I'd like to add my (civil) 2 cents: TexasCatherder has a good question, and there are many right answers here. - Do you "need" a kitchen range vent? Yes, in most jurisdictions using international building code, some kind of kitchen ventilation is required. If you don't want it, don't put it in. But it may haunt you upon inspection at resale of the home. - No, few jurisdictions require a big ole' "range hood" over the range. In my community, it just needs to be some kind of vent that can circulate the right number of CFMs for the space. For example, a friend recently renovated her kitchen; she didn't want a big hood over her range in the island; and according to code, she went with a small wall-vent on the other side of the room on an exterior wall. That's enough for the "needs" of code. - But yes, like many have noted, a range hood does a better job of capturing grease and moisture than a wall vent. I'll bet my friend's lovely white kitchen wall gets a grimy film around that wall vent in a year or so. - Besides grease and water vapor, yes, gas-fueled heat sources produce toxins. It's not enough to kill or annoy most people, but the cumulative effects of the toxins isn't good, and those who are sensitive to allergies may suffer, and it's generally not a good idea to burn stuff (including chicken or toast) without ventilation. - Ventilation is important for indoor air quality and the structural integrity of the home. One thing that we recently became aware of is the need for ventilation just to get rid of moisture. If you have a well-sealed and insulated home, every-day water vapor from cooking, cleaning, bathrooms, laundry, etc. can build up and not escape the house. It can cause condensation inside walls and windows, which can lead to mold, which is a major indoor air quality issue in our part of the country. Additionally, although it doesn't seem logical at first, it can lead to structural problems. Air in a home circulates from colder regions to warmer regions, and the moist air goes with it. There's a photo in a an old-house-renovation book we have that shows rotting roof rafters in an attic: Rotting not from a leaky roof, but because of long-term water standing in a basement and crawl-space! It was three floors away -- how could that be? Air circulation moves the moisture up. - Anyhow, it sounds like our dear OP TexasCatherder got the point that ventilation is important. So maybe we can help her now focus on where to put it? Rather than debating the pros and cons of ventilation, perhaps we could start a new thread to help her with layout? She's going to have a beautiful kitchen, and folks here are great at taking the cook's priorities and giving suggestions for layout to help reach those goals.

prospect711: Thanks for your reply! I had my eye on the Sharp R-820JS, which is the stainless steel sister of your Sharp! (It sounds like an amazing appliance that pretty much does it all!) I just couldn't figure out how to get the size to work. Having a deeper cabinet is a Very interesting idea! I'm going to show this to DH to see if we can somehow swing it with our Ikea cabinetry. Thanks again! (Love your cabinets and beautiful backsplash!) Luv2Laf: Your photo is Exactly what I wanted it to look like! And right next to the fridge seems like such a perfect spot! If only it had convection too - I was really hoping for a little back up oven to cook and reheat small meals. Hmmm... Thanks so much for your reply, gorgeous photo, and the food for thought! colorfast: Okay, so it seems that the microwave/convection combos, unless they are the very wide OTR type, are pretty deep. I'll stop hunting for one that isn't. (No more wild goose chase!) We were planning on having 15" wide cabinets flanking the fridge on either side as a pantry (floor to almost ceiling height), but, maybe we should make one wider set of cabinets instead, where we can put the microwave/convection oven. I love how you have yours next to a counter. That seems to be an ideal setup to me. As for recessing it into the wall, I think we're out of luck, since the wall backs a stairwell leading to the basement as well as the stairs leading upstairs. I'm not sure that we can mess with that. I will share these ideas with DH. Thank you for your reply!

Here are two possible layouts. Your space is tough! However, I think I may have come up with 2 possible layouts, but I do like the one labeled "Tom_G_DC #2" the best. These layouts assume: * You take down the left wall b/w the kitchen & DR and go to w/in 3" of the DR window. * The step can be made narrower...3" on either side of the doorway to the bathroom * Cabinets on right wall go to w/in 3" of the bathroom doorway & flush w/the step * 15" overhang steals another 3" from the DR * In Layout #2, the tall cabinet containing the Convection MW will run up to the step so the toe kick will have to be "raised" to the height of the step * Ditto for the 21" cabinet in Layout #1 (the step was not drawn in, sorry) Other notes: * In both layouts, the MW is in a tall cabinet. This allows you to put it at a good height for you and also provides additional storage space above and below the MW...something your kitchen needs! The MW doesn't have to be built-in, rather an alcove can be created to put the MW in. * The refrigerator has a 3/4" finished end panel on each side. * Ditto for the tall cabinet in Layout #1 * In Layout #2, the tall cabinet only needs a finished panel on the top half of the exposed side. The other side is against the wall and the bottom of the exposed side is against cabinets and countertop. * Peninsula: The countertop will run up to the tall cabinet in Layout #2, incorporating the 3" filler below the counter b/w the tall cabinet and the base cabinet in the peninsula. * Peninsula seating: ...-- In Layout #1, there is seating for 3 as in your original floor plan. The difference is that with this layout the 3rd person is not looking at a cabinet 12" in front of his face ...-- In Layout #2, there's really only space for 2. The "extra" space to the right is too shallow for another seat. You could either run the countertop around there for extra space in the DR (for dishes, narrow ones!) w/a 9" cabinet below or you could put in a 9" deep tall cabinet and not extend the countertop past the tall MW cabinet. Sink: You don't have a lot of work space around the sink. However, there is enough workspace, I think, to provide space for stacking dirty dishes and cleanup. For prep, there is additional work space around the range and directly across from the sink. Every wall is broken up by something...either doorway or window...and you don't have a long enough run on any wall to incorporate the refrigerator + range or refrigerator + sink and still have decent work space. I felt these layouts, especially #2, are a good compromise and provide at least some work space around every appliance. You could move the sink & DW to the peninsula, but I'm not a big fan of that since it not only takes away your only decent expanse of space for prep, baking, etc., but also for homework & other projects. The sink would also be "in the face" of anyone sitting across from the sink. I'd like to see another 9 to 12 inches depth if you do put the sink in the peninsula. However, it's up to you. Trash & Recycle: You mention that you couldn't find space for the trash can or the recycle bin. Rev-A-Shelf makes a double 27-qt trash pullout that fits a 15" face-frame cabinet. In Layout #2, you could put both in either: * the 15" cabinet on the right wall ...OR * If you only need 2" of clearance b/w the refrigerator & window, then the 14" cabinet b/w the refrigerator and sink could be 15" and you could put the trash pullout there. RV-4WCTM-15DM-2 - Top Mount Double Bin Pull-Out Waste Container About that 14" cabinet...if you will have custom cabinets, you should be able to get a 14" cabinet. However, if you are getting stock cabinets (and probably semi-custom), you will probably have to get a 12" cabinet + 2" filler since stock cabinets usually come in set sizes and semi-custom in increments of 3". If you can make it a 15" cabinet, then you'll be OK with almost any cabinet line, I think. Please remember that this is your kitchen and that these are only suggestions. The design of your kitchen is ultimately up to you. So, you can take anything you like and throw out the rest! Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck & welcome to the obsession--TKObsessed! Layout #1 (NOT my favorite) Layout #2...my personal favorite

I have mine in my pantry, although unlike the other "MW-in-pantry" people on this thread, my pantry is not a walk-in. Still, I made room for the MW in my pantry, cause I didn't want it on the counter, and don't use it that much in any case. And let's face it, MW's are unattractive, aren't they? They don't look much different today than the one I had in my college dormroom umpteen years ago. So who wants to look at one after spending so much time, effort and money on a gorgeous kitchen re-do? I had an electrician install an outlet in my pantry, which was an easy thing to do, and really love that my MW is not intruding on my pretty kitchen. BTW, my MW in the pantry replaced an over-the-range MW I had before. I replaced that OTR MW with a proper hood. I will never have an OTR MW again. Ugh. The OTR's don't exhaust well at all, they're too high up to remove sloshing hot dishes from, they're really expensive (vs. my pantry MW which cost $110), and as I noted above, their looks don't fit in with my lovely new kitchen. A final note - I am hesitant on built-in MW's, cause MW's aren't made the way they used to. They break within 2-3 years, or at least get diminished power over time. If you build one in, it's a PITA to replace it, plus the cost of a built-in is so much higher than the countertop style. If you want a MW in your cabinetry, I recommend a shelf with an outlet behind it as some people on this thread have. That way, replacing it is easy.