Message Center: It would work much better if it were in the bottom left corner of the kitchen...where everyone is coming/going. Keys, mail, etc. would get dropped there rather than making the trip through the kitchen...where the mail will probably be dropped on the island or cooktop counter since they're the first flat surfaces encountered! Refrigerator: It would work much better in the original location where it's easily accessible from the Kitchen, Breakfast Room, & Great Room. Pantry: This one is a matter of preference...would you rather have it better for putting groceries away or getting snacks? Either location will work for the Kitchen access, but for groceries it would be better located at the "bottom" of the kitchen and for snacks the "top" of the kitchen. Dishwasher: You don't appear to have enough room to stand at the sink if the DW is open. I know you're all for form over function...but I don't think you want to spend the next 10 years in a poorly functional kitchen. I strongly encourage you to rethink several things. Not the least of which is the location of the DW vs Trash. I also have to agree with RHome410, I think the general traffic patterns through the house serve more to segregate people and to make it difficult to get from one place to the other. To get anywhere easily, you almost have to go through the kitchen...which can be a problem with safety when cooking. With all the entertaining you do and guests all the time, you need to have a way to direct traffic away from your primary cooking and, IMHO, prepping zones. BTW...when I meant having the entrances on the same side, I meant something like this. Or this... Double Ovens: You need approx 4' of wall space for a 33" corner oven cabinet. That's 4' from the corner. I think your cabinet guy is correct, you don't have the room b/c of the cooktop location....well, it might fit, but you won't have much room b/w the ovens & cooktop.

I missed this, too! This is a beautiful kitchen! Warm and elegant, yet so functional! My layout is similar, except our stove will be on the other side of the sink/"L". The niche behind your stove is perfect... makes me want to do the same! I'm also doing an appliance garage (on the other end of the counter)... love the look of yours. I like how you went dark on the hardware, instead of chrome/nickel/stainless. And that pantry!! Everything looks perfect and I'm sure you will enjoy many, many years of happy cooking and entertaining in this space! Congratulations!!

I agree with Kathryn P above, your isles look narrow. Especially the fridge side. What are the dimensions of your kitchen? Judging from your cabs, (I assume your sink cab is 36"?) the fridge aisle appears to be no more than 30" wide. That is way too narrow. Maybe it's just me, but all those wall cabinets make your space feel a bit claustrophobic to me. Will you really need that many cabinets? I would leave out some of the uppers, I think that would really open up your space. Maybe you could give the window and your hood some breathing room and remove the closest wall cabinets. If this was my kitchen, I'd remove all the uppers between the sink and stove. Ha, come to think of it, your layout is almost the same as mine. But apart from the one long horizontal upper, I don't have any wall cabinets: Since I took this screenshot of my plan, I moved the island closer to the stove side, so now my fridge aisle is 46" and the stove aisle is 44".

Hi Michelle, This thread has had no action in two years; it is unlikely you will get an answer this way. Although only two days old, your comment is already 5 pages back, because there is so much posting here. The best thing is to begin a new thread asking about the size you are considering. Be sure to give more details, the size and layout of the kitchen, etc. so the good people who answer will already have that info and be able to answer more quickly and accurately instead of having to ask you (which will add to the time for you to get answers) or say 'it depends; give us more information.' The other reason to begin a new thread is that the current one asks about the size of the island lights. I think you are asking about the practicality of the size of island itself you are considering. Anyone searching for a thread on your topic would not find it easily because it is a different topic than the original one. A new thread would allow you to get answers tailored to your question and situation. That would be most helpful for you when trying to make decisions. It would also help others who want to know! I hope that makes some sense.