AnnKH, thank you for sharing how you set things up. This gives me a great starting place. Like you, and others I've read on various posts, I'm wondering about that lost corner. I need to invent something that can pop up from thecorner - like a raised shelf that hides beneath the counter - a hidden compartment that can use that no mans land corner space. In our previous house we had a super susan at about a 45 degree angle in a sort of corner. It worked really well. We kept things like strainers, vegetable steamer basket, cheesecake pans etc. there but I liked my drawers so much that, like you, I'm really considering the drawers instead. In my head I have a plan for drawers and stand up dividers for things like baking dishes, muffin tins, etc. This is sort of scary and yet SO exciting at the same time. Mama Goose - Ohhh I'm drooling once again. I often think of chalk board back door and that sign, too. That was SO cool. I have photos of her kitchen saved on my phone I like it so much. I also like 2 fishies kitchen! Those are my 2 favs! I've seen other kitchens with baskets but I've never stopped thinking about HER baskets in the island. So, that's on my want list! I'm off to make tarter sauce for blackened catfish. Who wants to join us for dinner? Sunny

I would not close off the current entrance. There have been many threads on this forum from people trying to figure out what to do with their corners. If you decide to go with the 'L', I would not angle anything in the corner, as it is a huge waste of space. I think that the 'L' also makes the kitchen look smaller than it really is with the tall items crowding the range. I like the entrance there as it allows the kitchen to breathe. Functionally, I think it makes more sense to 'zone' your kitchen and put food storage together on the shorter wall to the right of your entrance. I would flank the refrigerator with pantries or pullouts and place a MW drawer across the aisle on the short end of island. Although it sounds like a great idea to have the frig near the dining space, it is not necessary. I had that in my previous kitchen, and there was just too much going on in the same space with my cooktop. Snackers can then get to the refrigerator and MW without traipsing through your cooking zone. It's also less steps when putting groceries away. I would use a range and as many drawers as possible on the long wall for all of your cooking needs. By eliminating the refrigerator and double ovens you would have a very spacious look and a tremendous amount of storage and prep space. Dirty plates will be coming from your dining space, so I like the DW on that end of the island, with dish and cutlery storage either across from or next to the DW, making it easy for someone to set the table without getting in your way at the range. I would also extend the island and make it as long as the range wall.

My answer is no, it's not weird. I have a white fireclay (cleanup) in my perimeter, and a charcoal composite (prep) in my island. They both match their corresponding countertops.

This forum has an irrational hatred of stoves in an island. I feel more ambivalent about this solution. It depends a lot on the layout of the kitchen. There are situations where it clearly is inappropriate. But I have also seen stoves in an island that worked amazingly well. It's fun to have Teppanyaki inspired cooking right in front of your guests. Friends of mine have that, and it works great! Venting a freestanding range is much trickier though. In traditional kitchens, the upper side cabinets and the backsplash function as guides for the air that is being vented. Without these guides, the hood has to be a lot more powerful and has to have a bigger capture area. And that of course increases the need for an expensive make up air (MUA) system. Alternatively, you could contemplate a downdraft system. But you should realize that downdraft never works particularly well. It works a little better for induction cooktops (instead of gas). But it's always inferior to an overhead hood. I wouldn't recommend it for an open floor plan. These are all decisions that have to be made in a conversation with an experienced kitchen designer, as they have other implications for the rest of the kitchen layout.