i think it comes down to personal use. in our last kitchen we did a 36" wolf gas range and a single bosch benchmark 30" wall oven. i thought it would provide the best of both worlds (large gas range for meats and roasts and electric oven for baking). the idea was that the wall oven would mostly be used for when we had parties and needed more oven space but the wall oven became our oven of choice 95% of the time. it's just much easier than heating up a 36" oven. also i hated bending down to use the range oven and the door felt heavy since it was a 36". another thing to consider is that unless you get a double oven range, you will only have one oven space with the range whereas your wall oven will be double.

in our next kitchen build (god willing:)) I would definitely do a range top (induction) and do a double wall oven.

i agree with you though that your wall oven does seem to be a bit of a walk from your range. i don't normally do much range to oven cooking but i still think it shouldnt be that far from the range top.

@agk2003 Thank you very much for your reply! We don't have space to do a double oven. I have a microwave/oven combo which is also called speedy oven. I was planning to have a single wall oven and a microwave/oven combo on the wall. If I have a 36" range, I still have another microwave/oven combo which could work as an oven. But I am not sure if I will put the a microwave/oven combo on the island, or still keep it on the wall.

Yes, it will depend on how you like to use things. I will brown meats and/or veggies, and then put them in the oven to roast quite frequently, so having the range setup works best for me, rather than lugging the pot or pan over to a wall oven. Besides, a range costs less. You may cook differently. However, if you already have a cooktop, and would have to replace it for a range, you may want to keep the setup you have.

@artemis_ma We never need to transfer anything from cooktop to oven before, but that is because we really didn't know we could do that. We might start to do it after we remodel the kitchen since I heard people mentioning you will get a better result using oven to stew。

Any other thoughts please!

We chose induction top and double wall oven. it was cheaper than 1 range + 1 wall oven. I like that i can use the cooktop and if someone needed to use the oven, I dont need to move out of the way. Happens rarely, but it does happen!

@likestonehomes Thank you for bring that up.. Yes. That is one of my concerns too. My husband and I normally cook together. Just we can’t get every thing. We have to scarify some convenience over others. Do you think the oven being close to cooktop is worth the issue of needing to bend over to access the oven and possibly interfering with another cook?

Having had ranges, and now an inconveniently-placed wall oven, I would vote for a range, or for a wall oven placed under counter in the island. The right end of the island, so that it doesn't open behind the sink or dishwasher. It's not super-convenient for cooktop-to-oven, but it's out of a major traffic lane. You may not use your oven much. But anytime you do use it, you will not enjoy worrying about cross-traffic.

@Ryan B I have to wait about 5 month for the cabinets, so most likely time is not a concern for me.

@mcarroll16 Putting wall oven on the island could be an option. We rolled out this option previously because we thought we lost the convenient eye level position of the wall oven which is the whole purpose of it, other than a range.

Because of ergonomics I like the wall oven.

Yes, meats do get started on the ragetop and then finished in the oven. And the meat juices in the roasting pan are taken from the oven to the rangetop.

If your concern is the distance from the rangetop to the wall oven, well re-jigger the design of your kitchen.

That's why they say to use a real deal kitchen designer, not a cabinet seller.

So you have someone to discuss these things with who has your best interests at heart.

Not theirs.

Oven ergonomics and wall ovens is an interesting issue. I think it depends a lot on your height, your exact oven placement, and your oven door style. My oven was placed there by the home's original owners, who were ery tall people. I find it unpleasant to reach in over a hot oven door, especially to place or remove something heavy. If the oven door opened sideways, it might be nice. But I would definitely prefer an undercounter oven to my current high oven.

What I do love about my wall oven is not standing in front of a hot box while I'm working at the range top. But I've only ever had old rental ovens before this home. Maybe with modern insulated ranges, that wouldn't be an issue.

@loobab I called more than 10 interior designer. Only one of them replied me, but after I introduced my project a little, she stopped replying me! I don’t know what is going on. But I did talked with several cabinet designer from the seller. Most of them came up with similar idea like the design in the pictures. I feel there is not much we can do in my kitchen.

I have a bad back, and therefore have always had a wall oven. However, in the higher end homes I've seen, there is usally a range, which I think looks better and gives a more high end and professional chef look. However, I would also add that it depends on the brand of the range. I like the GE Cafe ranges; they look great. There is a long thread here on Houzz about how people are waiting longer than a year for their GE Cafe appliances, so you might want to check on that to see if it will be in in time for the remodel.

It is a personal choice; if you have a bad back or you are getting older, you may want to go with a wall oven. If you are remodeling to sell it, I'd go with the range.

Here is the thread about the backordered GE Cafe appliances; it has over 1200 comments:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6003543/backordered-ge-cafe-appliances#n=1753

@telesaps Thank you for finding this thread for me. Shocked! Over 1800 replies in that thread! I didn’t know it. I asked a sales person today and was told there is about 40 days lead time now.

I do not recommend putting a wall oven under the counter. Wall ovens are designed to be installed higher. If you install it under the counter, you will find that the oven is lower to the floor than the oven in a range.

Either stick with the MW/Wall Oven combo you show or get a range.

Keep in mind that unless you move from rangetop to oven every day for every meal, it won't be that big a deal to walk a few extra feet occasionally.

Have you already signed off on the "final" design? If so, have the cabinets been ordered?

If the answer is "no" to both questions, you might consider seeing if the layout can be re-worked, but given the locations of the window and door, there probably isn't a different layout that will help all that much if you stick with the MW/oven combo.

@Buehl Thank you very much for your suggestions. I carefully examined how it is gonna turn out if we put the wall oven under the island, and found out it probably will not work. If it is on the island, The best place will be on the right of the island in front of the patio door which is not very close to stove either. Also the wall oven handle will stick out from the countertop which is annoying to me.

I didn’t sign off anything yet. We can change the layout of the cabinets. Is there a better design?

I love the look and function of a beautiful rangetop plus wall ovens. It really depends on your cooking habits. I use my oven regularly for roasted vegetables, casseroles, and baked goods. I feel that I can check the progress better with a wall oven. I like the height of a wall oven for transferring pans. Stooping over range is not appealing to me. I sometimes have my 7qt cast iron Dutch oven loaded up and can't imagine bending and lifting it out of a low oven. Roasted meats would have the same issue. I have an island near my wall ovens and can just grab the pot and turn to put it down. A final thought is electric baking. I prefer this for even cooking of baked goods. Not sure if you were looking at an all gas range or dual fuel, which is more costly. I'd go for a gas rangetop and double electric wall ovens. If you cook a lot, function should be the priority. Your kitchen will be beautiful either way but I think you should set aside the appearance of the fridge wall. It may look nice in the renderings, but think about how you want to prepare food in the space.

My husband & I like to cook a lot togeather too. Sometimes we take turns.

If it were me, I would definately get a range & tall oven cabinet.

The reason why, it would drive me nuts HAVING to go back & forth to check the oven while working on the cooktop. I like options for different scenarios. If we were both cooking, I be having to run around him or he run around me when prepping on island.

It would also be nice when we were cooking a lot or entertaining, one of us could be on oven tasks in their section & the other would have the stovetop & oven area & are own prep areas.

I would get separate appliances not a combo in the tall oven cabinet stacked & trimmed around. That way when one goes out, the whole unit does not have to be replaced.

A microwave's lifespan is much less than an oven in general. So, I would avoid the combo units.

A range is easier to replace,too. Hopefully you won't have to for many years.

I like your overall layout.

You must be excited :)

Wishing you success & happy cooking times soon.

If you already have a commercial rangetop, keep it. Don’t spend where you don’t need to. Make sure that you have drawers for frequently used pots, pans and lids under your rangetop so you can grab them quickly. Consider having a spice pullout and utensil pullout on either side of rangetop so you don’t clutter your countertops. Instead of spending money on range add a pot filler above the range so you have instant access to water. That way your S/O can be at the sink and you don’t need to get in each other’s way. Pot filler is a luxury item but worth it. If it’s not possible due to plumbing, don’t sweat it.

Make upper cabs 15 in deep to maximize storage. For my kitchen I have an Advantium + wall oven which is 2 ovens in one. The Advantium has 5 cooking modes including convection. Highly recommend. It would be good to make your Advantium or microwave as close to counter-height as possible so it’s easy to take things out without reaching up. May need to eliminate the drawer under oven in your drawing to do that - consider it. If you’re worried about wall looking appliance-heavy put some cabinet fronts over the fridge so the fridge blends with cabinets. Cabinet fronts are pricey and I wouldn’t spend money there but it’s an option. I would make your fridge a built-in so it blends seamlessly with cabinets. My 2 cents. Good luck!

@artistsharonva Thank you very much for your kind words! I really appreciate it!

I normally cook with my husband too because it is faster! We have a microwave/oven in one. It is basically a speed oven. I probably don’t have space for both range and a wall oven. Don’t you think so?

Hi yz00,

Thank you for your kindness as well :)

It is faster cooking togeather & we enjoy cooking with nice music playing with a glass of red wine :)

If you kept stove on wall on proposed layout, then make the island less long to get 48"+ in front of the stove, then yes you could.

This may seem silly, but I would measure the tallest person in home, in front of an open oven bent over to determine the comfortable space needed in front of the island.

Then adjust everything else accordingly. I think the proposed island is too big for the user space around.

Another option is something like this. Move range to the right enough for the door to bypass island when open, make island less long.

I can imagine working with my man in that scenario fine. Every once in awhile 2 will end up at sink & stove, but I much rather have this than running back & forth to oven across the room. I'm a fast cook & do my best to have everything ready to eat at the right temperature. Having my main oven at a distance, I know I would be running back & forth probably making a lot of cooking mistakes. But that's how I cook. It depends on you & your cooking habits.

Plus, if you pull the island further out some, 2 people could pass eachother better.

To help you determine the size & spacing for your island,

here's some diagrams of guidelines to follow.

If you can, You might want to try do a mock up in your space. Get some fold up tables & or big cardboard boxes & chairs & make a pretend island. Painter tape is ok on floor, but I have found my clients really get a better idea when having something the same height presented to them. There's been several times a client had blue tape all spaced out for an island that I knew was too big for enjoyment. As soon as I did a "mock up" with my folding table & cloth & folding chairs, they instantly got it & were so happy they saw that & adjusted the island accordingly. It really makes a difference in judging the spacing vs tape.

@artistsharonva Thank you for bring up the concern on the clearance! I did forget about thinking the clearance when I try to do a range. But I am confused a little now. If we do a cooktop or rangetop and have some drawers underneath it, the drawers will be out about 21" when fully opened which is about the same distance as the oven door. Why does the 42" clearance work with drawers, but not with oven?

@artistsharonva The "mock up" idea is great. I did use some blue tape and chairs to have some feel. But there are still some appliances in the kitchen, so I couldn't do "mock up" all around the kitchen. I might try it later again.

Here's a visual to help see why clearances are suggested.

Hope that helps :)