I'm not sure how to get the files added, so I'm putting links here:

http://simunltd.com/house/Kitchen1.pdf (my attempt at a design)

http://simunltd.com/house/MainBareBones3.pdf (bare bones diagram)

If someone can post the link to the instructions for properly uploading pictures, I'd really appreciate it. TIA

Does that 6 ft 6 inch ceiling height where the beam is meet code?

The city folks who do inspections read the structural engineer's report and approved it. I'm assuming that since it is more like a door way than a ceiling per se, it passes.

@desertsteph - thanks for trying

I could load everything except the existing bare-bones diagram....

click to enlarge

From the pics it looks as if the tall cab in your plan already exists. I'd have drawer base and upper beside the DW, with a tall/MW cabinet beside the fridge. You can pull the cabinets in the nook out to 30" (or more for the tall cab) to make deeper counter. If the tall cabinet is made like a hutch, the upper could be 18" deep, which would leave a 12" landing space under the MW. If the tall cabinet is moved to the fridge wall, with deeper uppers to the corner, the corner would be a good spot for an appliance garage. Also consider an EZ Reach upper for the corner cabinet.

On the other side, I'd center the range on the TV wall, and eliminate the upper on the right. That will provide more space for a wider range hood with a larger capture area. Will the hood be vented through the ceiling?

GW discussions--EZ Reach corners

GW discussions--deeper counters

GW discussions--hood wider than range

I'm trying to figure out your current layout--is it m/l what I've drawn on your 'bare bones' diagram? Is there a pass-through opening from the nook to another room?

Wow! You have a good eye! thanks... The sink and range placement is about the same. The main difference is that the wall extends about 18" farther into the living room (the old location of the fridge and washer). The current spread between sink and range is 44". There are two closet spaces at that end of the room now (one is HW heater and other is spare junk while remodeling) that will go away.

On your suggestion to make a 30" cab under the low part, how would you handle the corner when pulling things out the 6"? Extra six on the back wall?

The tall cabinet doesn't exist today, that is the spare closet now.

Yes, the hood is vented outside now and we can move that to a new location as needed. DH has proven to be very handy with things like that.

@ practigal - thanks for trying. I'm assuming it was a tech problem last night. I seem to be able to attach things today.

With deeper counters you have two options. 1) Having custom bases built, which increases storage capacity. If DH is really handy and can build cabinets, that might make the option more budget-friendly. 2) Pull the standard cabinets out from the wall 6" (or whatever depth you choose). Use 2x4 cleats on the wall, to support the counter tops, leaving a void behind the cabinets. Cabinets can be attached to floor cleats.

ETA, what's on the other side of the nook wall? Could the corner be accessed for storage for that room?

That "nook" wall is actually the old exterior wall of the original house, supporting the roof. It would take a lot of reinforcing to tunnel through it. Right now that is the desk nook for a bedroom on the other side of the wall.

What are folks thoughts on the big empty space in the center of the room (in my design)? How much space is too much? How might you fill it?

I'm counting almost 8 feet between the fridge and range. (The fridge doors will need to come out past the pantry wall, in order to be able to open on the left side.) NKBA recommendation for minimum aisle width is 42", which would leave only 10" for an island or cart (counting 2" for fridge doors), and anything there would be a barrier. I don't think there's a problem with the empty space--when you're going from fridge to sink to range, you'll appreciate the clear path.

Have you considered making the corner in the nook a blocked blind
corner, rather than using a corner susan? You could have two nice drawer
stacks for dish storage.

What cabinet plans do you have for the area in the red circle? Will that corner be accessible from the LR side?

Yes, the cabinet in the red circle area would be accessed from the LR.

What is a "blocked blind corner"? We were planning on having a corner cabinet with the S shelves that pull out. Like this: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S19036711/

We were going to put some of our small appliances there (slow cookers, hand mixer, electric griddle/grill). We only use the larger slow cooker on a regular basis.

As for moving the tall cabinet next to the fridge, I had put it where I did to give a blocked off space for a butcher block section for chopping (butcher block next to fridge). Given that there are multiple corners, I'm not sure how the transition from butcher block to a stone countertop would look. If I moved the tall cabinet to the nook wall, how could I make a "pretty" countertop with a section of it being butcher block for chopping? All of the pictures I see have a clear ending of the countertop and place for the butcher block?

We are planning on having the dishes in the upper cabinets -- mostly because we've never done anything else. I was planning on having drawer space (below microwave possibly) for the fermenting vegetables (think of something like large mason jars which have something on the top so they need a bit of extra clearance).

We also have a lot of prep bowls for chopping vegetables for the stir frys. We use a lot of bowls in our house -- so we are planning on a fair amount of space just for cooking bowls. Some of them are glass which can be heavy if you have a nested set of 7 bowls, so they would get priority in the upper drawers of the lower cabinetry if anything. If we stack creatively, we need about 24x12 space for the glass bowls and an equivalent space for the lighter metal bowls, but it would be nice to have some room to spread some bowls out a bit more, if there is space.

'Blocked blind corner' (also called a dead corner) means that the corner is blocked by cabinets on each side, and the 2'x2' void is inaccessible. That gives you a chance to have wider drawer bases on the side, and might actually provide more storage. If you used the idea of deeper upper cabinets (or cabinets set out from the wall a few inches), the appliance garage that I posted above would be deeper than standard--15-18"--and would be a good place to store the small appliances you mentioned. Lighter-weight bowls could be stored in the deeper uppers, with heavy bowls in the base drawers. Pots and pans would be in the drawers left of the range.

Usually one would have the butcher block in the prep area between the sink and range, but you probably prep more vegetables for fermenting than for cooking, so that might determine the location of the BB. If you don't want a cutting board that you lay on the counter, have you considered a pull-out board like the vintage bread boards? Or a cutting board over a drawer, with a hole for pushing compost into a bowl below it? This one of beaglesdoitbetter's is over a trash pull-out:

You could also use a cutting board that fits the sink reveal. When not in use it could be stored in the 9" cabinet you've drawn beside the drainboard.

Even if using distilled water, you need to rinse the produce and drain the water, so I'd put the chopping block near the sink. If integrated into the counter, my preference would be between the sink and range, where you have a view into the LR, rather than a view of the solid wall to the left of the sink. I see no problem with butcher block next to counter material. Sw-in-austin's Ikea BB with soapstone looks very nice, IMO:

Pretty (and more expensive) example posted by billy_g:

This one is from my KT peep, ginny20's, kitchen:

From momof2doxies:

If you scroll down in this link, you'll find multiple pics of BB/cutting boards abutting counter material, posted by boxerpups.

Images of pull-out boards

GW discussions--dishes in drawers

Thanks for the images. In some it appears that the BB section is a different height than the countertop. I had never thought of that before. Is there a recommended height for cutting? (there is for rolling dough, I think, but I never do that).

You're welcome, I've added a few. I've posted this one before--from Johnny Grey's this kitchen ergonomics article.

Are you following a gluten-free diet? One of the Kitchen Table members recently posted about the health benefits she's noticed since switching to a grain-free diet.

mama goose_gw zn6OH:

In the first picture of your second-to-last post, that looks like too much cantilever on the cutting board, even with extra-heavy duty drawer slides. I'd cut that thing in half it it ever went on a job with my name on it.

Thanks Joseph, that's something to consider. Maybe if the trash pull-out was fully extended it would be safer. It's not my kitchen, but the owner, who posted here extensively during the build, seems to find it functional. Although I seem to recall that she's stated that she doesn't cook. ;)

mama_g: Thanks for the link. It is going to take me some time to think about how to apply that.

I'm not officially gluten-free, just heavily paleo. They seem to have a lot of things in common. If I could somehow cure my chocolate addiction, I think my health would be better. I recommend a book called the Perfect Health Diet. It spends a good portion of the book talking about what our ancestors diet really was like. Very analytical.

What I have found is that after many years of way too many antibiotics, I have a large need to get my body re-colonized with good bacteria. I'm going so far as to start testing myself at UBiome. It costs a fortune to pop pro-biotics pills and by fermenting vegetables along with greek yogurt I can get a much larger dose and make things better. I'm really surprised at the difference it can make in little things.