First...with this new design you will have a lot of counterspace...so I think you can easily give up 30" for a tall oven cabinet for either a double oven setup or a MW + single wall oven. Second, lower island counters...be sure you have enough room under a lower counter for the plumbing for a sink...check with a professional on this. IIRC, there are minimum lengths for some pipes...but I'm definitely not an expert! Also, be sure you have a deep enough overhang for comfortable seating. The NKBA recommendations for seating overhang are a minimum of: 18" for table-height seating (30" high) 15" for counter-height seating (36" high) 12" for bar-height seating (42" high) If your island will be lower than 36", then I recommend an overhang of 15" to 18"...the lower the counter, the larger the overhang. Pantry cabinet...if you have a good sized walk-in pantry, then I would not get a tall pantry cabinet. They aren't the most efficient storage for pantry items b/c they're so deep. Even with roll out tray shelves things can get lost. Think about a 24" x 24" raised surface with things stacked on it...easily seeing and getting to those items in the middle (or even the back) can be iffy. I think the better idea is the tall oven cabinet. If you need to store a few pantry items in the kitchen proper, use a drawer. You might even consider a drawer for storing baking supplies if you bake often enough to take up prime storage real estate for them. Refrigerator...if your refrigerator is a counter-depth or standard-depth, you will need to be sure the doors of your refrigerator extend out past the counters on the side...that is, if you want to be able to open the doors fully! So, you can recess only up to the refrigerator carcass (box). Also, plan for a 36"W x 72"H refrigerator even if you don't have one now. Refrigerators narrower than 36" and shorter than 72" or so are become less and less common. Plan for the future since refrigerators, unfortunately, no longer outlast remodels. You will most likely need a new refrigerator 10 years or so from now, even if you're buying it new now. So, make the recessed area that size as well as build the "surround" for the refrigerator with an alcove that size. If you are not going to have any upper cabinets on the wall with the refrigerator, then consider building in the refrigerator with walls instead of finished end panels. When you have upper cabinets, I think finished end panels look better, but when the refrigerator is "stand alone", I think dry-walled walls look better...they don't make the refrigerator stand out and scream "refrigerator". However, walls are approx 4.5" wide, so you will need 9" of space for those walls. Remember, too, that counters are actually 25.5" deep, not 24"...they extend approx 1.5" past the cabinets so they cover the doors and a little bit more. This is to protect your cabinets & doors from spills...the overhang directs spills past the...

I wish I knew how much of the bigger drawing is new. I can't quite tell about the powder room, laundry, etc. on the real wall, the wet bar - if they are new with the kitchen? Given that, I like layout 2 of buehl's without the seats or with only 4 seats. A somewhat thinner island and the sink moved over from the corner a bit more so people can approach the cleanup sink from both sides. I think the ideal island doesn't exceed about 60 inches of depth. There isn't a lot of difference between that and Sena01 at Thu, Jan 2, 14 at 6:48 except for the position of the refrigerator. Having had that exact position of the ref, tho - right next to an entrance, - I would not do i again. It drove me crazy not to be able to see who was going out or coming in. A crazier layout and just something to think about (doodles are free) is perhaps something a little more old school - sort of along the lines ye old table in the middle of the kitchen. Trades the laundry to the wet bar, the potty to the laundry, runs cabinets on two walls. Almost leaves the lower right hall door where it was. Adds the wet bar to the kitchen, but lets it double as a snack bar or breakfast bar (meaning toast, juice, cereal, milk, microwave) plus an in kitchen place for an undercounter ref. It has more places to prep - the table, barville, both sides of the cleanup sink and the counter by the bigger ref. I think both the ref and the pantry are drawn at about 42" but meant as a 36" ref and a 48" pantry. None of this is measured or precise. There may be other reasons why you might not like it, and those reasons might be plentiful :). But it values togetherness more than absolute efficiency. It puts all the seating together so latecomers aren't excluded. It envisions that family and friends sit down to do some things - peel and chop a lot of veg, squeeze lemons, make meringues, roll out cookies, etc. In that set up, I'd likely get a 2-3" deep board, maybe with short legs, for a little more working space when pressed into standing work, but still at the table... Lastly, I think the best kitchens take at least a couple of months to think through all of the issues and feel comfortable with the solutions you choose. Try not to hurry the process. We all know that feeling of pressure to get started and get it done. Try to ignore it and take as much time as you need.

Thank you, this is all great stuff (including the encouragement). I actually thought he was going to roll his eyes when I first mentioned going with him, but he told me he’s glad I’m coming because “you’re good at this stuff.” :-) I also think it might be nice for him to come “home” to a familiar face after those first few days at work. I’ve already told him, though, if there are after-work social things going on, accept those invites rather than feel like he has to hang out with me! Fun, my family loves Tervis cups! Great idea to get some for him.

We think putting the TV and console on the wall that looks flat would work best. However we would recommend floating at sofa facing the TV so that you can still use the doors behind the sofa. Perhaps something like in the image below might work as a set up for you?