palimpsest, can you feel the hug I'm sending your way? Thank you so much for the photoshop, wow! Is it possible to replace original glass with tempered? Those are individual pieces of glass. Also, would you take out the wall oven? My back loves it, but I sure would like more than 36" of contiguous counter now that I have the room for it. I could also switch wall oven and area to immediate left. Hmmm...

I could also switch wall oven and area to immediate left. Hmmm...

^This! That would probably be the easiest change and it would sure give you a lot more counter.

If it proves too difficult to replace that window with a twin with tempered glass, could you just put a single piece of tempered glass over the whole window? Kinda like a storm window on the inside, with attractive moldings that match or compliment the current window frame.

Your kitchen is lovely! That the kind of stained wood I would have.

I'm not a designer, so take this for what it's worth. It looks like possibly there's no window over the current sink. Is that correct?

I'd take out the wall oven and put in a full range and make any adjustments to the left necessary. I'd move the sink over under the window.

A good glass and mirror company should be able change out the individual panes with tempered, leaving the same operable double hung sash.

I too agree on a range vs the wall oven...

If you replace the wall oven with a range, can you prep in front of the window, without moving the sink? Would that be too many steps?

Thank you for input funkycamper, cookncarpenter, and linelle! There is a window over the sink that looks out over the backyard or I'd switch in a heartbeat. I'd also be opening up a can of worms with DW placement if I moved sink, so that'll stay. I just can't decide if it's better to have an 6.5' counter plus corners on back wall but have to cross kitchen to get to sink, OR a stretch of 4.5ish' on wall where oven is now. The counter btw wall oven and frig is 34.5" and there is another 17.5 to the rt of the wall oven. Thanks again. I'll call about glass replacement tomorrow.

I just wanted to clarify something. You can't have a cooktop/hood in front of a window that opens. Your window is lovely. I meant that an additional sheet of tempered glass be installed over the current window so that you can't open it, thus meeting code. I didn't mean that you should replace your mullion window with a single sheet. Also, a single sheet on the inside over the small panes would make it easier to clean because some grease and grime will definitely collect there no matter how good your fan is. Or splatters.

If it were me (and I could afford it) I'd put a large range with two ovens (maybe vintage?) where the wall oven is now. That leaves all that lovely prep space under the window!

The sink is across from the range, but your window/prep counter would be a great place to work...and close to both. Have fun! It's a lovely kitchen!

mama goose (who's rocking the kitchen plans this week BTW!) - that is my question exactly. I think it would be lovely to prep there, but will it be a pain to not have the sink a step or two away from the range?

funkycamper, thanks for the clarification. I have to think it's okay to have the cooktop here??? I know it was permitted! Believe it when I say that a single sheet would be welcome. I'm thankful the mullions are higher up!

lavender_lass, it wouldn't bother you to cross the kitchen to get from sink to stove? I would be fine when I'm cooking solo, but what about when the space is full of helpers?

BTW, I think your kitchen is lovely, clueless. Do you have a floorplan we could use to help you out? Maybe I'm the only one who has a hard time visualizing from photos. I really need that 2D view.

My kitchen has sink across from cooking area (yikes!!!) but it's what we have and it works pretty well. If you can move the sink to that window area, that would be great, but can you do that?

We can't all start from scratch and sometimes the biggest challenge is to find a way to work with what we have.

We'll have three cooks, one sink and it's across from the cooking and baking areas. But, we can't change that right now, so we're doing our best to create 'work areas' for each of us and still share the sink. We'll see how that works out! :)

I'm wondering if you'd have the same problem if you switched to an induction cooktop. Yes you'd still need a hood but you wouldn't have the worry of having gas and the cooktop doesn't get hot.

funkycamper - a floorplan? But that means work when I wanted something for nothing...

ll - I hear you about working with what you have and there is no starting from scratch here. I like what's here for the most part, and I am feeling a bit guilty about changing anything to begin with. However, it doesn't feel right and I'm frustrated trying to work even as I'm appreciating the aesthetics.

cp - I thought about an induction, but I grew up with so many power outages that I'm leery about an electric range. Silly? You bet, but it's ingrained. I still feel like I have to fill up the bathtub when a huge storm hits, and I haven't lived with a well my entire adult life.

I did realize something last night. I would rather not cook with my back to the rest of the kitchen as weird as that sounds! I know I'll spend more time prepping with my back to the room than the actual time in front of the cooktop, but there you are.There is also a part of me that is giddy about the thought of an expansive 6.5' of counter ;-)

DH is completely against moving the sink, so that is out.

sink overlooks back yard

34.5" between wall oven and frig

77.5" between counters, back wall

18" cabinet between cooktop wall and wall oven

Would a long prep counter outweigh crossing kitchen to move between sink and stove?

If you were going to leave the layout alone, think about putting in a custom wood hood matching the cabinets. I remember seeing something on a TV show (House?) where the hood was behind frosted glass panels that matched the cabinets on either side. Think about your top cabinets (12"?) extending across that space using perhaps frosted or dark glass inside wood frames. Coming down to match the cabinets on either side. The insert would go above and behind the glass, exhausting to the outside. You could bump it out to 24"-27".

This is the closest concept I found searching around. See how the hood is behind an extension of the cabinets on either side.

Pentney Road, SW12 · More Info

weedmeister-that is along the lines of what I was thinking originally! Now I'm stuck on the idea of all counter on back wall, taking out wall-oven and cabinet and replacing with a range. I did like my GE cafe in last house. Only prob there is I'm stuck with a 30" hood and traipsing across kitchen to sink.

I think I would remove the wall oven and put in a range in the same location. Then install a hood with a tempered glass hung over the current window as Palimpsest suggested. Then along the new counter between fridge and range, I'd install a prep sink. You have ice-water-stone-fire and a separate clean-up zone for minimal cost.

Based on my experience in my kitchen when I moved my fridge, I'm betting that removing that wall oven is going to open up your kitchen a LOT more than you realize.

Edited to clarify: I mean put the range where the current cooktop is, not where the wall oven is.

Is everyone against removing cooktop and filling space with butcher block while replacing wall oven with range and hood? Tell it like it is, am I being obtuse?

I'd try to move the oven cabinet next to the fridge, first.

Yay - Photoshop again, thank you!!!

I like my cooktop a bit closer to my sink and on the same counter run so I don't have to carry wet, drippy things across my floor. So I'm not sure I'd like that. I go back-and-forth between sink and cooktop frequently so the longer trek would bug me.

If you go with that plan, I can see the peninsula becoming the major prep area instead of the back counter. If you find that's true for you, you will want to move the DW to the other side of the sink.

I do think that long, uninterrupted back counter would make a great baking center. But I also think moving the wall ovens next to fridge (or removing them and replacing cooktop with range) would give you better advantages and still give you a baking center.

I like Palimpsest's idea better. Again, YMMV.