#5 is my favorite as well! That's why I chose it for the Zone/Traffic illustrations! :-) You have room for pot/pan storage next to the range, dish storage above the DW, plenty of prep workspace as well as cooking landing zone/workspace, and, with the ample upper cabinet storage, room to store most-used food items, etc. Dish Storage...If you notice in the last 3 layouts, I added a "dish hutch" style cabinet b/w the windows. it's a 24" cabinet that goes down to the counter. It's over the DW and partially in the corner area (but not too far since you want to be able to reach it), so it shouldn't take away from your Cleanup Zone's workspace or that wonderful expanse of workspace you have on the peninsula. DR Wall...Yes, you need to take the DR wall down for the refrigerator to fit. I tried a smaller one (33" wide), but then you really need to get a full-depth refrigerator and that takes away another 6" or so of aisle space b/w the peninsula & refrigerator, making the peninsula too narrow. (It cannot be recessed into the wall b/c it's on an exterior wall.) I suppose you could leave the wall up in front of the peninsula, but I was trying to give it a more open feel that I think will help encourage your family to use the DR more and be happy using it. We were never that happy with our closed up DR even w/the 53" doorway b/w it and the LR (there was only a 33" doorway b/w the DR & kitchen)...it always seemed isolated and cramped. Now that the wall is down, the DR seems bigger, even though the peninsula overhang actually takes space away (*sigh* another measuring issue forced this!). Maybe if we had a big DR we might have felt differently, but our DR was only: 13'8" x 11'1". (With 12" of the the peninsula overhang now extending into the DR, the DR is now only 12'8" x 11'1".) Another nice thing about the fully open area + peninsula is that the peninsula is a great place for staging food & dishes for setting the table, taking food to/from the DR, and clearing the table. Even if you moved the doorway, you will be dealing with structural issues, so I'm not sure how much you'd save by not taking the entire wall down...unless it's load-bearing, but I don't think it is given the layout of the walls... I think the load bearing walls are the ones b/w the kitchen/DR and LR/Foyer and b/w the FR and Laundry Room. BUT, I'm not a structural engineer so do NOT take my word for it! (I'm just guessing based on what I've seen here & in my home!) If, however, you did want to keep that wall, you could do something like this... OR

nancy-- thank you! And yes, so true . . .so fast! lazy-- I agree with everything you've said. Those things have bothered me as well. Most of the books sticking out I can't change, but someday I will (when the kids are older). I have been looking for larger pieces for the FP and other wall for a long time, ditto for what goes on the FP. Just too hard to find things without a lot of shopping trips to the flea market, and I rarely get to do that! The curtains will change eventually, too. Now I can go in a totally different direction with color, when I have the time and $! val, I see where you are going with the FP but there isn't enough room to do that (such a small room). If I can someday get an ottoman I will remove the table! amj, I will get that pic up for you soon. It does not really look built in though . . .it is nowhere near what I'd like it to look like in terms of how it is arranged, either. lori, thank you-- you rooms have always been very inspirational to me. flower, I would like the floor length idea but not sure how it would work with the chairs against the wall . . .no room to push them far enough out so that the curtains would not be smooshed. Ideas? Thank you again, everyone!!

Proportion, yes, but also, Ravmd, what feeling are you going for? I've seen a wonderfully appealing wall, shorter than yours, but with traditional old hutches framing a single set of doors. The home I'm remembering is an old-fashioned English style, with the doors framing and concentrating a very pretty view into the garden. The kitchen was basically old white cabinetry and walls and wood floors, but looked cozy as well as bright and fresh. OTOH, looking out a very wide span of windows like Julie's would give your kitchen an entirely different feel. The associations that hop to my mind from the past are of connection to large living patios and pools, or maybe a panoramic view to the horizon (lots of those in Southern California). BTW, is your desirable view broad, or would editing out parts improve it? Are there any privacy issues? For what's in the picture you posted, my thought was keep the windows and the symmetry (I like them) but bring the upper units down to join the counters for a hutch/display rather than work counter look.

Wow! What an amazing apartment! So full of character - those gorgeous doors, that fabulous herringbone parquet floor! I swoon! I would put the TV on a low chest between the windows. That way, it won't be bothered by the light which will be beside/behind it. I'd use a small loveseat-size sofa facing it - it must be small enough (no more than 60") that one can walk past the ends to go into the two bedrooms. A small console table behind it, perhaps with a single lamp or a pair, would be nice. Then add two chairs on either side of the TV/windows, and either an ottoman or a coffee table in front of the sofa. Something large with good storage would be nice on the back wall. It will be fabulous!