:) I'll pile on and agree that it's going to be very nice but that you'll really appreciate compacting your actual work areas within all that space. One benefit will be getting the stove out of your dining area and up by your island so you can work between them. It's not what you asked, but since this is going to be your main (most used and most important) dining room, is it everything you want it to be? Is there another view, more sunshine, a cross breeze, wall for art--anything--you would want for it, or are those solid walls intended to edit the outdoors for privacy and view? Regarding what you did ask, I have a landing space next to the fridge on an inside wall opposite an island/L-counter like yours, and I always ignore it to set-pivot to set my stuff on the work island--42" away. Putting a landing area next to the refrigerator is traditional and not a bad idea in any kitchen, often used or not, but it's often not at all necessary. Imagine: You're making stuffed pork chops at the island and need celery and parsley from the fridge. You're standing at the fridge getting them out. Would you set them down next to the fridge, close the door, pick them up again, THEN turn and set them on the island? Go ahead and try it out, but the answer's going to be no. :) BTW, where do you think you will be chopping your parsley? By efficiently by the stove or on the island? When you do your step-back-pivot from the fridge, where are you going? I've been assuming the island, but you have lots of work counter by the stove. One thing about compacting the work area is that it should give stronger purpose to an island that might otherwise mostly serve to direct traffic away from the cooking area. Is there only one entry into the kitchen? If so (especially if so) in your case I'd put the narrow aisle between island and stove and widen the main trafficway. I have 35" counter-to-counter where I prep and love it. It works very well.

I am just finishing my very similar kitchen only each side of my galley is only about 9'. I have 4' between the two sides of my galley. My range side is laid out exactly has you have drawn yours. I like it. My sink side does not have a steamer but I have a counter to ceiling cabinet in the location of your steamer. I used a 36" sink base, even in my small space, for a super single Silgranite sink and I am really glad I did. I would think about expanding your sink base. My dishwasher is to the right of the sink. I prefer it that way being right handed. I like to be able to open it with my right hand and load it with my right hand. I am a little confused about what you have drawn to the right of your 18" to the right of your sink base. I would flip my dishwasher over to that side and add the 36" sink base. I am the queen of removing pocket doors. I removed two (one on each side of the kitchen) in the house I sold this fall and one in the current kitchen with a similar layout to yours. I am not sure I would remove one opening to the foyer but I do love the look of the open space. As I type I am looking from the living room into the kitchen through the area which used to have a pocket door closing down the view.

Let me caution you about under counter ovens - they are lower/closer to the floor than the oven in a range. We briefly considered it in our kitchen - until we saw one installed and saw just how low they really are - the oven door handle barely cleared the floor! We immediately dismissed the idea. If you must, then I would put it in the middle of the island offset from the cooktop, facing the cooktop. It's not a good idea to have an oven open into a potentially busy aisle. You also don't want to risk someone stepping back from the cooktop with a pot of boiling water into an open oven door. The range or cooktop + ovens should be the most protected items in the kitchen - you're dealing with very, very hot pans/food and you don't want to be tripping over people or have someone coming running down the aisle when there's an open oven.

I glanced over all the previous comments and here are a couple of thoughts from someone who co-owns and manages a vacation rental. 1) Agree with Patricia about doing a 24" pullout pantry cabinet. I would put it at the end of the cabinet run farthest from the refrigerator. That's more than enough space for a short-term rental. 2) Agree about the powder room location - glad it's being addressed. 3) Open shelves in a kitchen only look good IF they are kept neat and organized. Short-term renters will NOT keep them neat and tidy and they will look like a colossal mess the majority of the time. Renters have a hard enough time putting dishes in cabinets where they go let alone stacked neatly on a shelf. I don't think having a fridge and a tall pantry cabinet on each end of the front wall will allow for upper cabinets BUT you could use some drawer stacks in the lower cabinets and put the plates, cups, etc. there. We use one of our lower drawers for our plates, bowls, etc. and LOVE having it there. 4) Re: Mantel Mount - we have one and love it. HOWEVER, I will say that unless used carefully pulling down and pushing back up, tv's can be damaged. It happened to one of mine when it got pushed back up a little too hurriedly and the jar from impact made lines on the screen. Plus, you have to be careful about heat from the fireplace when lowered. In a home, you'd be careful of that as we are, but renters will not be. Trust me ;) 5) Which direction will the cabin face? Those windows are nice BUT afternoon glaring sun is not. Be sure to wire the windows for automatic shades. Those windows will not be easy to clean either which could lead to negative reviews on your rental. We were in a cabin in the Smokies last fall and it didn't look like the owners had cleaned their upper windows in a decade. They were nasty. I'm not exactly sure how they could have cleaned them given where the windows were located and the steepness of the bank directly below. They weren't casement windows, either, so they couldn't be rolled out to clean from the inside. I'm in southern KY so I know that fogs can be bad in KY and TN as are bugs in the summer. Those windows will need to be cleaned at least monthly. Please take all this into consideration. Also, definitely consider using black window frames because it will hide the bug debris and spider droppings much better than white.....ask me how I know ;) 6) I definitely agree with splitting those front windows and putting the stove and exhaust hood between them.