Wow I am having a hard time with some of these answers. The feedback is wonderful, but the harsh rants about my putting form over function and the garbage comment feel very uncalled for. LWO, you apparently did not even read my posts correctly and missed the fact that I am moving my kitchen OUT of my entry. If you are going to criticize, which is, after all, what I asked for, please realize that you know nothing about me and ask before you rip apart motivations you do not understand. I have no romantic notions about ranges in islands. I have lived in houses with wall ranges and island ranges, with young children, and know that for MY lifestyle, an island range would be ideal. This is based on PRACTICAL considerations and experience, not TV or magazine imagery. Yes, I will have a 30" x 42" hood with a 1200 cfm blower. Regardless of percentages of prep vs. cooking, this is what works for me and is a key element of my design. I have no issues explaining why this is, as you all have valid points as to the drawbacks. LWO, you may have good considerations, but the way you worded them was very hostile and uncalled for. We have different opinions and habits and I expect mine to be treated respectfully too. Buehl, thank you so much for your thoughtful post. I would love to see a sketch if you have time! I see the point abut the space between sink and stove. Maybe I could put a small prep sink in the island like you suggested? I like that idea a lot. Maybe we could fit my main sink under the left window - do they make corner sinks? - and center my fridge between the windows. Or leave it to the left but put in cabs next to it, and then a stacked TO/MW? I am not sure that I have room to push that countertop further into the mudroom. As I planned it, the stacked W/D will be against the back wall, and I can't shove it directly again the mudroom sink as I need some cabinet space to store laundry detergent and cleaning supplies. That hampers me a little in the kitchen area. If I put my kitchen sink under the left window, could I put it right against the counter corner, or would that make it very uncomfortable to work at? Shannonplus2, I do understand that island cooking is not like on TV. But as it is, I cook on my island and look out to check on the kids frequently. The problem is that I have to step away from the stove to do this, since the kitchen right now is in that entry room! It's funny but most of the ideas you all have suggested, mirror my current kitchen layout which is a galley design as Lisa_a sketched above. This remodels coming about more because I need a mudroom and laundry room, plus all the kitchen cabs and appliances are dying or dead, and I don't really care for large rectangular islands, for some reason the L shaped ones work better for me (my mom has the big rectangle and it is too big a stretch across for a shorty like me, but so long that it's not as cozy to work together in the kitchen). So, I am trying to keep what I...

I think we have decided to keep the knee wall. I don't think the extra 6" in counter depth above the dishwasher is worth it. I have been really worried how that was going to look being so open like that. Especially given that we are going with the Blanco Culina Semi-professional faucet which is almost 2 feet tall. Now to decide what to do for the backsplash area on that knee wall. Do we carry the quartz up and over or use two rows of subway tile between the counter and ledge (will be quartz).

I don't really see the advantage of the peninsula in the double L from the original post. I think the traffic flow would be much improved (especially around the refrigerator and range) without it. You could also move the sink closer to the nook, which would help the traffic flow to the DR (especially with the DW open). You'd lose a bit of storage, but corner cabinets are not ideal (were you thinking a lazy susan/super susan, or did you think you would access that cab from the other side of the peninsula?) The ideas put forth by Mama Goose and RL are great, but I wanted to throw out a less ambitious (i.e. cheaper) suggestion.

Not a pro - there are others here that are way better at kitchen design, but I think making your kitchen L shaped would be the best way to go. (Looking @ option 1, which I think is the better of the two). I see that you have a support beam which is why you have some odd walls. I think you can just incorporate that support into the leg of your L. You have a lot of counter space, but you're using it double duty now (your island is huge but it serves as both your wash space and your prep space). You could easily arrange it so you separate all of your work zones. I would eliminate the door into the office and the dry bar. Move the door to the pantry to be behind the kitchen wall. You can make the pantry really big (full width of the kitchen) or add a closet/bar in the office. Add landing space next to your fridge and wall ovens. I can't tell if you have a cooktop or range, but if you have a cooktop, consider making it a range and only having one oven (maybe under counter) to provide more counter space. If you go with L shaped, you could move your wash sink to the corner (obviously requires plumbing which maybe isn't possible) and do a prep sink on the island instead of a wash sink (off centered is best). That would give you a separate prep zone and wash zone. If adding a sink isn't an option, consider off-centering your wash sink so you have a little more counter on one side of it in case dishes tend to pile up at the sink (as they do at my house).