I really like your inspiration pics. It looks like the island & hood trim are black and the rest of the hood and cabinets are are a dark brown. I like that look and even considered something similar back in the planning stages of our kitchen (Bertch custom cabinet line). Are you flexible in the design other than the MW/trash dilemma? I'm asking b/c I see a couple of issues, one of which you may already be addressing. First, your DW & range are in conflict. If the DW is open when someone is at the range I foresee bruised legs! Why? Because right now the DW will be in the way of anyone working in and around the range. One step backward and you will hit the DW door...not a good feeling (I say w/experience!) If you must put the sink & DW in the island (a less than ideal location, btw), then at least move the DW to the other side of the sink so there won't be a conflict b/w it and the range. Second...and this is the one I think you're addressing...move the MW from the island to the cabinets next to the refrigerator or to the right end of the island opening toward the end, not the range. Why? MWs and refrigerators work best when they're on the periphery of the kitchen where they are easily accessed by those working in the kitchen as well as snackers from the "outside". Snackers may still utilize them w/o getting underfoot of those working in the kitchen. Also, MWs generally work best when next to the refrigerator as most items cooked in them come from the refrigerator or freezer. What type MW? Either a MW drawer (Sharp makes the Dacor...so the Dacor is really a re-badged & more expensive Sharp) or one mounted on a shelf that's under the upper cabinets rather than mounted directly to the overhead cabinets. A shelf gives you more flexibility in MW choices. OTR MWs as general rule, are more expensive than a countertop model. Any countertop MW can be mounted on a shelf as long as you have the appropriate clearances (see specs for clearances required.) BTW...we have a Sharp MW Drawer and love it! I don't think it takes too long to open and I have not had any problems w/the open/close mechanism...nor have I heard of any. We had no wall room and I did not want it on the counter. We're a tall family and putting a standard MW under the counter was not an option. The drawer has worked great for us. As for the trash pullout, I recommend putting it on the island on the other side of the sink from the DW or next to the range so it can be easily used by both the cleanup zone (sink/DW) and cooking zone (range) & prep zone (probably to the right of the range). Where do you plan to store your dishes? To me, the best place appears to be in the cabinets to the left of the range. That works really well especially if the DW is moved to the other side of the sink. It allows the other cabinets to be used for storing prep & cooking tools & utensils & dishes, pots & pans, etc...the ideal location of which would be to the right of the range since the prep zone will most likely be on the counters b/w the refrigerator & range. (Prepping will probably not occur very much on the island as you don't have a lot of clear counter space b/c of the sink and b/c it will be the cleanup zone where dirty dishes, pots & pans, etc. will be stacked...not a nice visual, btw, especially if you're sitting at the island!) What are your aisle widths? How much overhang are planning for the seating? Is the island all one level? (Makes it much more useful if it is.) If you would like a great expanse of countertop to prep while visiting w/guests or to do other work on (like baking, crafts, homework, wrapping gifts, etc.), then I would seriously consider moving the sink elsewhere. Did you notice that Teppy does not have a sink in her island? [Oh, just read that you already noticed this!] Yes, I would definitely reconsider. Try to come up w/a layout that leaves the island clear for those big projects, eating, staging food for parties (buffet, appetizers, or staging for moving to another room like the DR), and for visitors to hang out. One thing you should be aware of...appliances in corners take up quite a bit of room. A 33" oven cabinet, for example, will take up approximately 48" on each wall. A 30" range may take a little less (maybe 45"), but it's still quite a bit of wall space. I do like corner ranges though! See the link below for SharB's kitchen w/a corner range (she has a beautiful kitchen!) (A 42" corner sink base cabinet (for a 30", I think, sink) will take 42" on each wall.) Do you have a layout of the kitchen with measurements? Do you also have one that shows how the kitchen fits in w/the rest of the house (rooms surrounding it & outdoor entrances)? If you'd like, there are several of us that will be willing to help you come up with an alternate layout, but we will need dimensions (walls, doorways, windows, distances b/w walls/doorways/windows, etc.) See the "Read Me" thread for more information about layouts. Good luck & I hope all of this helps! Here is a link that might be useful: SharB's Finished Kitchen

Sorry but your aisles are too narrow; it will be a Chinese fire drill.....I say this because I had the same exact kitchen. We bumped out the exterior wall 2 feet just to the edge of the eave overhang and to make the room 13 feet wide. I agree that the original floor plan you have is very nice....if you want more room knock out the wall that houses the refrigerator and give yourself a true open concept. If you opt to bump out two feet you will have an L shape kitchen an island that can be 6 feet by 3.6 feet and your two aisles will be about 3.6 and 4.0 wide respectively. Good luck. PS You can reuse your slider and just move it down the wall so that your existing penninsula can have an overhang with bar stools for seating.

No to curved island. Mine is 100” long and 36” wide, with only a 12” overhang. We have 4 barstools here, though usually only 2 of us sit here at a time or just our teenager (who’s 6’ and fits fine). A lot of people get all bent out of shape about smaller seating area but in the grand scheme of things, it works fine and looks fine. Would I have a family of 4 sit here for dinner every night? No, probably not, but we have a kitchen table and a dining room table available for that. As far as resale value and just aesthetics the island looks good and seating is available.

2nd one for sure! Don't do the 36" aisle...I have it now and that was the first thing I designed to be different in my new kitchen! I hate it! We are constantly bumping into each other and getting irritated...but then again, there are 6 of us.