Larsi (and other Miele Speed Oven owners), In another thread ("Miele MW/convection question"; I tried to link to this, but couldn't), antss and I stumbled on an apparent change between H4080 and H4082 series ovens in recommendations re: the metal combi rack. With earlier models, it was OK to leave this rack in while microwaving, during combination or Solo modes. But the manual for H4082 seems to want this rack out of the oven if microwaving Solo (OK to leave it in for combination mode). Can you comment (probably in the other thread) which model Speed Oven you have, if you've left your combi rack in while using high power microwave in Solo mode (the default when you use the Minute+ key) -- and, if so, did you experience any arcing (sparks)? Maybe its just a matter of playing it safe (CYA) on Miele's part, or maybe design changes warrant more caution now when microwaving with metal racks. My apologies for hijacking this somewhat similar thread.

I have followed your plans a bit, and have read through quickly, but have a couple problems with the newest plan. I feel strongly about these things on your behalf, so I hope I don't come off as rude or only negative, because I know you've worked and come a long way here. I really am only trying to help you avoid regrets. 1) The biggest problem is that the refrigerator is completely out of the work area, and through the cleanup zone from the stove and prep areas. The stove, prep sink/prep work, and fridge should form the age-old work triangle. The idea of zones is to share things like the fridge, but not cross through and create traffic problems between workers and things like open dw doors. I've said it before, I think the cook takes priority in having access to the fridge, because he/she often needs something QUICKly, and doesn't have time to traipse through the kitchen and around everyone and everything to add something to what's cooking on the stove. 2) The island size seems, sorry to be blunt, but ridiculous to me. Based on the aisle measurements, it seems to be about 8 ft by 9 ft. This is almost the size of some rooms in our house! How will you clean it? What will you use as a countertop? I love expansive islands, but I am afraid this one will be so big, and not look nice, as Laurameh expressed above. I prefer one-level islands, though, and don't think varying heights would solve the problem here. 3) I hope you're not planning to hem in your cooktop with structures that divide the counter? There are ways to achieve the hearth appearance without the towers shown in magazines that come down to the counter and all the way to the front edge. They would block movement, reduce flexibility in your work area, and block the light from the windows. Comments to other discussions that have gone on before: Aisles: I have 4 ft aisles behind my sink and baking areas, but only 3 ft aisle between rangetop and island. It is as Bmore explained...Dishwashers, fridges, and oven doors take room and people need to get safely around them...Maybe even work on the opposite counter. But in the cooking area, I want to prep, turn to the stove, turn back to retrieve prepped items, etc. I don't want to run back and forth, just turn. Also, the tighter aisle, hopefully, discourages traffic from going through and routes them to the wider ones. As a matter of fact, I've shown a photo of our 36" aisle before, because it's much roomier than I expected, and 2 cooks, or cooks and our 2 dogs fit there pretty well! :-) 30" counter between 2 tall elements: I think you've moved past that, but just in case...I could agree with Bmore's and Lisa's comments about the hazard of that becoming a junk area only and not having room to work, in some cases. However, if the area has a specific purpose, it can work great. We have a 30" counter between a wall and a fridge. It is our 'breakfast/snack center.' We have our toaster oven there and keep things like cereals, crackers, chips, and bread in the cabinets there. I could also see such a spot as a place for the coffee maker and supplies, etc. If it has a purpose, a limited area like that can serve you well.

I love it when you guys start to talk "big picture" like this! Lavender_lass - the current layout (with the dining room and the additional table in the family room is simply a function of the fact that I have all this extra furniture. I definitely want to consolidate eating spaces as part of this. I have thought about swapping the kitchen and dining room and giving a straight shot to the back of the house, but a few things are giving me pause. First off, if I leave the current DR/LR archway intact (that would now become the KIT/LR archway), you see all my kitchen nonsense from the front door, which I don't want. Secondly, if I close off that archway and instead put a hallway across from the front door into the back room, well, I lose the archway (not even sure if it is original, but it is kind of cool looking) and I start to wonder if I'm changing the "style" of the house too much. It's probably a silly thing to worry about, but I like to think my house has a little bit of charm in a cookie cutter sort of way. When people first come in to my house, they are always shocked at how large it feels and I worry that erecting a wall between the DR and LR will kind of kill that. BUT, at this point, i'm not discounting ANY idea, so I'm filing yours away for future pondering =D Jillius, thank you again! I'm definitely considering something like this... I especially like the alotment for cookbook storage -- something I haven't really accounted for in the current design! Benjesbride, we have 2 bathrooms, one on the main floor and one in the basement. BUT, I have grand dreams (lol!) of adding an ensuite. At one point, I was thinking of shrinking the MBR to roughly 10x12 -- yikes!) and cramming in a 3/4 bath (4.5' x 7') and pitifully small WIC, but my current thinking is to relocate the stairs to the side wall of the formal Living Room (it works nicely with the basement below -- dumping out right into the main TV watching area) and reclaim the old stair space as a roomier bathroom/closet for the MBR. Granted, I have NO IDEA what is involved with moving stairs like that, so for now, it's just a dream, lol. You make an excellent point, though, about planning ahead on bringing the utilities over to that area with a future bathroom in mind. Duly noted! Very insightful, Texasgal! I've often thought that the living room is a big blob of unused space, but it does make a nice entrance statement for visitors. Currently it houses some antiques (courtesy of my parents' downsizing). I'm not ready to abandon the "formal living room" concept, but I am thinking of shrinking it, and possibly relocating the stairs to the side wall (see my comments up above) to shrink the space and give it a bit more function. PLUS, the idea of having some sort of open stair railing in this area makes me swoon (can we say HOLIDAY GARLAND?) lol! I do like the idea of the breakfast bar, pantry, etc for the dining room, but the caveat is that it has to be pleasing to look at, as that area has prime visibility to the front door (at one point, I thought of stashing the fridge over there, but I just couldn't get past seeing it when you first enter the house. But then, where to put the dining table? A few times a year, we host family, so while the dining space doesn't have to be FORMAL, it still has to have a presence. I'd like 1 perpetual dining space for 6 post-remodel, with the ability to overtake other areas with tables and whatnot as circumstances dictate. I think i'm going to play around to see if I can visualize some of these awesome ideas you all are putting forth. To summarize what I'll be working with: Keep some sort of formal living room to greet guests (affectionately call it a Parlor or something, lol), but explore shrinking it a wee bit, play around with expanding the kitchen into the current dining space somehow and see if I can get over my reluctance to kill the LR/DR archway, and figure out where we want to spend our time chowing down. As always, you guys rock, thanks SO MUCH!

My worry is that if one component breaks, we have to replace the whole thing Why would you have to replace the whole thing? I guess we live in such a throwaway society at this point nobody considers repairing things anymore. However, one component failing earlier is a risk to take into consideration. I went with a KitchenAid convection microwave/wall oven combo and it's worked fine for 8 years, so I can't say I regret the decision. Speed ovens seem finicky to me, and I'm not sure we really need it There are no true speed oven/wall oven combo units. That KitchenAid does not have a speed oven on top, it's just a convection microwave. The closest you'll get is the GE Profile Advantium/wall oven combo, and I'm not a fan of that because the Advantium part is only 120V, which takes longer and gives lesser quality results than the 240V Advantium. I think the best option for you is to get a speed oven or a steam oven with a separate single oven below. That way if one component fails you don't have to replace both. You will need to redo the electrical though.