Everyone seems to love the backsplash. My friend, who was there when they installed it, says she wishes she could have taken a picture of my face when it went in. I was ecstatic. Not exaggerating when I say I was jumping with joy. I owe a TON of thanks to pal and cpa for inspiring me to get this backsplash!!! I seriously want to buy you guys a bottle of wine! It was pal's idea to use nero marquina and cpa made the first rendering with nero as the backsplash (way back in December 2017!) to help me visualize it. I looked all over the place and couldn't find nero marquina slabs with lots of contrast between dark blacks and bright whites as in cpa's rendering. Nero marquina tends to be more subdued with muddled blacks and whites. But when I discovered the black moon it had the striking black & white look I was searching for. Just like in cpa's rendering and what pal probably envisioned. Like a lot of you said, that backsplash takes the kitchen to the next level and I doubt I would have landed on black moon without nero marquina as my inspiration. It also helped me focus on finding a very specific look instead of considering every single piece of stone I saw. I'm happy with everything so far, the TopZero sinks, the honed white quartz and even my Alexa-enabled faucet -- it's fun! Another cool find was this automated paper towel dispenser. It works surprisingly well and has a high cool factor, if you're looking for a cool kitchen gadget. It looks so much better in my kitchen than having a visible roll of paper towels. I'm going to try to keep counter clutter to a minimum. We'll see how long that lasts after I move in...

Your kitchen arrangement is very similar to mine. The width between my cook top and my sink is 38 inches. I love it. One step to cook a meal. One of the things to think about, if this is a retirement home, could you have mobility issues at some point in the future. You want to be able to cook while taking the fewest steps possible. My kitchen was designed this way because I have had a spinal cord injury. The comments about landing space are correct especially next to the stove. I opted for a refrigerator and then freezer drawers over by the stove. The other thing I have which I LOVE is column pull outs next to the stove and oven. I can then store oil, seasoning and things i use at the stove and oven. One thing I did not understand was the coffee maker. If it were me, I would put the coffee maker and a prep sink in the Bakers pantry or perhaps adding a bar area/butler’s for the living area where you can have another prep sink. I have both a bakers pantry and a butler’s pantry and it really helps if you entertain. While my house is not modern, hopefully the photos and my comments will help you with your project. The pro’s on here always have good ideas - but my one disagreement is the sink opposite the cooktop because it’s not an issue if you have another prep sink.

@Caroline Lachance - I think the open shelves look better than having nothing there at all. I know this isn't ideal, but many people still mount a microwave over a stove (especially in a tight space), with cabinets on either side. You can then use the open shelving above your sink. I fear with the wall to the left of the stove needing to stay that whatever you do in that section will not be the most open. However, I'd rather have the stove in that location than the fridge. I still think I would switch the fridge and the pantry. I would also be using a counter depth fridge, especially if leaving the pantry to the right. Hopefully your KD can do computer renderings of these options so you can better see how things will function for you. If you haven't already, you may want to think about a pull out trash cabinet, as there is usually no place to put one in a spall space.

Open shelving...Open shelving is problematical when next to a range. Unless all items are used every day, anything you store on those shelves will get a coating of "gunk" on them (grease + dust/dirt). If you must have open shelving somewhere, put it as far from the range as possible, probably the far side of the sink. Rangehood...Your rangehood is also problematical. First, it appears to be mounted too high off the cooking surface. Most hoods should be mounted around 30" above cooking surface. Some as high as 36", but you usually need a more powerful fan. Second, it should be at least 6" wider than the cooking appliance and at least 24" deep. So, a 30" range or cooktop would have a 36"W x 24"D hood. This is especially important if you have open shelving. FOGSS (Fumes, Odors, Grease, Smoke, Steam) spread out as they rise. To capture the FOGSS, the capture area must be wide & deep enough to capture the FOGSS as it spreads beyond the cooking surface on both sides and the front. You don't mention it, but I'm assuming you will have an exterior vented rangehood. If not, I strongly suggest you re-consider and have it vented to the outside. Aisle & Island Seating...I can't tell what your aisles are since you didn't post a measured layout. So, as an FYI... Minimum recommended aisle widths: Aisles widths...are determined by measuring to/from the items sticking out into the aisle the farthest -- usually counter edges, appliance doors/handles, and, in the case of a tall pantry or utility cabinet, knobs/pulls. Aisles are not measured cabinet-to-cabinet. Cabinet depths (usually 24" for base cabs) only include the boxes, not the doors/drawer fronts, hardware, or counter overhangs Counter overhangs are usually 1.5" past cabinet boxes Doors on a tall pantry or utility cabinet extend approx. 1" beyond the cabinet boxes (not counting knobs/pulls) For appliance doors & handles, check the specs of your chosen appliance. Don't forget to include clearance behind the appliance, if needed – in particular, refrigerators and freezers. The width of a work aisle should be at least: 42" for a one-person (and always a one-person) work aisle Note: If a DW is on the aisle, then I recommend the aisle be at least 45" wide to allow someone to pass between an open DW door and the item across from the DW 48" for more than one person working on the aisle The width of an aisle with seating should be at least: 32" if no traffic passes behind the seat (i.e., a "dead end") -and- no cabinets, workspaces, or appliances behind the seats 36" to edge past a seated diner if traffic passes behind the seat -and- no cabinets, workspaces, or appliances behind the seats 44" to walk past a seated diner if light traffic passes behind the seat -and- no cabinets, workspaces, or appliances behind the seats 48" to walk past a seated diner if the aisle behind the seat is busy -and- no cabinets, workspaces, or appliances behind the seats If the aisle is also a work aisle or has an appliance (e.g., refrigerator) or cabinetry (e.g., pantry cabinet), add another 12 to 15 inches to the aisle behind the seat. Note: There should be no seating directly across from a range/cooktop/rangetop or DW. The width of a walkway should be at least: 36" if there are no cabinets, workspace, or seating on the aisle 48" if there are cabinets or workspace -and- no thru-traffic -and- no seating 51" to 54" if it's a busy walkway with thru-traffic (e.g., Mudroom or Garage to the rest of the home, path to the backyard) -and/or- there's seating in the walkway If island/peninsula seating is on the same aisle as table seating, there should be 60" between the island/peninsula counter and the table. . Island/Peninsula Seating: Minimum Seating Overhangs: Counter-height seating (36" off the floor) -- a minimum overhang of 15" of clear knee/leg space (i.e., no obstructions) Bar-height seating (42" off the floor) -- a minimum overhang of 12" of clear knee/leg space. If you plan to eat meals at this height, then plan for an 18-inch deep surface to accommodate plate & glass without risking knocking something off the overhang and onto the lower surface. This can be accomplished either with a deeper overhang or combining the 12" overhang with a pony wall (usually 4.5" thick) that the counter will be sitting on plus the 1.5" overhang on the other side of the pony wall. Table-height seating (30" off the floor) -- a minimum overhang of 19" of clear knee/leg space (recently increased from 18") Island depth...The minimum depth of an island or peninsula is based on front counter overhang, depth of cabinets, whether you have a decorative door or end panel on the back of the cabinets, and the seating overhang. If there are finished end panels or decorative doors on the back of island or peninsula cabinets, they will take away approx 1" from the overhang, so add that 1" to the overall depth of the island or peninsula to be sure you have the minimum seating overhang. E.g., if you have an island with counter-height seating, the minimum depth of the island or peninsula should be 41.5": 1.5" counter overhang in front + 24"D cabinets + 1" decorative end panel/door + 15" seating overhang ====== 41.5" (If you do not have a decorative door or end panel on the backs of the cabinets, the minimum island or peninsula depth is 41.5" - 1" = 40.5") Seating Spacing (Linear Space): Counter-height and Bar-height seating -- A minimum of 24" of linear space per seat is needed. Table-height seating -- 24" (relatively new recommendation, increased from 24") Note: Some pros recommend 30" per seat for table-height seating. E.g., a 4' wide island could seat up to 2 people; a 6' wide island could seat up to 3 people, etc.