A 60" high island seems to defeat the whole point of having open space. It would be nice to see a floor plan of the house because then we would understand why the kitchen has absolutely no walls at all.

Thank you! I have updated as you have suggested. I get your point, if it gets to be 60" it is more like a wide (or deep) pony wall. I could live with that seeing as there would still be 12' of space and light above it. This higher "island" is my idea because my husband, who is the one who wants no exterior wall cabinets and appliances, is tall and he dislikes having to bend. That is not likely to diminish as we age.

What is the x'd area between the kitchen and master bedroom?

It would make more sense to flip the kitchen location with the livingroom putting cookout and wine cellar near the kitchen. What are the features (better view?) that make you want it laid out this way?

Yes it is view. There are woods all around but to the south you get woods followed by pasture all down hill. It's more of a vista. To the north there is an in ground pool with woods, utility building beyond and it's uphill so there is a diminished sight line. The existing house was built in 1980 with 8' ceilings, sound but quite dark with smallish windows. We are in our 50s and less concerned with resale this time. It is on 100 plus acres in Georgia within an hour of Atlanta. I like your idea of flipping them because we cook outdoors year round. The X'd area is open stairway from the lower level. We will surround that with metal rail, cable rail (may be too trendy for me) or glass (same.) The house is built into the side of a hill, the lower level is smaller than the upper and it will have at least one bed/bath, maybe two.

I would flip the rooms, too. The proposed kitchen has the view. Make that the living room. Why wouldn't you enjoy the view from a state of relaxation? I suggest playing with the idea of the three spaces, living, dining and kitchen as if they are chess pieces. Move them around the board and see if there isn't another combination that doesn't limit you.

My guess is you placed the living area in a space where there is an existing fireplace. Consider adding a second fireplace along the wall of windows. Remember, once it's dark, you can't see the view.

I will also gently suggest you rethink the idea of kitchen ventilation from the ceiling or from a downdraft. They are bad solutions to cooktop ventilation because they don't work well. The best solution from an efficiency, effectiveness standpoint is exterior wall ventilation.

Can you flip them? Sometimes foundations or utility locations make such changes impossible. The best thing about flipping them is that you would get wall space! That would give you a real fridge and wall ovens at the right height! You may even have pantry space so the rest of the room could keep a big open quality. And a fantasy kitchen with a fireplace....It sound beautiful! The drawing doesn't say which side is north so if you decide to proceed I'd spell it out and let the design mavens do their thing.

Have you considered a MW drawer? They work great for tall people (I assume you meant your DH is 6', not 6"). Our family ranges in height from 5'10" to 6'7" and a MW drawer has been perfect for us.

• The controls are angled up, so you just have to look down to see/work the controls.
• Opening/closing is easy as well since it opens/closes automatically and softly - a gentle pull starts it opening, a gentle nudge starts it closing.
• Accessing the food is also easy - just reach down to pick up the dish.

I don't think I'd go any higher than 42" for any counter - not only does something taller defeat the purpose, but I think it would look awkward or as a "make do" for an issue. It's still 6" higher than normal counter height and you could easily put wall oven in it and have it higher than an oven in a range. (Thank goodness you're not suggesting installing a wall oven under a 36" counter - doing that put an oven even lower than an oven in a range!)

A 60" (or even 48") tall wall reminds me of cubicle dividers/walls in offices...

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Range hood...I would definitely not do a downdraft, they don't work well overall and an effective hood is going to be crucial with the extensive openness you're planning. A hood hanging from the ceiling will be fine - but, you will need to be sure it's...

• At least 6" wider than the cooking surface
• 27" Deep
• Strong cfms - I recommend at least 900cfms for the fan. The more turns it takes to get the duct to the outside, the greater the cfms you need since turns reduce the effectiveness of the venting.
  -- The hood should definitely be vented to the outside
  -- Be careful that your duct work does not exhaust to a location where people will be sitting.
• Installed properly - which, in most cases, means no more than 30" above the cooking surface. If you want to install it higher, then increase the width of the hood and the fan power.

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Range/Cooktop Island...For the island with the range/cooktop, if there's seating at the island, the seats should be 24" from the back of the range/cooktop. If there are no seats, then you only need 18" to protect passersby from splattering grease, billowing steam, etc.

I thought you might like to look at the specifics of this kitchen. It is *almost* just islands with just enough wall for the refrigerator, ovens, etc...

http://www.houzz.com/projects/553165/open-concept-kitchen-and-living-in-west-chester-pa

Open Concept Kitchen and Living Area · More Info