You can turn the vent for the vent hood and route it to an outside wall. (There are some rules for it, I believe it is recommended that it have no more than two 90 degree turns, to work efficiently.) The reason I mentioned you may want to plan for it now, is that if you need a larger duct (say 10"), you may want to account for that so it will fit in your ceiling joists, and you can avoid having a soffit. If you know which range or rangetop you will choose, then you will have a better idea what type of ventilation you will need and what size duct.

"...The kitchen is 14'+ x 16' wide..." The first layout you posted says the Kitchen is 25'6" x 16'. In which direction is the 14' you're referencing? The 16'? The answer will determine what you can/cannot fit for an island depth. . If your cabinets are inset, then your counter overhang can be 1". However, if you have framed overlay (partial or full), most likely the counter overhangs will be at least 1.5" sometimed more. So, factor that into your measurements. . "...No wall ovens as we have found a 36" double oven..." Do you mean a 36" double-oven range? So that's not really a cooktop, correct? . Regarding deadening out the corner...keep in mind that you will need to have at least 3" of filler on each side of the corner - that's filler, not cabinets or filler pullouts. That filler is needed to allow the cabinets on each side of the corner to clear the doors and knobs/pulls/handles on the cabinets on the other side of the corner + a small bit of wiggle room for things that are not always perfect. So, count on the 27" measurement for your corner, not the 24" measurement (it says ' 24" to 27" ' in your drawing.) . As MamaGoose pointed out, the DW and trash pullout should be switched to allow someone to be loading/unloading the DW while someone else is prepping or cooking. The key components of a successful Prep Zone are: Include a water source/sink (not pot filler, actual sink) Include at least 36" of workspace, with 42" or more much, much better. Where you have the sink, you don't have anywhere near enough workspace. You have only around 28". Since the island isn't oriented to be a Prep Zone (see below), I assume you plan to prep on the perimeter counter b/w the cleanup sink and cooktop...if that's not what you want, then you may want to rethink your layout. Even with MamaGoose's move of the prep sink & Prep Zone, the island is verging on being a "barrier island" b/w them and the cooktop/range. Ideally, if you want your primary Prep Zone on the island, then the long side should be facing the range. If you do want the island as your primary Prep Zone, then consider switching the sink and range. Prep sink vs bar sink...bar sinks are tiny and shallow, they do not work as prep sinks. Bar sinks are designed primarily for filling a glass with water and dumping glasses - not for attempting to clean veggies/fruit, empty boiling pasta water, etc. If that side door is going to be the family's main entrance (as opposed to the front door), then you might want to switch them for that reason as well - you want to protect the Cooking Zone and even the Prep Zone from through-traffic. I would not want to be prepping where people are coming & going from the outside, the Powder Room, and the Laundry Room. . Speaking of the Laundry Room - do you really want your dirty (or even clean) laundry on display for your guests when they use the Powder Room? Even close friends/family who use the family entrance will get an eye-full of laundry when coming in the side entry. Maybe it's just me, but I would also rethink the Laundry Room location. It looks like your main bedrooms are elsewhere - upstairs? Consider relocating the Laundry Room to the same floor as the family's bedrooms - it will be much closer to where dirty clothes come from and to where clean clothes go. . Refrigerator cabinet...is that a cabinet above the refrigerator & freezer? If so, I recommend you get a full-depth (24"D) cabinet and "build in" the refrigerator/freezer to make them look built-in. (Install them b/w finished end panels that are as deep as the refrigerator/freezer carcasses/boxes and mount the cabinet over the refrigerator/freezer b/w the end panels. The cabinet should also be flush with the carcasses/boxes.)

MrsPete, there are certainly times when I'd like to swap my fridge and freezer sides. Not for long, just a few days. Sometimes I need more fridge space, but not often enough to warrant another fridge. I can't remember a time when I've wanted more fridge space AND at the same time had excess freezer space. And I certainly wouldn't want to pay more (lots more) for this option. If you really need extra fridge space occasionally, you can pick up a dorm-sized cube refrigerator for $50 (less if you buy used) and store it in the attic when you're not using it. It would be great if the trash and recycling could take care of themselves - not sure it that will ever happen. Now that would be great, but I can't see how it could happen. Was there a requirement that the question be answered with moves forward in function? That's a fair question. I think we all want better function from our kitchens, but perhaps the real question is, What constitutes better function as we move into the future? For some people it might be a faster way to cook prepackaged foods ... and that might lead into a desire for healthier options in prepackaged foods, which isn't a kitchen question but is certainly related. They seemed to expect the food to cook itself and the dishes to clean themselves. Put it into perspective; consider the reality of cooking just prior to that article. Compared to peeling your own potatoes, canning your own green beans, and baking your own bread ... frozen dinners and canned food served on paper plates IS food that cooks itself and dishes that clean themselves. I would like a "Cone of Silence" for my exhaust hood. Now that sounds both useful and possible. I bet we will have home 3-D food printers. I saw that they demonstrated one for pizzas down at OSU the other day. Thing is, you can't create something out of nothing. Even if you had a Star Trek type replicator, you'd still have to load in pizza sauce and cheese -- at least at home. Perhaps a mall food court could feature a "replicate your own pizza machine", which could make your pizza to order -- but someone in the back'd have to load up the ingredients.

Thank you Build Beautiful, love that look! We have a small kitchen window over the sink and would be moving the range to the same location as in that picture with a 36 inch drawer base under the window. The only upper cabinets I would have is on the wall with the refrigerator, a 30 inch pantry, fridge with cabinet above, a 24 inch and two 30 inch cabinets that would end at the wall left of the sink. I chose a medium green for the drawer base cabinets, nice to see that green is a trend now also!