...Continuing... Layout #2 The island holds the only sink in the kitchen. As such, it has to be big enough to accommodate both dirty dishes and prepping at the same time. (Unfortunately, I think there will still be competition b/w prep space and dirty dish space, but at least there's room to help with it.) The sink has two bowls. This will help by allowing you to dedicate one to prepping and the other to dirty dishes and cleaning up. However, you will still only have one faucet - so you'll have to share it! The sink acts as the separator b/w the Cleanup Zone and the Prep Zone. But, that means you will both want the sink when cleaning up (rinsing, DW loading, etc.) is going on at the same time as prepping & cooking. "...Usually only one person is cooking at a time, but someone else tends to be loading or unloading the dishwasher..." I understand about prepping/cooking and cleaning up at the same time - that's how it is our home! In our old kitchen, we always competed for the sink - even with its two bowls. One of the goals when we remodeled was to eliminate that competition. Note the location of the DW, this location keeps it out of the Cooking Zone...in particular, it's far from the cooktop so you don't have the danger of someone taking a step back from the cooktop with a pot of boiling water and stumbling over an open DW door. I was able to keep the Prep & Cooking Zones on the same side of the kitchen as the refrigerator to help reduce zone-crossing not only to/from the refrigerator but also to/from the two zones themselves. Like the first layout, there's a 36" Dish Hutch. It's still close to the DW for unloading. In this layout, the Dish Hutch is much closer to the BN for setting the table - but it is farther from the DR and this time people will probably cross into the kitchen if they're setting the DR table b/c it's closer than going around the island. The refrigerator is still on the periphery. While it's closer to the DR, it's farther from the BN - but it's still outside the Prep & Cooking Zones and should be easy to get to without crossing into the kitchen. The island is a slight barrier b/w the refrigerator and Prep Zone, but it's not too bad. I think it's doable. The ovens are in the corner - recessed to the back wall. Check out Alku05's kitchen and others in the thread I linked to below for pictures of corner ovens. Like Layout #1, the counter in the cooktop perimeter run is 28.5" deep - 3" deeper than standard. While the workspaces in the Prep Zone and around the cooktop aren't as generous as in Layout #1, they is still plenty of space in both cases. The pantry is a bit smaller, but it's still 5' wide. The island is deep enough that someone sitting at the island will not be splashed when the sink is in use (something that is usually more of an issue when cleaning up than it is during prepping.) One comment I would like to make about the Cleanup Zone...

I have wandered over to this discussion from the “Why do all kitchens look the same?” thread. :) Thinking about your windows, I had the same problem, and whether or not you could get a change past the code restrictions, unless those windows are rotted out it seems best to keep them for any number of reasons. Could you lean into the fact that they are low and create window seating under them, with storage in the seating base? I too would be reluctant to give up a counter that ran 12’ but if you still have regular size base units at the sides of the window seat you would only be giving up the ...4 feet? Like you, I remodeled a older (1919) house and for years had been used to conditions that others might consider pretty bare bones (and worn to flinders). One thing that surprised me was that adding just 12” of counter space to the left of my stove has been _super_ useful. For the most part I think we don’t need long runs of counters so much as dedicated areas with enough space for the task at hand - to roll out pie dough here, to take down bowls from a cupboard there, or to put down a hot pot! While you are saving up you might have a kitchen designer at Lowe’s or Home Depot draw up a plan. The fee is 75.00 and in my case the Lowes designer had suggestions like moving the stove over 6” (where the space for the 12”counter came from). I’d assumed that was a non starter unless one went to a major hassle with the vent hood. He just looked puzzled and said “no, that’s no problem”. Anyway, we don’t know what we don’t know. I’m in the SF Bay Area too, and bringing the electrical up to code is going to be part of your kitchen remodel unless it’s been worked on quite recently. Once I was _sure_ of the cabinet layout I called in an electrician and did the electrical upgrades in advance of the getting bids on the whole remodel. The advantage is that you can spread out the cost of construction a bit and really shorten the time your kitchen is out of commission. The electrician only required that the power be off for a couple of hours and the kitchen was usable in the mornings and evenings when I was home. It was basically painless. Remodels that take 4-5 months (the norm) where stuff slowly happens behind a visqueened barrier are not so painless and my guess for the long drawn out process is that the subs are working multiple jobs, so it may take a block of 3-4 weeks to get one component like the electric done, even if the sub is only actually on the job 6-7 days. With my house having the electric finished and signed off on with the city in advance (new sub panel, counter outlets every six feet, and added ceiling fixtures) the rest of my kitchen remodel took a total of 5 weeks from gutting to completion. This worked for me, but I wasn’t making any changes to the layout - moving walls, etc. For that it all has to be done together I imagine. Anyway, good luck. I promise you you’ll be thrilled. A sink in the kitchen! The luxury :).

More traditional shelving units on my wall would nicely accomodate a tv and great for displaying items. My FP does not protrude at all, so it would resemble the photo below in which FP recedes. Do you think units like this will be awkward with my ceiling slope? Maybe if I paint everything a dark color it will be a little less awkward? or would paining it dark just draw attention to it?

Gorgeous house. Congrats. I would place a long sofa under the windows that are across from the fireplace. Then float two arm chairs across from that with their backs towards the fireplace. Perhaps their placement can be such that when sitting on the sofa, the fireplace looks centered between the two chairs. Not sure if I would angle the chairs in or have them with their backs simply flat to the fireplace wall. I'd get a rug to place under these seating items to clearly delineate the space. And, I'd consider what to do about the light fixture that seems to be hanging in no-man's land. This set up would allow for a clear and understandable "runway" of walking space between your front door and bedroom, and front door and entry to dining room. With your great eclectic taste, you can style the fireplace, have it still be a beautiful feature, and also have a sensible walking path and seating area.