I don't have much time to draw out a layout, but I have a few comments.

First of all, I like that you are planning out where to put things in advance - it is an exercise I highly recommend! I think you need to take it further before you order cabinets, since those fine details will determine exactly what type/size cabinets you need. For example, you need to know where the dishes will go! I specified practically everything in my kitchen - and measured, so I knew how much room I needed.

I'm guessing you have a small kitchen now - you're planning to put a lot of things in the pantry that I would want in the kitchen. My U-kitchen is 10' x 11', not much of a pantry - and I have room for pots and pans, appliances, and food in my kitchen.

A few more items on the "where to put it" list: potholders, towels, food storage containers, casserole dishes, cooking utensils, cook books, rolling pins. Will all your food by in the pantry, or do you want room for often-used food in the kitchen?

I incorporated a desk area in my kitchen - no seating, but a place for pens, scissors, envelopes, address books, etc. I also have a tool drawer - my work bench is in the basement, so I like to have a couple of screwdrivers, rubber bands, glue, matches, etc. in the kitchen.

I think the island is the logical place for plates and bowls - near the DW, convenient to the dining room. I don't think it will be in the way of prep on the island - by the time someone is ready to set the table, you have probably moved from the island to the range. Or you could get in the habit of setting the table (or pulling the dishes out of the drawer) before you start to prep. Or you skooch to one side for 20 seconds while someone opens the dish drawer.

I would ditch the tiny upper cab in the corner by the sink. It's too small to be useful, and I think the proportions would be really wonky.

I keep my cutting boards and cookie sheets in a 9" cabinet next to the sink.

You are planning for a lot of things on the counter - toaster, knife block, mixer, blender. One of the goals of my kitchen remodel was to get stuff OFF the counters, so I planned for that. I love having my knives in a drawer by the sink, for example - in your case, do you want a knife block on the island? If not, you're often twisting around to the outer counter to get a knife.

I keep small appliances in a super susan, but I don't have a pantry. You might want to find a space in the kitchen for small appliances you use a lot (and maybe you don't want the toaster on the counter all the time).

I am short as well - I keep a folding stool under the sink. I ordered an extra shelf for each of my upper cabinets, so I can store more things without stacking. I hate wasted space between the top of coffee mugs and the next shelf!

I'd put a trash pull-out on the corner of the island nearer the
clean-up zone, so that it's convenient to all zones, unless you feel you
really need two trash pull-outs. I'd also leave at least 12" between
the clean-up sink and the corner, which would leave space for another
super susan.

This is a simple grid, but since the window positions aren't notated, I don't know if they are accurate. The green lines are drawn where you will need filler.

Click to enlarge.

Have you checked out the Storage FAQ? It discusses coming up with a "storage plan". Once you know what needs to be stored where, you can choose cabinets accordingly.

FAQ -- How do I plan for storage? Types of Storage? What to Store Where?

• http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3638376/faq-how-do-i-plan-for-storage

I would probably want to store some everyday food like cereal and snacks in the kitchen instead of the pantry that's outside the kitchen. Are you planning to devote a few drawers and upper cabinets to food?

Ann(great name by the way. I'm an Ann too) we don't mind having stuff on the counters like knife block, crocks for cooking utensils, toaster, cooking oils etc. We will definitely need some sort of junk drawer. It would be much easier if half my stuff wasn't packed. Im going to have to sit down and think what was in the cabinets in our old house.

mamagoose thank you so much for that plan. I never thought about having the garbage on the end so both clean up and prep can share it. I like it. That leaves me room for dish drawers where I wanted them. I will try and get measurements on the windows. I don't know if there is the ability to have 12 inches of space between cleanup sink and corner. I can probably look at the plans to see how much is there.

Buehl I did read that storage section. I'll have to really sit and think about everything we have. A good amount of kitchen stuff is packed and I really would hate to have to unpack it and then repack it. I can probably think back to my old kitchen as to what we had where.

Mtn mom I may keep some staples in the kitchen. Snacks will probably go in a drawer under the microwave. Snacks usually consist of nuts and cheese crisps. We don't have to worry about cereal because we don't eat it often. I don't even know if we have a box of cereal in the house presently. I think I'd like to keep some canned tomato products, pasta and bread crumbs in the kitchen and other such staples.

Thanks for the help. I'll take a look at everything when I get a chance. We are moving two kids into college over the next few days.

friedajune we did declutter a bunch of stuff before we moved. We sold some stuff at the several garage sales we had. Most of the stuff still packed is stuff that we do use just not often. Stuff that usually has a place in the upper shelves of the cabinets.

You need a Kitchen Designer. Much of what you are talking about is brand specific. It is time to commit to a designer and a brand with a retainer. Then the details can be tweaked as much as you want. And they will actually be order-able. No point in designing something that cannot be physically done in the line that you decide that you want. You design within the constraints of your budget, and the line that your budget dictates. Or you end up with the Dresm Kitchen at 80K worth of cabinets and only a 20K budget to make that happen.

I have some window measurements for the sink wall. From back wall to the window is 24 inches but there is 4 inch trim around window. So there is 20 inches of space for upper cabinet or shelves that would be butt up against window trim. For the uppers on other side of sink from trim to end of cabinet run on plans is 54 inches. Trim plus window is 56 inches(48 inch window and then 4 inch trim on each side).

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding that 20 inch area to right of sink. A cabinet, open shelves or nothing? I don't have a problem with leaving it with nothing I just cant picture how it would look.

Frankly I'm no fan of a U shaped kitchen because two corners are one extra useless corner.

Working off of Mama's excellent plan, I turned it into an L shape.

1. I moved the fridge to the opposite side. The reason I did so is your mudroom and your pantry are on that side. Coming in with groceries would mean lots of steps back and forth to put foodstuff away if your fridge is so far from the pantry.

The same holds true when grabbing food to make a meal. Great exercise but really do you want to walk across your kitchen to get stuff from the pantry and then back again across the kitchen to get stuff from your fridge?

2. I moved the microwave shelf to that side too. I did it since it's closer to the fridge and it's out of the cooking zone.

3. I widened your island.

4. I added a 42" dish drawer facing your dishwasher so it's easy unloading to your dish drawer.

5. I moved the trash drawers to next to the prep sink. You didn't mention if you plan on having a disposal unit in your sink? I have a prep sink and a cleanup sink and put a disposal unit in both. They're not too expensive and I felt it was well worth it.

I'm also planning on putting a small trash can UNDER my clean up sink. Most trash is generated by the prep area, so the trash under the clean up sink is only for the occasional food stuff that can't go down the disposal.

6. Next to your air return, I added narrow shelving. This can be open or closed and is good for storing stuff one can deep, so would be good for stuff you use more frequently like cereals, etc.

One other thing I noticed not related to your kitchen but your pantry/powder room.

You don't want the door to your powder room opening into the powder room because think of how you will need to be a contortionist to try and get around the door to use the toilet. Get a pocket door or have the door swing out.

Additionally I would not angle the corner where the sink is in there as it will feel quite congested as it's a small room already. The space out of the pantry is minimal but will make the powder room feel larger.

You will need to size out your cabinets and specialty items with you kitchen designer... as someone had mentioned they are very brand specific... I don't mind the u-shape layout however I would take the prep sink off the island and move it to the right of the stove by the window ( change the corner cabinet from a lazy susan to a blind LeMans if it is offered ) This way you have a sink on the same run as the stove that is in between the ref and the stove. You don't want to be rinsing veggies and then dripping things across the floor to the stove. It is also super convenient when having to dump a large pot of hot water into a colander. Once you start working with the designer they will layout plans and show you how it will look... it is much more time consuming than you think...

Let us know how you make out! Good luck!

Please no... No blind corners!

I will clarify some things. I appreciate everyone's help and suggestions. The layout of the kitchen is set. We have had a u-shaped kitchen in our old house and it worked very well for us. The cabinets are being made by a custom cabinet maker who my builder uses. I don't think what I want would be considered specialty and not able to be done by the cabinet maker but maybe I am wrong. I want a garbage pull out and a super Susan. 2 sink bases and drawers for lowers, a cabinet to house the fridge with upper cabinet that comes out further then the rest of uppers. I think maybe it's called full depth? I want a microwave shelf with cabinet above and the rest of uppers are just regular cabinets. I don't need pullouts or specialty cabinets.

There will be a disposal in both sinks.

Buehl don't worry there wont be blind corners. There certainly won't be a LeMans. I know some people like them but we have one in our rental and I don't like it.

Mama gooses plan is more of what I had in mind. The only thing that may not work is the super Susan by the sink. I'll have to see what the cabinet guy says. I'm not sure of the spacing there and having the sink centered under the window.

If anyone has ideas for what to do with that space to the right of the sink window let me know. It looks to be about 20 inches of space. Do I put something here or leave it empty?

I'd suggest making the sink bigger. I have a 42" sink and if the kitchen was larger, I'd have a 60" one. The extra space lets you prep much more easily.

Mama gooses plan is more of what I had in mind.

Then I'd go with Mama's excellent layout.

However are you ok with the extra steps with the fridge being so far from the pantry and garage entry? I know the back and forth would drive me nuts.

I do like Jerry's idea to do a bigger sink. Maybe the Kohler Prolific or another one similar.

Or if you have 20" that is the perfect place for a second trash container.

Thank you, cpa, but the layout was the OP's--I just put it on a grid.

vinmarks, I'm not sure how it would look, but since you are going custom, you could make the space above the HVAC return all pantry, since the WI pantry is outside of the kitchen area. You could keep frequently used pantry items there, and above the return it would look like a side loading cabinet, and match the depth of the fridge cab. You could put faux doors on the return area, and watch guests try to open them. ;) Chargers, etc, could be kept on a dedicated pull-out shelf.

I like a U kitchen, too, and I would definitely keep the prep sink on the island, so that you can face the living areas as you prep. If there was no island, Debbi Washburn's suggestion of a prep sink on the perimeter would work.

Even if you don't want to spring for one of the expensive work station sinks, you can create your own by using a positive reveal on a wider sink, and having a cutting board made to fit. When you need the extra counter space, or want to chop items over the sink, insert the cutting board. If you made the corner by the sink a dead corner, you could add 9" to the 18 drawer, for 27", with 3" filler in the corner.

I had calculated that you would have an extra 3" across the range wall for filler beside the corner susans (assuming the walls are perfectly square), but with custom cabinets and corner susans, you don't need filler--just make the cabinets wider. Of course, you need the exact locations and sizes of the windows, to center the range and hood, before deciding on the cabinet widths.

I do design work for a couple of local cabinet makers who can create anything that I design, but don't have the ideas, or the software to create visuals for the customer. Or the skill to explain the possibilities and trade offs of design decisions. Your custom cabinet maker should have a similar relationship with a local designer. Ask him for that referral. You have a good beginning with overall organization of the major elements. Now you need to work with the inches and quarter of an inches to create a buildable design for your cabinet maker to create something special.