Thank you SO much everyone! It seems most of you are for the CD fridge. We have a small fridge - the kind found in dorm rooms (not tall and skinny but short) which we could also use but there's no practical space to put that in besides the basement. But our kids aren't allowed to drink soda, my husband keeps only a few beers in the fridge at a time, and I keep my diet cokes in room-temp storage so I don't even know what would go in the small fridge. I'm certainly not willing to keep food down there or regular drinks like juice/milk so I really do think we'd be stuck w/ the CD fridge for most of it. I could keep our old fridge in the basement for holiday meals as well as all the drinks we presently keep in room-temp storage, however I was upgrading to an energy-efficient fridge! why would I want to have the new fridge AND the old fridge, considering that?! Going up in 3 cubic feet in size on for the fridge portion (free food), when I picture gigantic dice of a cubic foot each in size, that seems like a decent (not great, but decent) improvement... (I hope)! Here's what I'm too dumb to figure out: if the fresh food portion of a fridge includes the space in the door/doors - regardless of whether it's a 1990 standard fridge or the new french door kinds - how does that translate based on the new layout? In other words my current old fridge has very little door space; it has only one door and its shelves for condiments and butter. The new fridges have space for at least 2 gallons of milk in the door, but less space for condiments and yet still some space for them. So if the milk will no longer be on the main shelves but in the door, does that mean I'll get all that added space on the main shelves + the additional 3 cubic feet of fridge space? Anyway...thanks for helping me figure all this stuff out!

Thanks Aloha -- when I start a new thread I will definitely add that! Have you tested "png" or "gif"? I'll test those as well. [I'm going to start a new soon -- the exising one is around 200 posts and it's getting unwieldy.) Oh, and I think I'll add something about converting PDFs to JPGs for those who only have PDF. Again, thanks -- great addition to the Read Me thread!

So you think 5' is too wide between main sink and stove? I don't want a water dispenser in fridge (too messy with kids, and gonna have custom panel cabinetry on fridge) so where they will be getting the water, the reason for 5'. Yes, it's not optimal for the cook, especially if you’re just accommodating those that want a drink. 48" is perfect. If you increase that aisle you'll need to decrease your island width. Two sinks will be useful with a family of six. I was considering getting a drawer microwave but when I went to the appliance store and played around with it I thought it might be too messy for soups and liquids. My sis has one and liquids are no problem. The consensus here is they are quite nice. i don't believe you'll have a problem with a 5' wide island. Mine measures 5' with the stool and I just reached across 3/4 of it. Mock up the width using your dining table to see what you can reach comfortably. If you have overhang on the two sides you can fit 5 allowing 24" each person. I actually have 4 stools on my long side and two backless stools tucked under my short side for flexibility and when we entertain. It works. My dining table is right next to the island. We prefer island seating and only use the table at holidays. We're all different in our lifestyles. I also have all my baking stuff in a long stretch next to my range and across the island. Everything is right there and I clean as I go. The island will be a great baking zone for you. My 3 yr old grandson scoots a stool around the kitchen pulling up to whatever counter I'm at. He's already a great helper and still likes sweeping up his flour mess. I know that won't last long!

1.32m is almost 52", so the traffic aisle is fine, and 1.1m is almost 44". I would make the island all one level, and if you like the warmth of eating on wood vs. cold stone, then make the whole top wood. All one level will be easier to clean, and when you are prepping, and no one is eating, you will have more space (and vice versa). I also like the plans with counter in the corner. You could use a corner range, which will be easier to vent to the exterior, but will waste some space on each side. The following is a bad drawing, but it represents the general idea. The curve on the island could be clipped to follow the diagonal of the range corner, and corner base shelves, or it could be left to follow the curve of the counter over the small base cabinet on the end of the sink run. Or, that small cabinet could be squared off with a standard base cabinet. Images--corner ranges MUA = make up air--GW discussions Note: The MUA discussions will cite local codes, so, since you are not in the US, your safety codes may differ. Is the range an AGA? :)