Mary, my kitchen configuration is very similar to the U-shaped one you are considering including placement of the eating area as well as the family room (although our family room is sunken and you have an extra doorway next to your family room). Our dining room used to be in the same location as yours is but we made the dining room into a walk-in pantry with a built-in pantry next to it (then moved the dining room to the former living room that had been adjoining the old dining room). With our recent remodel (last summer), we considered changing from the U to an island, very much like your current one. Mine is pretty much a one cook kitchen and the times there is more than one cook, we don't seem to have any problems. IMO, the biggest drawback to a U-shape is the two corner cabinets but I've learned to live with them. With so much extra storage with the walk-in pantry I don't have to have the corner cabs crammed full so that certainly helps. I love my peninsula--I like overlooking the family room, have a good view of the big TV if I want to watch while cooking/baking, have a nice view of outside through the windows in the eating area and like the close proximity to the sink. Like you, I wouldn't have had room in the island for a prep sink so for those main reasons we nixed the island idea and kept the same footprint. We have a pretty big kitchen table and chair set and although we too would've liked to have had an overhang on the peninsula for an eating area, we definitely don't have room. Maybe your eating area is bigger. If you're interested, I have some photos on Shutterfly as well that you can look at. Here is a link that might be useful: U-shaped kitchen

My proposed layout is very similar to the first plan here, except the sink is on the exterior wall instead of the peninsula. I won't have a butler's pantry - or any other kind of pantry, alas. In a small kitchen such as mine, I see very little reason to have a prep sink even without the Stages sink. The vast majority of our prep will still happen at the sink - and between the sink and range. I really want the expanse of peninsula counter to be freed up for seating, the illusion of space and an uninterrupted surface for putting out food and drinks and whatever else. Meanwhile, other posters seem to be noting that the Stages doesn't work as well on a cabinet run with uppers and is best for islands and open peninsulas and such. So, for Mrspete, that part seems to work well, while it has me all but ruling out a Stages. Many folks have also cautioned against the sink and range being on opposite sides of the aisle - for safety reasons as well as the convenience of the counter between the sink and range as an important prep and staging zone. When the issue of a range on a window has come up, people have commented consistently that grease and grime does not seem to be attracted to the window and it's at least as easy to clean as tile. My aunt has a backsplash window behind her range - and zero complaints. She loves it - and has now implemented it again in her newest house. However, that being said, I like the range on the bottom of the U just fine - and it avoids the problems with the range and sink being on opposite sides of the aisle. I'm going that route - and I am leaning towards not using uppers on that small wall. My big anxiety there is how to center the range on the wall - or give the illusion of it being centered, given I have a bump out to deal with on the right side. I do like the proposed turning of the fridge with the larger pantry behind it, though. Assuming the plan can be tweaked like that, it seems like there's a lot of value in doing it.

Yes you're right, it's everyone's favorite room (guests included). Spinning my wheels again and wondering if a peninsula will be best. Do either of these layouts seem like they'd work. The program was a little glitchy and kept moving the garage door and doing something strange with corner but... 1.) Drop in range on the peninsula with a recessed vent. I know people don't like the idea of a cooking surface in island or peninsular, but being that I have one now it has never been an issue. Plus we will probably be going the induction route. 2.) Drop-in on the garage wall with range vent hood. Basically everything else is that same. For both options we'd have to go the semi-custom route especially with the garage door corner.

Would you keep the cabinet next to the window if you used corner shelves? I would, and I'd also put a cabinet on the fridge side. You could also put the wine rack adjacent to that cabinet, a better location for it than as a base cabinet. Here are some narrow cabinets with attached shelves. 15" should be the minimum width for a wall cabinet. Here they've done a good job of integrating shelves next to a fridge with upper cabinets. The accent color paint is a really nice touch. I would build the fridge cabinet with a 36" counter depth fridge in mind. There will be fewer 30" choices in the future. Eliminating the 6" base wine rack would give you room for a 36". I'd also consider an 8-12" deep pantry that butts up to the side of the fridge with double doors opening in front of the doorway. A shallow side pantry is easier to store in than a counter depth pantry and is cheaper than a pull-out pantry. By using a side pantry, you could move the fridge down several inches and get more breathing room in your breakfast corner. You'll feel less squeezed in between the corner and the regular depth fridge. The side pantry could have open shelves up top for pottery or cookbooks.