Bottom line: You will need 25.5" for each wall cabinet run (24" cabinet + 1.5" counter overhang)...since you already have the appliances (including DOs) you're locked in to that depth on both sides if you put them in the approx locations in your original layout. You need a minimum of 36", preferably 42" for each aisle b/w counters...whether b/w wall runs or island & wall run. For a galley (i.e., no island), you really should have a 48" aisle since all the traffic + kitchen work will happen in one space. So... No island, the minimum width of the kitchen should be: .....Minimum aisle and no traffic: 25.5" + 36" + 25.5" = 87" (7'3") .....For ideal aisle of 48" or Traffic b/w island & one run of cabinets: + 12" = 99" (8'3") Island w/24" cabinet only (no seating): .....Minimum aisle and no traffic: 25.5" + 36" + 28" + 36" + 25.5" = 151" (12'7") .....For one ideal aisle of 42" or Traffic b/w island & one run of cabinets: + 6" = 157" (13'1") .....For two ideal aisles of 42" or Traffic b/w island & one or two runs of cabinets: + 6" + 6" = 163" (13'7") Island w/18" cabinet only (no seating): .....Minimum aisle and no traffic: 25.5" + 36" + 22" + 36" + 25.5" = 145" (12'1") .....For one ideal aisle of 42" or Traffic b/w island & one run of cabinets: + 6"" = 151" (12'7") .....For two ideal aisles of 42" or Traffic b/w island & one or two runs of cabinets: + 6" + 6" = 157" (13'1") Island w/24" cabinet, seating on one side, & minimum aisle (36" b/w non-seating side of island and other wall): .....With run of cabinets behind the seats and no traffic or counter behind seats: 25.5" + 36" + 40.5" + 48" + 25.5" = 175.5" (14'7.5") .....With run of cabinets behind the seats and either traffic or counter behind the seats (but not both): 25.5" + 36" + 40.5" + 54" + 25.5" = 181.5" (15'1.5") .....With run of cabinet behind the seats and traffic and counter behind the seats: 25.5" + 36" + 40.5" + 60" + 25.5" = 187.5" (15'7.5") .....With ideal aisles: 25.5" + 42" + 40.5" + 60" + 25.5" = 193.5" (16'1.5") If you have only one wall run of cabinets, you can subtract about 2' off each of the above measurements... Now, some questions... (1) Where does the door lead that's to the left of the range? Is it used a lot? (2) The door on the long wall w/the oven cabinets...does it lead to the DR? Is the DR used a lot? (3) The open area at the opposite end of the kitchen from the range....is that the Den/Family Room? When everyone was working on my kitchen, a comment was made that a kitchen that's 11' or 12' wide is more difficult to work with than one that's 9' or 14' wide. The 11' or 12' wide kitchen it too narrow for an island and too wide for the traditional Galley w/a 4' aisle b/w the cabinet runs. So far, no one has disproved this... whew! A lot of #s!!!

We had Seagull xenon lights in last house. This time we are going with Maxim Starstrand. They are LED lights on a tape. Pretty flat, stay cool. Today's LEDs are much warmer in color than when we did the last kitchen. I did not want a blue glow under the cabinets or in them. They are pretty close in price these days to the Seagull too. The tape lights are coming down in price all the time. Here is a link that might be useful: Maxim Starstrand

Do you have any photos of the project you did using base cabinets on the walls? We'd really like to see what it looks like. Thanks so much for your suggestions for how to make it work. Also, thank you to tatts (above comment) for your suggestion of "trying it out" with boxes. I. don't think finishing the cabinet undersides would be a problem--a strip of laminate or even painted wood should do the trick. We did think about putting lights into the overhang; it would probably make it look better. As to what they need to store in the deeper cabinets, they have a small apartment in which every inch of space is needed, and they need whatever storage space they can get for all manner of things, not necessarily even kitchen related (ie: bins with tools, boxes of supplies for the day care my daughter in law runs, Costco sized packs of paper towels, etc). There's no end to what people need storage space for! Since they have high ceilings (9' or 9.5'), building "up" seems to offer a solution. Thank you all for taking time to write!

how many cleaning bottles/etc do you have . I would do a 15 in shelf installed with brackets into studs. then find plastic totes w finger grips or a lip so easy to handle in sm-med sizes and pull the tote down off the shelf when you must go digging for whatever you need to store. Usually the detergent and softener would be the main thing you are getting and you could just reach and grab them out of the tote while tote stays on shelf. Easier. Cheaper. safer. If you are storing a lot of other household things...get something from Rubbermaid or similar from a big box store.....a cabinet w shelves behind doors or shelving that rests on floor...and find floor space.