Move the fridge closer to the table (so when facing the fridge it's on the right side almost opposite the peninsula) and have the open space visually more to the center of the peninsula area. I have to run now, but if i have a chance can show you.

Also I'd make the cabinet to the left of the sink go down to the counter and make the inside and side that faces the dining room glass. It would be a great place for dishes and pretties.

The peninsula is so much better. The statement about the kitchen "breathing" is a perfect one. I think I am having hard time with the stair stepping of the cabinet ends in the original layout. The "g" shaped layout gives that secondary prep area for the kids to get a snack a great place on it's own, and gives you room to move in the kitchen as well as defining a zone. It also gives you a place to stand where you are not in the traffic path to that door at the top of your drawings. I just think about someone coming through that area and you are standing there and you have to go AROUND the island to get out of the way. I think your kitchen will be a busy place - with your family growing and changing - and having that "middle" will be important to not feel trapped.

Also - I think that seating at the peninsula is important - but that may be me projecting. But would it be cool if the kiddos could hang out there and "be" there? I enjoy that and the peninsula can at least accomplish that function.

I like the idea of shelving vs cabinets if done correctly. You have plenty of space for this option.

Comment about Command Center cabinet. I had one of these set up just as illustrated, cabinet resting on counter. What I found was I really needed that counter space to write on or stack things. Having the full length double doors was a PIA. I didn't make a lot of mistakes, but this was one of them. It made the command center area unusable.

I like the idea of the microwave either hanging from the cabinet or resting on the counter. I've got an under counter microwave right now and it's a pain to see the controls.

Have you considered getting rid of the nook area and instead making it straight across? Then you'd have room for seating at the peninsula.

Thank you homechef59! That's exactly the kind of real-life advice that I need! So, I was thinking I would make that full length door just like on the opposite side, with a hinged appliance garage type door. Similar to this, except the cabinet will be taller. I'd like my upper cabinets to be off the countertop by about 20" to allow taller things to fit and also because I just like the way it looks. (Though this does seem counter-intuitive since I am short lol But as I mentioned, my intention is to store as little as possible in the upper cabinets. And frankly, even with standard distance off countertop, I can really only reach the first shelf anyway haha).

So, if I do doors that slide back in, then I'm thinking I could write on things there at the counter. Do you think that would help in the scenario you describe?

Picture this with the cabinet that's on the countertop being more like 20" tall.

Behind there I'd have something like this, but narrower.

What's Behind Door #1? An Office! · More Info

cpartist - oh the nook. The nook. In my youth I thought nooks were so cute. Now I just find this one to be slightly awkward to deal with. So yeah, I wouldn't mind eliminating the nook, but how on earth would we do that?? The upstairs has a matching nook. It would require extensive $$ change to the exterior of the house, replacing windows, siding, etc. So, yeah, I think the nook is here to stay :D

Any of the options you show in the above pictures would work with your Command Center. But, if you have frameless cabinets, you may run into a problem. You have to make sure that the bottom of the cabinet box doesn't span entirely across the countertop. In your picture, it doesn't. The reason is the bottom of the cabinet will keep you from having a smooth counter top surface. You won't be able to write on it due to the lip of the cabinet resting on the counter. If you insist on having a full length cabinet, be sure the doors recess rather than just open. I used mirror in that cabinet rather than glass. It reflected the light, yet hid my mess.

Ok, so regarding seating at the peninsula, you guys tell me. Currently we have this oblong table in the nook (it expands into this or can be small round). We bought two matching white chairs because the intention is/was to build a bench following the angles of the window to fit 3 people. But we usually have 3 of our dark chairs at the table because we don't eat in the dining room, BUT the only reason we don't eat in the dining room is because it has carpet. Dining room + carpet + kids .... doesn't really work! We are replacing the carpet with hardwood floors, so eventually (aka, when the remodel is done) we WILL eat meals in the dining room. Though I'm sure we'll still eat breakfast and snacks in the kitchen at the little table (or if there's a peninsula, maybe there.) So now you have the backstory.

Typically looks like this (with 2 more chairs usually)

With peninsula seating, it could look like this (maybe with bench along the windows, with or without the two chairs, the two chairs could even be at the back instead of a bench)

It also crossed my mind to just put a bench along that back wall and no table or...something? IF we had seating in the kitchen. But we'd need at least seating for 3. If all 5 of us need to sit for a meal at the same time, we can do that in the dining room.

Ok, now back to sketching out what a peninsula would look like. (Though I'm still leaning heavily toward island, but I want to be ab-so-lute-ly sure!)

how wide is this wall here? Red line.

How wide is the bay opening?

100" across

Sorry . You already provided that. Did you ever put the peninsula in front of the bay? 26 at the side and getting bigger is enough clear floor space for a bar stool.

benjesbride - like this? mama goose came up with this. I’m just reallly not crazy about how this looks (on paper at least). Something about the angles of the nook. If it were a square nook perhaps I could see it and like it better. I can’t even envision it in real life very well. I keep trying and it just won’t compute lol! The only way I could possibly mock it up in real life would be to put my 4x8 table there, but we’d have to take it apart and I think hubs might not like that idea lol! (Especially since it would be taking apart, moving it, and putting back together twice, and it’s heavy duty!)

I attempted to move the fridge down toward where the peninsula would be. The problem is - the cabinetry around the fridge would need to be extended from 24" to 30"+ to make the fridge appear built-in. However, where the existing walk-in pantry is, it cannot be extended forward at all because of the doorway into the dining room. I'll try to show you on a sketch. I think it creates too many depths of cabinetry. It would also require that I shorten the peninsula to provide the necessary clearance.

Here's the peninsula with the same fridge wall layout as above in the island design. (Just pretend the fridge wall is drawn in as in the island layout lol) And I stuck it in ikea planner. (the peninsula would actually be wider than this, but I didn't want to hassle with trying to make it closer by doubling up base cabs. So just pretend like it's wider!) I had to give up my knife/cutting board cabinet, shrink the trash cabinet to the smallest possible option, and push the sink and dishwasher down toward the cooktop wall (which also means the sink isn't even close to being centered under the window) in order to make the peninsula top large enough for an overhang for seating. All in all, I don't think I'm thrilled with it.

There are certainly aspects of it that I like better, but I feel it would be so much more awkward at the dishwasher. I would give up the upper cabinet for glasses because I would want that headspace open. And I'd be giving up some cabinet valuable lower cabinet space. I DO like the idea of a space the kids can gather actually AT the countertop, which is something I can't have with an island. And obviously it's more open for foot traffic. But overall, I still think I prefer the island. Though I have to admit it looks really nice in the ikea rendering. I just don't know if I can get over the awkwardness of the dishwasher, which would block 1-2 cabinets and the loss of some of the storage space. And I feel like the fridge wall that extends beyond the peninsula (where I'd be putting my microwave and toasters) doesn't belong because the peninsula seems to be the "end" of the kitchen.

And just to be sure... you don't want to just move the kitchen to the dining room?

:-)

I'm sorry! Curse these doggone structural bay windows. They are seriously the worst to work with.

Yes, honestly they are!! Maybe I could get some 6" tall cushions and then we could simply use the same chairs at table without the cushion or at counter with the cushion lol.
I'm really not sure what direction I'll go. If I ask my husband he'll say "you already decided, go with island." But he also prefers an island...feels like peninsula feels dated. Sigh. But seeing all that open floor space, it is tempting.

I get what you're saying about open floor space. Did you ever try a "dogleg" peninsula angled parallel to the angle in the bay?

For lack of any drawing skills...

Is that called a dogleg? I don't know. I may have just made that up. Yikes.

You're right. And most people won't see a bay window and run the other way. The general public still might find them charming..

In regard to resale, seriously, everybody wants a stinkin' island. They will squeeze them in anywhere!

When I looked for the photo of my drawing of the kitchen in the dining room I saw one of your very first hand drawings with the island plan. it's really what you want. I think you should do the island. Serious.

I think you might need power in your island, but if not... here's a cool idea I pinned yesterday that would allow you an island and a "peninsula." An island on casters. I thought this kitchen was beautiful:

I love demo! Yahoo!!!!!

Hiring a GC was one of the most luxurious things we've ever done and worth every penny. It was also a fantastic investment in our marital health.

I hope it all goes totally smoothly for you, M.

This is an important question worthy of a new thread. I'd like to read what others-- especially the good pros-- have to say.

I'm still hemming and hawing over these darn upper cabinets! I think I could get by with storing glasses in a drawer. And I could probably do the same with the coffee/tea/smoothie supplies and mugs. But our meds/supplements that I typically store on the cooktop wall, really do need to be in an upper cabinet out of reach.

I really like the open and airy look and feel of no upper cabinets, and yet all of the above comments (easy access to dishwasher for unloading...though this could be solved if I put the glasses in a drawer in the island, for example, dusting! and just the idea of having excess storage space is nice.)

Should I give more consideration to this idea?? (with better art, naturally lol, or a simple shelf)? Then I'd have my storage space for coffee/tea/supplements, and I could just put the water glasses and jars in a drawer in the island or even at the bottom of the drawer bank to left of dishwasher - though that seems really weird to have glasses all the way at the floor.

And totally different topic, but isn't this a pretty bench option? I like how they have chairs all around the table, but then the bench at the back for lounging. It could work in my space I think.

Southampton · More Info

If what you like is a one-wall kitchen with an island, that is possible. You'd have a super long island that is 3' deep and way roomier walkways (4') around the island.

If you did that, I'd just make the nook a straight windowseat. Like this:

The island has legs on one end for seating like this:

The bay window provides extra space needed to walk comfortably behind the island seating.

I'd add another doorway into the dining room, since that is now your primary eating area. You want non-cooking traffic to be able to get back and forth without entering your kitchen work zones. And I think you'll generally like the greater visibility and circular flow between rooms.

If you orient the island drawer stack closest to the dining room so it opens toward the dining room, you'll be able to unload the dishwasher directly into that. And glasses can go in the pantry, which is just a step or two further.

The pantry is floor-to-ceiling cabinets and around 12" deep. That's great pantry storage - stores a ton, and it's easy to see everything with nothing lost in the back.

Note that the downsides are:

- You lost a hallway closet and deepened the other hallway closet in order to elongate the one-wall part of the kitchen. You wouldn't have to do this if you lose the wall ovens, but I assume you don't want that.

- It's going to be complicated to vent the range hood.

- You'll need to get a fridge with one door and drawer freezer so they don't bang the open dishwasher. Or make peace with not opening the fridge and dishwasher at the same time.

Ahhh! I'm holding up the project at this point because I just can't finalize these details. And I'm even back to looking at the peninsula idea. @benjesbride help me remember why I said no?? It does reduce my storage space. And it makes the uppers to the left of the DW much harder to access from the front. I have no room to add an overhang for seating at the peninsula because of the nook (that darn nook! curse you bay window!) But I need to put this idea to rest for good. I saw this and it kind of inspired me though.

House on Pine Ridge · More Info

Final stab at it. I still like an island.... there's just something about having space in the middle of the floor with nothing in front of me or above my head. Final thoughts??

In case anyone is wondering, I did go with uppers and I'm glad I did. We are minimalist enough that I could have gotten away with none on the window wall, but it is convenient to have the glasses right next to the dishwasher. So thanks again for the input! My finished photos https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5774070/kitchen-is-finally-99-lol-done