OK Newbie, I figured it out: Exterior wall, staring at garage = 250". First, I'd advise swapping the garage door swing so it swings into the garage, not the dining room. These are base cabs and appliances only. Uppers are easy. 13"wall, 60" Patio doors (5' sliding or French swing OUT), 18" wall, 12" deep hutch, 36" fridge, 9" pull-out (foils), 24" D/W, 30" sink base, 12" cab, 36" wall to basement / back door. 13+60+18+12+36+9+24+30+12+36 = 250. Dining Room = 91" wide next to fridge / dish hutch along it. This narrow portion is only for approx. 36" from back wall (depth of fridge). You will have two sinks, so I put a 30" sink instead, so you have 33" counter between fridge and sink with foil storage next to fridge. 24" is too small if one person is at the sink and another person at the fridge. There is a 13" counter on end of sink. This leaves 36" to the basement doorway, but you now have a better back door in the dining room, so this old doorway won't be used much. Also, the pantry will now end one foot shorter. Note you will have to shift the old sink window over towards the basement a bit if you want the sink centered. -- Range wall / peninsula, starting at corner, doorway to LR closed in. Corner to peninsula overhang edge = 147". This leaves 103" for the dining room AFTER the 15" peninsula with seating. Starting in corner: 36" corner cabinet with Super Susan, 6" pull-out for spices and oils, 30" range, 24" drawer cab, 36" angled corner sink base creating peninsula, 18" cab forming peninsula end. 36+6+30+24+36+15"overhang = 147 -- Peninsula: 36" angled sinkbase, 18" end cab. An angled sink base can hold a larger sink and it is MUCH more comfortable than being in an inside corner. With a 36" deep fridge the aisle between the peninsula end and the fridge is 39". TRY to get a shallower fridge! French Door fridges are NOT made for small kitchens! I'd go with a side-by-side. Still, I think this is the best place for the fridge because people will not bother you when they get a drink. -- Back wall pantry: Starting at corner - the same 36" corner base cab from range wall = 36" along wall with 24" deep counter. Then two 24" wide, 12" deep floor-to-ceiling pantries. In the corner above the Super Susan cab I'd put a 36" high inside corner cab (with two doors or bi-fold doors) mounted at the ceiling. Either a 36"x36 or a 24"w with a 12" to butt the pantries. Below it I'd put a 24" high, 36" long wall cab sitting on the counter facing towards the range as a shallow appliance garage. This will make the pantry appear to cross over the counter and wrap onto the other wall of uppers. If you get the two-door corner upper you can make the door facing towards the dining room glass and the other door wood. Then the cab below and the wall pantries above the counter-line can be glass too, and the ones below the counter-line wood. That would look good and keep the room airy. This gives you 30" of counterspace from the range to the corner and 24"-30" of counterspace between the sink and range. Much more than your current layouts. Also, the drawer base cabs you have now are too small for pots and pans. 15" drawer bases only have 12" drawers, and 15" of counter next to the stove is just not functional. -- The "hutch" next to the fridge should be a 36" high wall cab with a counter above it and a 42" glass wall cab mounted at the ceiling. Mount them to a plywood panel behind and create a backsplash between them. This can be used for dishes. The peninsula can be used as a buffet. Just be sure to use a 39" deep one-level peninsula counter, not a raised bar. This will increase your prep space immensely. -- This layout has the same width dining room as your current layout but includes the 15" deep seating in the kitchen area. I really think you will benefit greatly with the 39" deep peninsula. Plus all the extra prep space around the stove (and extra storage in the Super Susan). The back end near the new patio doors is narrower because of the fridge / hutch, but if you get a narrow dining table with leaves you can leave it smaller most of the time and extend it out through the wide opening into the living room when you have lots of guests. But most of the time a table with 4 chairs and 3 stools at the peninsula will be enough. Now that I think about it, I'd probably use a 15" cab as the peninsula end (not 18") and extend the counter with a 3" lip over it - more foot clearance.

"I would be searching for another white plate (with a similar "texture" to the larger white one) to hang above the others, so you have a total of three." oh man, now you got me thinking.... and it took me about 9 months to find the white one! I'd been searching for similar, yet different enough, authentic moroccan plates for so long and gave up to go with the white!! I actually got that plate in Morocco, so something from PierOne or the like wasn't going to do it for me! But seriously, I think the white plate in the spot I envision will fill the space and be dramatic alone, and I have a spot in another room for the other plate.

Folks, This may be one of those situations where images on a website cannot do justice to the physical tone of being in the room. I recognize that looking at the pictures on the website make all of my choices look like a motley collection of clowns. And then there is my sweeby mission statement about "cool" kitchens that I still stand by. To explain this in the context of my kitchen, let me share how it feels to be in the kitchen. Our home is in northern California near San Francisco which is quite a bit different from general image of sunny LA or San Diego. It is said that Mark Twain once said that "the coldest winter I have ever spent was a summer in San Francisco". The marine influence here means that it is common to have 70 to 75 degrees in middle of summer. When the east coast was broiling this summer, we had 68-72 degree days. Then there is my house which is adobe.. This means the super thick bricks have to warm up first before the air inside the house begins to warm up.. It is usually a good 10 degrees cooler inside than outside. We in fact put in heated floors just for this reason. Then there is quality of light.. The banquette on the end of the galley is east facing but quite heavily shaded and the light is filtered and cool. The side of the galley with the doors and windows that opens to the courtyard is south facing but has a very deep eaves (around 7 ft) so the light here is very filtered as well. The only bright light source is the two new skylights. It is hard to show the quality of light with photos taken with my iPad. Then my "clown" choices... If I use light colors in the room, they do not actually lighten the room.. They just seem pale and flat. But stronger, brighter colors almost seem to glow and IMHO do not look garish or loud but rather brighten the space. If look at colors used in regions of the world where brick and clay is used for construction, they also use stronger hues and multiple colors..like encaustic moorish tiles and bright colorful Mexican kitchens.. I feel that if the stage is cleared for one prima donna clown (a la the hood) and the rest sort of disappears in a forgettable background chorus.. the. end resut is very lopsided. Having a few strong elements I think balances and makes the end result better.. The trick here is whether they are harmonious or competing. I am striving for harmony but with stronger colors.. I know color is a very very personal choice and I am not defending my choices but rather I felt I should contribute to this dialogue on color in the context of my darker kitchen with very filtered light. Many of the lovely kitchens here are blessed with lovely counter height windows and bright sunlight.. But a kitchen like mine is different and brighter colors may be an appropriate palette.. Anyways.. Just want to share my thinking ..

lazygardens-my layout is not totally disimilar from what you describe. It won't be angled but the basic ideas are the same. I love your idea of separating things based on how often I use them...I have done this to some extent, of course, but not to the degree you are describing. I can have a lot more oft-used items at arms reach if I think about splitting stuff up even if it's in the same category. I will plan to put my most used pots and pans under my cooktop and put the ones I use less often a few steps away. I find that I need a little saucepan at the last minute but never my 16" frying pan that I pull out only for specific dishes/situations. That will probably free up a huge drawer under my cooktop for items I want close by... I have had good luck with some selective duplication with measuring cups and spoons so that I have a set in my baking area and a set in my prep/cooking area...I need to think about how to incorporate more of that. Right now my cutlery is close by my prep area so it's easy to grab a tasting spoon or fork to test doneness. I think I need to have a few spoons and forks in my new prep area so I don't have to keep cutlery close to the prep area if it isn't convenient etc. I am worried that I haven't put enough thought or found a solution to the problem of having the fridge accessible to both me and others while I am cooking. It hasn't been too much of a problem in my current kitchen but as my family grows and grows up it may be a bigger problem... Cloud_swift that was so very helpful... and not only because we have such similar layouts-I like to look out when I prep and cook! An island cooktop presents a few challenges one of which is not having upper cabs to increase arms-reach storage... I am excited about the possibility of using the prep sink cabinet to store a few prep essentials. I knew I couldn't fit a trash there, but I was writing off potential storage space...I've been food processing in a different area, but it would be so awesome to pull the food processor out and have it in my prep area next to my cooktop! No more carrying hot steamed cauliflower across an aisle to where the food processor is for pureeing! You also gave me another bright idea: I am going to put some flour in a small container and store it with my spices/oils/vinegars! I am always annoyed when I have to walk all the way over to my baking area just to get the 2-3 TBL of flour I need for bechamel etc. It's one of the only times it's inconvenient to have my baking stuff in a totally different area. I have already done this with cornstarch, why the heck didn't I think of it for flour?? I love the internet :)