on a shallow tray-like thing so I can get my hands around it from the sides and bottom, rather than having to reach down to the bottom of a drawer and pulling straight up.

I used to prep solely in front of the DW and that (the heat) is not what really bothered me most - it was more that you are always moving out of the way of it to put something in or get something out or someone else was trying to use it. I am a lefty and my DW has always been on the right and I don't notice it being harder but then again maybe as a lefty you get used to things being right dominant? No idea but I never gave that a thought with the new kitchen. I placed it where it made most sense for function.

My last 4 dishwashers were: 1) to the left of the sink, 2) to the right of the sink, 3) at a 90 degree angle to the sink, and 4) to the right of the sink. I never noticed an issue with loading any of them them. I'd be most concerned with unloading - making sure the place your store dishes and glasses is convenient when the dishwasher is open.

Our new kitchen is virtually the mirror image of yours, I think you will like working in there. : ) One thing I noticed is that it looks like you have tall narrow spice cabinets planned on either side of the cooktop. Personally, I would skip these. You may want to ask around, but my impression is that the storage in those is not all that valuable vs. the cost. I'd rather have nice, wide drawer cabinets on either side of the cooktop. We store our bottled ingredients (vinegars, oils, etc.) in an upper to one side of the cooktop, and our spices in the drawers directly under our cooktop. If you are doing a range top, then I'd consider putting spices in a top drawer to the side of the range. Another option would be a rectangular basket of spices that you could pull down off of a shelf and access.

Open spaces are nice, Think about whether you want one uninterrupted ceiling (consider possible future repairs, painting, etc.) or some framed openings to delineate each space as it's own. I've learned I like wide openings that are framed between each room, but you may feel differently.

Agree about DW on left.

Also agree about cabinets to ceilings. Not for looks but because it becomes a dust and grease collector on top of those cabinets. Ugh!

Also agree about mostly drawers. I have 1 pullout cabinet for some things but all my other cabinets are drawers. I LOVE the drawers. So much easier. Wouldn't think of going back to pullout cabinet.

Also agree about blind corner. I have a rev a shelf pullout, but a super susan works too. Also I am considering doing those corner drawers.

"... pots and pans in the very front, making it easier to lift them out, not straight up.."

It's actually easier to lift something straight up than to pull it out and then lift it up.

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Regarding DW and handedness...it's irrelevant if you're left or right handed. I can actually intellectually argue for either side for both left and right handed. In practice, it makes no difference. What makes a huge difference is where does it fit to make the kitchen function better.

• Keep the DW out of the Prep Zone.
• The DW should be next to where you store most of your dishes (plates, glasses, silverware).
• The Cleanup Zone, which includes the DW, should be separated from the Prep Zone, even if it's just separated by the sink - i.e., Cleanup Zone with DW & dish storage on one side of the sink and Prep Zone with trash pullout on the other side of the sink.

Regarding the trash pullout - it should be in the Prep Zone, no matter where your Prep Zone is. If you cannot place it so it's in the Prep Zone but not far from the Cleanup Zone, then consider two pullouts. You generate far more trash and recyclables while prepping and cooking than yo do while cleaning up - and for a much longer period of time. (My biggest regret in my Kitchen is putting my trash pullout next to my cleanup sink and not in my Prep Zone on the other side of the aisle. I have a 6' wide aisle and I either have to pile it up for disposing of later or walk across the aisle with often dripping items to the pullout.)

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Regarding corner susans...The 36" lazy susan (center pole) in my old kitchen held all the items now stored in my
two 36" pot & pan drawers + the colanders & popcorn bowls in my
31" drawer under the MW + cake pans & pie tins stored in my 31.5"
drawer under my ovens + pizza pans stored in my tray storage + some
miscellaneous items scattered here & there in my new kitchen. So,
when people say how much space is wasted w/corner super/lazy susans and
how just ignoring the corner is better, this is one of the reasons I
strongly disagree...IMHO, I think you lose more storage when you
ignore/deaden a corner than putting in a susan.

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Drawers vs Roll Out Tray Shelves (ROTS) [Some people call ROTS pullouts, but pullouts usually refer to shelves attached to a cabinet door that pull out when you open the door - like a trash pullout or a pantry pullout.].

Pros & Cons of Drawers & ROTS

Opening/Closing...

• Drawers require one movement to open/close
  • Open: pull open
  • Close: push closed.

• ROTS, on the other hand, require 2 or 3 motions plus waiting...

• • Open: move out of the way of the doors, open 1 or 2 doors, pull out ROTS.

  If you want something in the front: move out of the way of the doors, open 1 or 2 doors, pull out ROTS slightly so you can lift the item over the edge.

• Close: push in ROTS, wait for it to close fully (so you don't ding the doors), close 1 or 2 doors.

Storage/sides...

• Drawers ...
  • Have sides the height of the drawer opening. This prevents things from falling off the sides, either onto the floor or into the interior of the cabinet (on the sides). This means you can stack things w/o worrying about things falling as the sides will catch them. It also keeps things from extending out past the walls of the drawer so they don't get caught on the cabinet frame when opening the drawer (Note: Getting caught on the frame is not an issue w/frameless cabinets, just framed...which includes overlay & inset.)

• ROTS...
  • Have shallow sides, thus allowing things to fall off the sides and allowing things to hang over the sides of the shelf and get caught on the cabinet frame (which can result in nicks in your frame - experience speaking here!)

Adjustability...

• ROTS...
  • Have the advantage here in most cases. Most ROTS are adjustable...but not all are, so check w/your cabinetmaker.

• Drawers...
  • Are not adjustable to different heights inside the cabinet. OK, this is the one place where ROTS have the advantage. However, with planning and/or organizers you can do almost anything with the drawers and store almost anything in them (dishes, glasses etc..

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Regardless of your decision on drawers vs ROTS, get
full-extension...it's a must b/c it allows you full access to your
drawers or ROTS!

Soft-close is also nice, but it's a "nice to have" not a
"must" (although, soft-close does come standard in some cabinet lines
like Omega & Omega Dynasty/Embassy). Actually, I don't recommend
soft-close for ROTS b/c the slight delay in closing (as the drawer/tray
is gently closed) means having to wait to close the door(s) to avoid dinging the inside of your cabinet doors by hitting the ROTS b/f it's fully inside the cabinet. [Experience
speaking here again!]

Argggggggggggggggg!

I hate Houzz's formatting! I have now struggled with creating lists in the above post for something like 45 minutes! Bring back GW's text formatting - it was so flexible and you could do so much with it!!!!!!

It looks fine until you submit (albeit a horrible experience to create in the first place) - and then Hozz messes it up!