Wine storage over a fridge is not really recommended because of heat and vibration. Unless you go through it fast, I have heard you will be making wine vinegar. I think the doorstyle is perfect. I have the Sub-Zero 27" and you will get a ton of storage in it in a small space. I don't think the cabinets really look too tall in the elevation, and elevation drawings tend to "stretch" the verticals a bit. You could shorten the cabinets and increase the crown a bit, if that's your preference. Since this is a tight NYC kitchen, it has a great window, and it is not eat in, I think you need to allow storage to trump esthetics, at least a little. You will be looking Through the room to the window. Have you thought of doing drawers instead of doors on some of the bases? Its a trade off in a narrow kitchen, but it would probably be easier to stand to one side and open the drawer than bend over and hit your tailbone on the opposite cabinets. Just something to think about.

Doh! I just realized that my U-galley takes a 30" drawer base after corner cab to make a 42" wide aisle (not a 6" pull-out). Total brain-fart! That being said, I actually like Buehl's layout #2. I would DEFINITELY wrap around the corner, whether you close it off or leave it with an island open on both ends. There just is not enough counter / storage / specific prep areas for what you do with the galley. The "L" with island will be MUCH more useful and efficient. But, if you do have enough space for bulk storage in the storage room behind the kitchen, I'd still consider shifting the fridge 12" into the pantry area. That way you can create a a longer (48" to corner sink) prep area between the range and corner sink dedicated to your activities that require water and heat (cheesemaking, canning, meat prep); that stuff takes up a lot of space and is MESSY! I would REALLY try to keep these activities totally separate from the dry grain / baking area. Based on Buehl's layout #2: Shifting fridge 12" into pantry space = Fridge, 33" drawer base (groceries, hot pots), range, 18" drawer base, 30" drawer base (meal prep, cheesemaking, canning etc). Corner sink base separates wet / dry prep. Along the end wall I'd run a 54" counter with two 27" drawer bases (instead of 48" run). This is because you loose at least 4-5" of actual drawer interior, so two 24" cabs = approx 19" wide drawers, whereas 27" cabs = approx 22" wide drawer interior. The end will then line up with the back of the island. This would be the baking zone. On the island I would use a 36" sink base, not 30". This will make the short aisle between the island and baking center 36" wide, which is fine since it's not the primary work zone and there are no major appliances there. -- You said that you like to bake "A LOT." I'm wondering if maybe you want an extra oven? If so, in the baking zone you can put a 30" wall oven installed under the counter after the sink base and then a 30" drawer base. This will extend the "L" to 60", so 6" beyond the back of the island, but it doesn't appear this would interfere with your dining room. The oven door will open into the main work aisle, not into the island side. Honestly, it sounds like you live on a farm and are really into the Homesteading lifestyle. That is pretty much my DREAM, and my "Dream House" and kitchen is designed for just such a life (no meat though, I'm a vegetarian ;) Unfortunately I live in the burbs, and I am still making sure to eek out every inch for separate zones with as much storage and counterspace as possible. My pantry will actually be outside the kitchen in order to do this, and since you have that storage room, you can afford to lose 12" to gain a larger canning / cheesemaking area. 3 ft. just isn't long enough for that, especially if someone else is making a meal at the range at the same time. Also, I really think you will want one really big sink, 33"-36". Great...

I think the proposed layout does a good job of giving you more counter space around the stove. I can see how cramped you are for prep space in your current layout. I also like how you are getting the table out of the refrigerator-sink path. Will non-cooks still be able to help themselves to drinks easily? Will you put the dishwasher to the right of the sink in the new plan? Make sure that you have enough clearance for the 24-inch wide dishwasher door so that it will not bonk into any of the cabinet knobs or pulls on the stove wall when you open the dishwasher. You might have to nudge the sink just a little further to the left to make it work. Another question is, where does the trash go? The one part of the proposed plan that I'm confused about is how the traffic pattern to the staircase works. Are you really going to be able to run countertop all the way down to the right of the new stove position? It looks like doing so would cut off access to that side door, which is problematic, if that's how you currently bring groceries into the house. I must be misreading the visual, or something... welcome to the kitchen forums, by the way!

To answer lazy_gardens question: we keep all our meat 'hardware' separate: utensils, glassware, plates, dishes, pots/pans, etc, sink and range. We share space for dry goods storage and in the refrigerator where our meat things take up only a half a shelf and only part of the time. Functionally the space to be reconfigured must function as pantry (including fridge) and a tiny kitchen. To answer Carrie B's question: in the overall floorplan image the top and bottom are the edges of the house. The right side (aka North Wall) is the garage, with a door from our dairy kitchen in the lower right corner. The doorway in the lower left corner leads to the dining room. The empty rectangle area in the upper left includes a stairway to the basement, which is accessed through the meat kitchen, and a recently redone bathroom which is accessed through another part of the house.