Cotehele, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your kitchen! Wish I could get a layout as beautiful as yours. It's wonderful. Bmore, I do like the layout you have done. It does seem more functional, and I know that you, Rhome, Lastax, desertsteph, Buehl, Pllog, Roccogirl,and others who I can't remember to acknowledge right now, have ALWAYS seen the fridge best at the end of that wall where the range is. If there was ANY way to do it, that is what we would do. I guess I could hash it out with DH again, I've tried to convince him, but the whole point was to keep my current cabinets and since they are all one piece, he says it would destroy them to try and cut them and reuse. So, then we are looking at thousands more for cabinets that we really don't need to replace. There is also a fireplace chimney behind those uppers which he said he didn't know if he could get a vent through where it needs to go for the hood. All that being said, the gas has been run, and the potfiller set with water to it, where it is placed in the plan as it is now. So, convincing him to redo it, well, bless his heart, he would. The other option is this.... the range sits with a planned 9"spice cabinet to the left, and 36" more to the end of the wall for cabinets which I planned to put drawers. From the 9" spice cabinet to the back wall, there is 15 1/2 feet. So, my question would be, if we built the wall out (range wall) another two feet to accomodate fridge, would that crowd the dining area too much? Felixnot, don't worry about sounding harsh! I'm here to take constructive criticism and advice so all is welcome! We had entertained your idea early on, and, well, quite frankly, I can't remember why it didn't go. :) Rhome, it seems more disjointed? I guess what I saw was entering the pantry area from where the fridge and oven was more convenient, access to dining area, kitchen, it seemed to flow in to the kitchen rather than going around to get to the pantry area. hmmm. And the oven and refrigerator were at the end, so the pantry seemed out of the way. I could put one of those cool "secret doors" if that would help any. :) Tell me honestly... Would you nix the entire idea of having that large of a pantry? It's just such WASTED space! I can't figure what to do with it! DANG! But thanks for taking me through this, over and over and over!

kaourika, GW isn't the greatest of sites for thoroughly modern designs. I'm not here much anymore but popped by today and saw your post and some of the follow-up posts and felt compelled to sign in and post. Ignore the suggestions to radically change the layout - your aesthetic is really quite wonderful. If those tall units are about 15-18" wide, you'll have a lot of storage in them. My pull-out pantry is either 15" or 18" wide and literally *all* my unrefrigerated storage is housed in it and with room to spare. You shouldn't be wanting for space. While I don't think plan-A is at all difficult, I love your plan-B. Rather than doing too much that's cute to make this work, I'd do one of only two things if you can - pull the island out a foot (if possible) so that the worst of that kink is 3' rather than 2' OR close it off altogether a la the first of your inspiration pictures - the ZeroEnergy Boston Architect's design. Yes the support beam will intersect the island if you pull it out but that's not the end of the world either and you might be able to make a feature of it in the bargain. In fact, if you do pull the island out, you could also do deeper cabinets on the sink side which I guarantee you will love. The one suggestion that might be a seriously worth a rethink is to switch oven and fridge. Otherwise, I think you have a magnificent layout. When does it come together? Can't wait to see it.

It sounded to me like you were bored with your 5 year old kitchen. I did read your posts and that is what I took away from them. That is what I meant by wanting shiny and new. What I meant about "travel" did not mean a vacation necessarily and was not meant 100% literally, but maybe focusing your energies elsewhere outside of your home. If you are ready to change your kitchen because at 5 years old, it "needs" something to freshen it, and you have spent a year thinking about it, then you may have lost sight as to what a kitchen is. It is easy to get on the treadmill of decorating and lose sight that the house is a backdrop to your life and not the other way around. Just like someone who gets a little nip and tuck and then keeps going back for more and more. If your schedule is such that your time is very limited, then perhaps paying so much attention to a 5 year old kitchen is not the best use of your resources. Does the island color bother anyone else in your family? Did you think it was wrong when you first did it or is it wanting something new and different? I may have interpreted your posts wrong, but I saw boredom and wanting to spice up your life. A new island color would only be a momentary thrill and could easily be regretted if it does not come out as nice as it already is. I am grateful that most of our renovation planning is done and behind us. I am glad to have our lives back and while there is still work to do and to pay for, can't wait until we have more disposable income and time to go out and do more things rather than spend more on the house. My family put up with a lot to get the house fixed up. I'd like us to have some fun and enjoy our new space rather than worrying about the things that are still on our "house - to do" list. A kitchen or a pretty house means nothing if you don't get to enjoy other things as well. If what you have been doing lately leaves you bored, perhaps there are other ways to add some excitement. One thing that may help is not spending so much time on GW. I know I fall into that trap at times and realize it has become a habit. I do find decorating and esp kitchens to be interesting, but also want to find the balance with other things. If coming here makes me want a new kitchen, then I will have to break contact cold turkey. A kitchen is not a 5 or 10 year toy. We all take such care in designing and in materials used that a well done GW kitchen should last well over 20 years. That is the point, isn't it?

For 15 years I had a sink up against a wall and it never bothered me at all. That was a U shaped kitchen with a peninsula. Sink was at the bottom of the U. That said I don't think I'd want a mirror if only for the inconvenience of having to wipe it down and de-fog it constantly, not to mention already cited "seeing self" issue. Though I suppose I could see the advantage of seeing others creeping up behind me! Or keeping eye on the kids. (Now imagining a sink set up with rear view mirrors on either side, "objects may appear closer").... Currently I have the sink in the island and it gives me a view. I do enjoy the view while prepping and washing dishes, as well as enjoying nearby company (on the stools, in the living room). I find myself wanting to cook more frequently these days too. Do you entertain a lot? When you entertain, are you okay with turning your back to your company while you place items in the sink/ prep/wash dishes? Or do you just let everything sit on the counter until company is gone and tackle it all later? I can see how you could do that with a multi-level counter top. If you are flattening out, it may not be as easy -- you may feel compelled to walk it over to the sink, thus turning your back on company.