Hi gayled-- I think you'll get a lot more help if you can imbed your floorplan rather than link it. If you go into your photobucket ALBUM (not in the enlarged individual photo)and "hover" over the floorplan photo you should see a small menu underneath. click on HTML and it will copy the address, then you can cut and paste it here. Here is a link that might be useful: how to imbed photos... scroll to Photobucket.

We are working with very similar issues/designs, so I feel your pain! The EIK depends...it's something I am struggling with. My realtor said I needed to keep it. But it makes my work area so small and not useful. So I am opening to the DR and having a breakfast bar. I'm hoping the open space and functional kitchen will be what people see and not the fact they can't stick a kitchen table there. Besides, the counter gives a space to eat breakfast/lunch, do homework, socialize with guests - all things a table can do. But it took me a loooooong time to decide to go this direction. I would say you need to keep seating at the bar to make up for the lost EIK. I like the KM design. I think I'd switch the fridge and the oven (do it as shown in the architect's rendition) - you aren't gong to be able to open the right fridge door all the way where it is. I'd also loose the island. You don't really have the space to support it - th aisles will be very narrow and it's so small, it's not going to be that helpful. That can save you money and you can add one at another time. There are tons of nice work table/islands you can purchase - it doesn't need to match the cabs. This was also something I struggled with b/c I felt the space was a little too open without it, but everyone here convinced me to leave it out and if I find I do want something there, go for the work table. To save money you can also do furniture/particle board cabs - most everyone here agrees it's a great way to save about 15% on cabinets! Also, GW is the land of drawers! Ditch the cabs with rollouts and go for drawers. Easier to pullout one thing than to open doors and then pull out. Though probably won't save much $$ b/c I was told cabs with rollouts are about the same cost wise as all drawer bases. The architect drawing - did he give you a price? His plan is very similar to the KM plan and you could just ask him to do furniture legs on the end for the dog bowls - every line carries something like that. He might be able to get you a better deal on another line (or he might not!) Good luck! I am at the same point as you right now so I know how frustrating it is! I go back to my KD tomorrow to make some tweaks and see if I'm ready to take the plunge!

Hi OP! I got your email and have to be brief since I'm just taking a mental break from packing for our move tomorrow. I saw your sketch, and you are right, we have simlar kitchens. I'm afraid I can't offer much help. My architect also wanted my rangetop on the same wall yours is on, and he wanted the hood to go all the way up to the ceiling. I didn't like that it would be off-center to my peak, so I had them move it to my window wall and we put windows on each side of the hood on that wall with everything centered. Having the vent on the window wall presented several challenges. Since I had a remote blower for my rooftop, and wanted it on the back of the house (windows face front of house), moving my rangetop meant 3 elbows and a much longer duct run. This meant I needed to get a much higher powered blower (I ended up with 1200 units of whatever they the airflow in.) The height of my kitchen was also a tricky issue (original height pre-lofting was 8') I dont' live there yet, so am not sure if the hood is venting well enough or not, but it holds a piece of paper tightly when on high, so I'm optimistic that it will be sufficient! Back to your sketch, I'm afraid I have to agree with you that I don't care for it stopping short of the ceiling with a custom wood hood. But I also wouldn't like the look of it going all the way up unless it were centered (it looks slightly to the right in the sketch; is that correct?) Of the suggestions above, I think I like the idea of having the venting pipe exposed. Maybe consider leaving your hood SS (or copper or whatever; it could really be very beautiful, although I admit a different look than the built-in white kitchen I have and that you like!) Best wishes to you! Feel free to email if you have any other questions I might actually be able to be helpful with - I'll try to get back within a reasonable time, but again we are moving tomorrow! <:o>PS. If I knew what I know now back in the planning stage, I wouldn't have done inset cabinets. I know a great cabinet maker who makes beaded inset LOOK cabinets that are actually overlay. It's not necessarily cheaper to do, but I wouldn't be having the sticking of doors due to the high humidity levels in my house (AC only recently went fully operational and the construction guys are incapable of keeping doors and windows closed!). Email me if you are in NJ and I'll give you his contact info. He did all my bath vanities and more, and I wish I used him for my kitchen!

Is the window over the sink also existing? Because I was thinking that it would be nice to get the stove on the same wall as the sink. It would be better to have the prep area between them, and easier to vent the hood on an exterior wall. Then the microwave could go on a shelf next to the fridge. That area could be snack central for the kids, and maybe a baking area. That would also give you more options for making the island a bit smaller, without a MW drawer. I hesitate to say this because I love my island (work table really), which is 3x5 with seating on one side, with 36" of aisle space. But that side is not up against a wall, which means that there is ample room for shoulders. In your plan, shoulders will be brushing the wall. Any time some one is seated, traffic will have to pass through your work zones. Although I'd love for you to have that wonderful island with seating, I'm starting to see that there probably isn't room for it. Since you have a chance to play with ideas today, consider leaving out the island, but using a smaller rolling cart, instead. I think you could shorten the wide door on the FP side, then wrap cabinets around that corner, over to the broom closet. Since you'll have a nice wide opening on the DR side, the broom closet could be made wider and deeper (the depth of the new cabinets) for more storage. All that storage would make up for losing the cabinets that were planned for the island. You could make some of the cabinets look like the china hutch posted above, with shallower cabinets on each side. The rolling cart could be incorporated into the design, to be out of the way when not in use. It could be a lovely feature to make up for losing the island. Maybe someone with better computer and design skills can elaborate on these ideas. Good luck!