I love having our mw on the lower shelf of an upper cabinet. The cabinet is extra deep to accomodate a standard mw. I figure this leaves my options open in the future--I won't have to be limited to a certain size, i.e one 12 or 13 in deep (plus technology is always changing so I'm hoping I'll be able to swap it out for something different if desired.) I think I've also seen upper cabinets that are of standard depth but have an extra deep lower shelf for the mw. If you are still considering a mw in a lower cubby, I strongly suggest setting one up on a low table or chair and try living with it for a while. We had a mw on a low table (not as low as an undercounter mw would be) in our old kitchen and dh and I both absolutely hated it. We found it difficult to use the buttons and to see into it to get food out or to clean the inside surfaces. Mw drawers are an option, but again, it seems like future choices get majorly limited by having very exact specifications. I think a mw in your breakfast area would work well. If you heat leftovers in the mw, it will be handy to have the fridge and mw close to each other. You might want to consider storing some mw safe dishes near the mw. The drawers under our mw stores our supply of pyrex mw dishes with lids (for fridge storage.) I knew when we were in our old kitchen that getting a prep sink was of highest priority. There were often log jams at the one (double bowl) sink. It was difficult for 2 of us to prep veggies at the same time and that always seemed to be the task I needed the most help with. It's something for you to consider. If you haven't felt the need for a prep sink up until now, maybe you don't need it. But if your kids might be spending more time helping in the kitchen in future years, it's something to consider. I also like having sinks at 2 spots in the kitchen because it helps clean up go faster when there are others helping. One person can hand wash large pots, plastic and wooden ware at the large sink while the other loads dishes into the dw at the small sink. The shelves above the mw are adjustable--another thing that adds versatility to future need. I am no layout expert, I only know what has worked for my particular situation. There are 2 things that we thought about during planning that I'm really happy about. 1. Placing the fridge so that it was close to the table while still being handy to the prep zone. I find it makes getting meals on and off the table much easier. Others can freely access the fridge without getting in the way of the cook. 2. Making clean up more efficient by placing the dw at the small sink. I mentioned this above--the main sink is used for all the hand washing of large pots, etc. and the small sink is used for processing dishes for the dw. Our large sink is in the prep/cook area and the smaller sink is placed so that it is convenient to the table and fridge (and others can use it without going into the cook/prep zone.)

Is your sink 16"W x 13"D....or....13"W x 16"D?

I might agree with you, but it depends on a few other things we don't know. That island is at least a foot longer than mine, and that might be enough length to put a sink more in the center. I thought about it there too, but I do like a long run for serving buffet style. In my kitchen, I needed the longer surface because moving my cooktop broke up the long baking counter I was going to have and I needed one or the other to be a longer continuous surface. I don't know these things -- and if there is seating planned (but not drawn in ) on that other side of the island, that will have a big impact on how that large surface will be used. What I don't know is how that island is going to be used -- what's under the surface for one thing. What kind of cabinets will be there? Any appliances? Where will the outlets be? Where will the mixer go and how and where will it be used -- how often? One of the important considerations for my prep sink placement was having the sink handy for washing egg goo and other things off my hands when baking as well as prep tasks. Anyway, I'd need to know more to say for sure what I'd do.

I agree about always using a cutting board for chopping, and as long as you have an area that is smooth and cool for working dough, whatever it is made of is just personal preference. However, I do have a question about cutting boards for the faithful users. Do you think there is any difference on the wear of your knives if you use a wooden board or a synthetic one? I have several of both, but my favorite wooden one (very old) split at a seam recently. I purchased good knives not long ago and would like them to last for many years. Do you think it matters which type someone uses, or is this also just a preference thing?