Have you had a chance to read the Kitchen FAQs...in particular, the Layout Help FAQ?

FAQ: How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include?

I recommend reading it and getting back to us with more information about you, your family, and how you plan to use your Kitchen. In addition, it would be very helpful if you could post a layout of the first floor. It doesn't have to be a detailed layout, but it should show us how the Kitchen relates to the rest of the house, where your family entrance is (for bringing in groceries & traffic pattern), etc.

I also recommend several other FAQs and a useful thread:
FAQ: Kitchen work zones, what are they?
FAQ: Aisle widths, walkways, seating overhangs, work and landing space, and others
FAQ: How do I plan for storage? Types of Storage? What to Store Where?

Marcolo's "Ice.Water.Stone.Fire" thread discussing workflow: Looking for layout help? Memorize this first.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchens' Forum FAQs Page

Some questions:

1. Where does the top left doorway lead to?

Do you have a Mudroom?
Do you have a separate Pantry?
Can any of the doors/doorways be moved/changed?
What walls are exterior walls?
Is that a window behind the sink or a pass-through to the Family Room or another room?

Regarding the location of the range, it would be better on the perimeter. It would solve one of your issues - the hood. Mounting a hood higher than recommended is defeating the purpose of the hood...unless it is very oversized and very powerful. Grease/smoke/odors/fumes/steam/etc. are exposed to more and stronger air currents as they rise up from the cooking surface when the range/cooktop is on an island or peninsula. This means you need a hood that (1) is at least 6" wider than the cooking appliance (e.g, a 36" wide hood over a 30" range/cooktop), (2) is 27" deep, (3) has strong CFMs (probably at least 900), and (4) is finished on all 4 sides.

Venting through a wall is much easier and cheaper than venting from the middle of the room, especially if the range/cooktop is on an exterior wall.

Plus, having an island with no more than a prep sink provides a wonderful expanse of workspace for baking projects, school/science projects, crafts, wrapping gifts, etc. It also is a great place to stage food during a party. It's also nice to have a place where people can hang out without having cooking in their faces. If you're thinking about cooking facing people, then keep in mind that only 10% of the work/time in the kitchen is spent cooking. 70% or more is spent prepping, so the best location should have the Prep Zone. (The last 20% or so of the time is cleanup time.)

This post was edited by buehl on Sun, Jan 4, 15 at 2:09

in addition to the above by beuhl, what wall is coming down?

These are all good questions. I went back and checked out the FAQS. They were very helpful! Sorry -- first time here! Here is some more information:

My wife and I are in our thirties. We are expecting our first kid, and may pop out another one afterwards. We bought this house with the intention of never moving again, so we're trying to make changes that could last us for 20 years. We cook a lot at home, but we don't really bake. And our cooking is more like soups and pastas, rather than frying or odorous foods.

We hope that our kitchen will be a good multiuse space: cooking, hanging out with family, eating informal meals, entertaining. We've noticed that people tend to congregate in the kitchen no matter the setting.

Buehl, to address your questions:

The top (call it north) left door leads to the back patio and the grill.
We have an informal mudroom just into the garage. It's not ideal, but it's a dedicated area to take shoes off, drop gloves, etc. with a coat rack. We have a formal walk in coat closet at the front of the house.

There is no separate pantry. In my photo, the pantry is the tall standup cabinet between the refrigerator and the patio door (northwest corner).

The doors/doorways/windows cannot be changed. We're stuck with the basic layout shown in my drawing.

The top (north) wall (patio) is exterior. The left (west) wall is the garage. All of the other walls are interior. The window above the sink at the north wall looks outside. The window at the south end of the nook looks into our entryway.

Regarding the location of the range/hood: Those are all excellent points. There is a thread on here that I read that debates the merits of an island range versus not, which I found helpful. In our case, some points to consider:

The breakfast nook is a good hang out spot, and I worry that if the range is on the west wall it will isolate the person using the range from whatever is going on in the nook. Also, the vent is currently in the central spot, so putting the vent in the center of the room shouldn't require new vent ductwork. We do not cook greasy/smoky/odorous foods, and rarely use our hood now, so it seemed like a higher mounting (with the sizing/power considerations you mention in mind) could be sufficient. It seems like a cool copper vent could be a neat centerpiece to the kitchen (although maybe it will just get in the way).

Desertsteph: The design I uploaded was showed with the wall already down. Basically we are removing a wall that brings the east side (currently a hall) into the kitchen.

Based on some of the info in the FAQ's, it seems like it might be worth sacrificing a little space to the north of the island (the cooking side) to get more clearance in the traffic area below it. Same is that we might want more clearance east and west of the island for those traffic areas (although if the range goes there, we don't want too much space between the range and the island).

A rough picture of the 1st floor (with the wall already removed) is attached.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts!

One thought: This is what we did:
- close off the door from kitchen to patio (or turn it to a window)
You already have the slider in the familyroom.

Make those 2 window(s) in the kitchen countertop height so that you can use it to pass stuff between the kitchen and the patio easier.
DH would put all the hamburgers/buns/tongs, etc on the kitchen counter.
Then when he's outside at the grill and needs anything, he just slides the window (or screen) up to reach for the stuff.
When the food is done, he puts the platter of food right on the countertop for me to serve.

This not only gets you more counter space, it is really to prevent traffic through your work area.

I had a range at my peninsula.
I am NOT a proponent of that. I like my range/cooktop in a secured area away from people/kids. I much rather splatter sink water than steaming broth.

And I love my powerful 1100cfm 42" hood to suck up all the steam and odor. I wouldn't want that hanging in the middle of the room, or hung up so high that results in lower power/capacity.

Amanda

Every time I see a design with a cooktop on the island, I think "accident waiting to happen!" Grease can pop. Spaghetti sauce can pop. Boiling water can boil over. People can absentmindedly put something down on a burner that has just been turned off, including their hand. Add to that, small children climbing up on the island the second you turned your back to do something behind the stove top. Not good.

I do 95% of my cooking on the range top. Spend a lot of time there stirring, seasoning, browning, adjusting temperature. It is THE place in the kitchen I want out of the way of passer's by, chatty kitchen visitors, and curious little hands.

IF there is seating at the island and you keep the range in the island, then you will need an island at least 49.5" deep to accommodate at least 24" b/w the back of the range and the seating edge to protect those sitting at the island from billowing steam (scalding) when cooking pasta, etc. Venting isn't needed just for smoky/high-heat/odorous cooking - it's for all cooking. If you never brown meat, cook bacon, stir-fry, cook fish, etc., then you may not need 1000+ cfms, but don't underestimate the impact of steam, fumes, etc. You may not use your hood now, but is it b/c it's ineffective or too noisy (the top 2 reasons most people don't use hoods - especially pre-remodel)?

If you want to spark a spirited debate, ask if you need venting on the Appliances Forum!

So, the island depth:

1.5" counter overhang + 24" deep cabinets & back of range + 1" decorative door or panel + 23" safety seating overhang

(You could put a set of shallow cabinets in that 23" space - up to 8" if you don't want the island to be any deeper than 49.5" (that leaves you with a 15" seating overhang, the minimum recommended by the NKBA.))

Island width: There should be at least 24" on either side of the range. Preferably, at least 36" on one side plus a prep sink to minimize aisle crossing and to provide workspace for more than one person in the kitchen. I also would not make the aisle b/w the island and the top wall too narrow - you will need to accommodate multiple people working in that space since all three primary work zones are going to be crammed into one small space in the kitchen - not ideal. You have a large kitchen, there's no reason why you can't create a nice separation of work zones that don't interfere with each other.

If you could close off the door the patio door in the (or turn it to a window) as was suggested by Huango, it would give you a lot more options - especially if you (1) plan to live there for a long time and (2) have children (and their friends when they get older). It would eliminate the through-traffic and keep people (especially kids) out of the work area unless they're helping!

FYI...venting out an exterior wall is pretty easy; it's a little more complicated for an interior wall, but not that bad, especially if you can follow the studs to the outside.

Something else to consider while remodeling - include plenty of lighting - both overhead and task (under cabinet). As we age, we need more light, especially task lighting. It's helpful if the lighting can be dimmed for both atmosphere and to be able to adjust the light level to your needs.

Soups and pastas, and I'm assuming sauces then too, don't usually require much time at the stove itself. When I make them, besides browning the meat, most of the work done is prepping the vegetables and such. While simmering on the stove, sure, I adjust seasonings and add a bit but it's not time consuming. All that to say, I don't understand why a cook would be isolated from the breakfast nook for more than a few minutes once in awhile. More time is usually spent prepping no matter what the style of cooking.
So, prep on the island, preferably with a small prep sink, and cooking on outside wall for safety and venting.

I really like huango's idea!!!

Wanted to add to what Buehl said about venting. Even if you just cook pasta you need to vent! The other day I put on a pot of water and forgot about it. I did not turn on the vent. I came into the kitchen to find steam filling the room and the area around dripping with water.

All cooking needs venting.

"Soups and pastas, and I'm assuming sauces then too, don't usually require much time at the stove itself."

They can when they involve whisking milk and cheeses, as I do for soups & sauces. I've had many a 'near ruin' from being away from the stove for too long. I've also scraped my fair share of burned beans off the bottom of pans for the same reason.

And I make a variety of grilled sandwiches in cast iron skillet which require attention lest the bread burn.

I spend far less time chopping than I do stirring and seasoning.

I do tend to chop meat and veggies for more than one meal at the same time though. If I know I'm going to use it tomorrow (veggies) - or freeze it (meat) - might as well chop it today while I'm at it.

You currently have a banquette nook in a 63" wide space? Wowza, that's tight! Or is that what you're planning to create in that space? Also, if your goal is to have a place for company to sit and visit while you cook, the nook seems a bit far away for that to happen comfortably. If you would be willing to consider alternative seating options, I have an idea.

I like Amanda's suggestion of swapping patio door for window. That would give you an L with island set-up and, as she pointed out, divert traffic out of the kitchen work zone. Don't just think about how things work now; think about how things will work with kids underfoot. For instance, coming in from the FR to grab a drink, they'd have to cross through your work zone because the fridge is at the end of the aisle between sink and range.

Have you considered incorporating your informal garage mudroom into the house? You can use the garage floor for footings plus there's no changes to roof line so it would be fairly inexpensive square footage to add to your home.

Tossing out this idea to show you what your kitchen would look like with a change to the mudroom/garage entry, swapping out patio door for window and swapping out narrow nook for new hallway.

{{gwi:2138794}}

Here's what I did.

I incorporated the garage area into the house, turning it into a dedicated, insulated/heated/air conditioned room. I moved the mudroom door to the kitchen to the new hallway, which was your very narrow nook. I love banquettes and nooks but I opted to eliminate yours because
a) it's very narrow
b) swapping it out for a hallway means that you now have a direct path from front door to kitchen. If you see this as the heart of your home, where guests will hang out, make it easy for them to get there.
c) the powder room door can move from opening into the kitchen to opening into the new hallway (more privacy and many prefer not to have a bathroom open into a kitchen)
d) it eliminates another opening into your kitchen and routes traffic away from the work zone.

I added another window to the north wall, providing the symmetry that your wife loves with the clean-up zone on the top wall. The range is centered on the base cabs for more symmetry.

I gave you a wall of shallow, floor to ceiling pantry cabs. It would be similar to these pantries.

[{{gwi:2138795}}[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-pantry-contemporary-kitchen-san-francisco-phvw-vp~98501)

[Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by San Francisco Architects & Building Designers Andre Rothblatt Architecture

[{{gwi:2138796}}[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/pantry-traditional-kitchen-burlington-phvw-vp~112936)

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Putney Design-Build Firms Kenzer Furniture

The pantry cabs will hide the post or whatever it is that currently juts into your kitchen. Besides, if you have to give up 9" of aisle to it, why not give up 3" more and gain storage on that wall?

The fridge sits 12" in from the pantry cabs so that there's enough room to fully open the doors to pull-out fridge drawers (I estimated a 39" wide cab for the fridge).

If you plan on getting a standard depth fridge, check into recessing it into the garage so that it appears more like a counter depth fridge. I gave you a 48" aisle between island and range run but that will shrink to about 39" between island and fridge handles on a standard depth fridge. That's still doable, btw.

I used the otherwise voided corner for a recessed cab in the new mudroom. Between the bench and storage on one wall, coat hooks on the opposite wall and the recessed cab, you'll have loads of storage for kid items, especially if he/she/they get into sports.

The drop zone/command central area in the new hallway would be similar to this:

[{{gwi:2138797}}[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/tudor-kitchen-remodel-traditional-kitchen-minneapolis-phvw-vp~325819)

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Cologne Interior Designers & Decorators Amber Ranzau - haut haus, inc.

I mimicked the entry from front door to new hallway for the new entry from new hallway to kitchen.

The island is huge (more like a continent =) ) but it will provide loads of space for hanging out and visiting (there's actually room enough for 3 seats on the south side of the island so room for 5 at the island in all) and for kid projects down the road.

Island seating isn't the best for babies and toddlers but kids do grow and since you said you intend to stay put for 20 years, I opted to design for beyond the baby and toddler years.

An alternative plan would be to reduce the island a little more than half lengthwise and build a banquette along the stairway wall, something like this:

[{{gwi:2138334}}[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-banquette-traditional-kitchen-raleigh-phvw-vp~239524)

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Raleigh Interior Designers & Decorators Abode Interiors

Here's what that plan would look like

{{gwi:2138798}}

Notice that I aligned the banquette bench and table with the island. More symmetry for your wife to love. =)

Another possibility is to build a banquette up against the island like this:

[

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Bellaire Home Builders Hann Builders

This plan would look like this:
{{gwi:2138799}}

IOW, there are other ways to gain seating in your kitchen for you and company.

Everyone, thank you for all the great thoughts. We have spent all day measuring and discussing and reading this site, and we've made some significant improvements. First, a few responses to some of the suggestions:

-A number of folks have suggested closing off the door from the kitchen to the patio. I understand the thought here. However, our kitchen door is far more convenient to the outside space than the living room doors, so I really don't want to lose it.

-Everyone seems against having the range in the island. We've decided to move it from that spot and get a vent set at a normal height. You will see this is the revised plan below. As Buehl suggested, this will help limit the width of our island, which is key. We will use an island width of 41.5", which will meet the minimum suggested for stools at a 36" height surface (15" for knees is all we can afford unfortunately).

-We will keep the main aisle above the island at 48".

-Lisa A: Thank you for the thoughtful suggestion. In an ideal world, your plan would certainly be a possibility. However, this would also require removing two structural stone walls, which is more than we can bear at this time. The nook is a little narrow, but actually works pretty well for two people working at a small table, so we kind of like it, and the old stone walls in the nook are very charming. So we'll stick with it for now. But your plan gave us some things to think about for the future.

The revised plan is below. Here's where our plan stills falls short:

1. The side of the "triangle" between the fridge and range is rather short. And the leg between the fridge and the sink is somewhat impeded by the island. Unfortunately, I don't see a better solution with the space we have.
2. We have 27" on each side of the range. I know the suggestion is to have 36" on one side.
3. The stools at the island only have 15" of legroom, which is all we can afford.
4. Keeping the door to the patio as a door will result in increased traffic through the work area.
5. Powder room still opens into the kitchen.
6. Overall, all the work action and storage is in the upper left side of the plan. The south and east walls are not used for any function. This is simply the nature of our space, unfortunately.

The revised plan is below. Here's a few of the details we are still thinking about:

-Is there enough clearance between the fridge and the island? Would it make sense to shift the island to the right by 6"?

-The island is now 8' long. There is some unused space to the right. Should we make it a 9' or 10' island and use as much space as possible? (8' seems like plenty to me)

-Should the microwave go suspended under the cabinet just to the south of the range, or get thrown in one of the island cabinets?
Thanks again for all the help.

Do you currently own the fridge and range, or will you be buying new ones?

Is the fridge standard depth or counter depth?
standard depth is much more affordable than counter depth, and you get more storage.

So I would pull the base cabinets on the fridge wall out be to be the same depth, so the fridge doesn't stick out.
And you get deeper usable countertops.

In case you haven't bought your appliances, think about induction. I love my 36" induction cooktop.
My gf loves mine so much that she switched from a gas range to induction range.

what countertops are you considering?
it might help dictate whether you want to enlarge the island size, because it may be difficult to get granite/marble slabs larger than 8-9feet long, without needing a seam.
Not sure about Silestone, etc.

Amanda

Oh, I really liked all of Lisa's ideas. But I can understand that stone walls make it more difficult and expensive to make changes. Besides, the character of the walls might make it worth it to make compromises in other areas.

I agree with Amanda/huango that you should pull out your counters on the fridge wall to make it look more built-in and take advantage of the deeper counters. I'd probably do it down the entire wall.

And I would definitely move the island to the right at least 6". In fact, I'd probably do it a whole foot. I'd rather have more room with the fridge doors open. And you have plenty of space on the right. Moving it over 12" will still give you a 59" aisle on the right. I would not make the aisle bigger.

I would, however, add a small prep sink to the island. Even though our kitchen is smaller than yours, we're adding a prep sink. The only time having more than one person working in the kitchen is when we fight for the sink. Very annoying. A prep sink really solves a lot of problems, imho. Although I'm not exactly sure where I would advise you to put it. 48" aisles are recommended for back-to-back working so, technically, you could have it across from the main sink but, imho, that still seems tight so I'm planning on 54". You wouldn't want to make your island any narrower and have a sink in it or it would be uncomfortable for someone sitting across you. Hmmmm...if I were you, I'd use a table or cabinet to mock up a 48" wide aisle and pretend you're both working at them, one at current sink and one at the island, and see if 48" works for you. We did that and that's how we determined we wanted 54". Maybe someone more clever than I am will have an idea.

Even if you keep the door to outside in the kitchen, I think you should explore having the counter-height window so you can also use it as a pass-thru for passing food for the BBQ. I just think that's a fantastic idea.

I think I would prefer if you put the range on the patio wall. Since you aren't able to change windows (why?) I'd place it to the right of the existing window, which will actually give you 6' on the left of the range and still over 2 feet to the right. Then place your sink on the island, directly opposite the window. Place DW on west end of island (as in diagram.)

While not ideal to wash dishes where people are sitting, that issue really depends on how you cook, clean, and keep up with things like that. What might be an issue for a busy family that eats all breakfasts and lunches at the island, where there is a never ending stack of dishes, it may not be a problem if the island is only really a hang out spot during entertaining, and you've got things well cleaned up beforehand.

I'd keep the fridge where you had it in the very first post. You have room for whatever storage needs you might have on that wall. I have a similar stretch of counter next to fridge and pantry. It is where we store our dishes, where the kids prepare snacks and quick meals, and where my husband and I make our tea and coffee. Toaster, microwave drawer, and electric kettle are all along that space. We also have a wine fridge there.

Here's a photo:

Thanks. We really like the idea of having deeper counters and cabinets on the west wall so that the full size refrigerator looks more built in. So, for example, if we we use 34" deep counters rather than 25" counters (and 9" deeper cabinets as well), and the depth of our fridge without handles is 34.75", it should work, right?

However, the depth of our range (now on the same wall) is only 28 3/8" So will the range be recessed about 6"? Or is it possible to bring the range out about 6" so it will no longer be pressed against the wall, but would now be flush with the neighboring counters?

the depth of our fridge without handles is 34.75", it should work, right?

Most likely, the fridge doors need to clear the counter in order to fully open, so you only need to recess the body. You'd have to check your particular fridge, but only a truly built-in fridge will need zero clearance for the doors. See the picture immediately above your post.

Glad I helped spark ideas. Interesting that the nook is bordered by structural stone walls. Is the garage an add-on then? Otherwise, I can't figure out the purpose for the stone structure in the center of the home. Are you sure it's structural and not just veneer?

Your fridge counter run will be 30" deep, not 34". You don't want the counters to be deeper than the fridge box or else you won't be able to open your fridge doors. You want the counter to dead-end into the side of the fridge cab.

You can make the whole run deeper and build a tile shelf along the whole run like this:

[

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Sarasota Architects & Building Designers Clifford M. Scholz Architects Inc.

However, I'm not crazy about the fridge, range, sink placement as you have it. Your prep path will be fridge to sink - walking past the range - and then back to the range. That's a lot of extra steps to make a meal, rather inefficient. Adding a prep sink to the island would make it work better, IMO. Did you read Marcolo's thread about ice-water-stone-fire?

Please double check the top to bottom measurement for the room. You show 14'11" on your drawing but when I add up the numbers on your latest plan (25.5" sink run, 48" aisle, 41.5" island, 52.5" aisle) I get 167.5", which is 1/2" less than 14'.

You wrote that you can't move windows or doors but can you enlarge a window? I have an idea but it would work better if the window over the sink can be widened.

Here is a link that might be useful: Looking for layout help? Memorize this first.

I decided to revisit placing a 30" range in a 10' island and came up with this:

{{gwi:2138800}}

This eliminates the concern I had with your range in island plan. The fridge is no longer deep in the kitchen at the end of the aisle between sink and range. It's now at the right end of the kitchen so family won't need to cross through the cooking zone to grab drinks, or items for the nook or DR table.

This plan gives you a dedicated cook zone with fridge, range and prep sink with oodles of storage and counter. The pantry is also near at hand. I placed the trash pull-out at the far left end so that it's also (somewhat) close to the clean-up sink.

I eyeballed placement so I don't know if the hood is centered on window or nook but since I eliminated uppers on the window wall, if it's not quite centered, I don't think it will be obvious. Keep in mind, unless you stand or sit in the sweet spot, you won't notice if it's not centered.

Here are images of ranges in large islands.

[{{gwi:2138801}}[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/wainscott-residence-beach-style-kitchen-new-york-phvw-vp~985996)

[Beach Style Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/beach-style-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2110) by Philadelphia Architects & Building Designers Sandvold Blanda Architecture + Interiors LLC

[{{gwi:2138802}}[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/landon-contemporary-kitchen-austin-phvw-vp~3656675)

[Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Austin General Contractors Davenport Building Solutions

This one has a copper hood - yummy!

[

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Charleston Cabinets & Cabinetry Carolina Kitchens of Charleston, Inc.

I purposely placed seating at the far right end of the island, out of the splatter zone. You will see images in mags and on houzz with seating directly behind a range or cook top; I wouldn't do that. Given your very large island, you really don't need to either.

I added shallow storage behind the range. You could keep this stretch of counter at the same level as the rest of the island or you could raise it 6", something like this:

[{{gwi:2138803}}[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/crisp-architects-traditional-kitchen-new-york-phvw-vp~193135)

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Millbrook Architects & Building Designers Crisp Architects

[{{gwi:2138804}}[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/crisp-architects-traditional-kitchen-new-york-phvw-vp~193137)

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Millbrook Architects & Building Designers Crisp Architects

[{{gwi:2138805}}[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/green-lake-classic-craftsman-craftsman-kitchen-seattle-phvw-vp~334221)

[Craftsman Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/craftsman-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2116) by Seattle Design-Build Firms RW Anderson Homes

This plan gives you a dedicated clean-up zone on the west wall. I centered the sink on the island but the other choice is to center it between pantry cab and garage entry. Here are images of sinks against walls, not under windows.

[

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Novato Kitchen & Bath Designers Julie Williams Design

[{{gwi:2135803}}[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchens-traditional-kitchen-san-francisco-phvw-vp~1994291)

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Los Gatos Kitchen & Bath Designers Kitchens of Los Gatos

[{{gwi:2138806}}[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-traditional-kitchen-new-york-phvw-vp~1865013)

[Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Woodbridge Architects & Building Designers Huestis Tucker Architects, LLC

There are GWers who are dead-set against ranges or cook top in islands. I don't share that viewpoint provided you are ready for the added cost of island venting and provided the island is wide enough and deep enough to provide ample space around a cook top or range.

I have a 30" cook top in a 5' island; 16" on either side to work. HATE it and can't wait to remodel and move my cook top to the perimeter. If I had an island as large as yours and upgraded from a pop-up downdraft to an island hood, I would happily keep my cook top in the island. But my kitchen isn't nearly as large as yours is.

In your OP, you asked about where to put a MW. I would do a MW drawer either next to the fridge or in the island across from the fridge.

I've not been a big pusher of kitchen vents/fans. Was raised cooking and never had one. Didn't have one in my 14 yrs of marriage cooking for at least 6 either. Did have them in a few later rentals (don't remember using them tho).

Now however, I use my old type fan on a regular basis - like when I over heat something (I'm good at that!) - even just frying up a few potatoes - cause it will start to smoke/steam up and my smoke alarm will go off. It's about 6' from the stove but being up so high I have to grab a stick/broom handle and jump up batting wildly at it until I hit it just the right way to shut it up. I hate that! You won't like it either.
OTOH, I'm glad to know the alarm is so sensitive...
and most people are taller than I am at 5' and can probably hit that sucker a lot easier than I do.

If I did any normal amount of cooking (for a family) I would even want a new fan/vent. I probably only use my stove 3 times a wk or so to scramble eggs, fry potatoes or boil water for spaghetti. I don't think a growing family would survive on that.

stoves in an island in a magazine, website etc look nice but how do they function daily with a family (a working kitchen)? If you look closely at them you'll find a number of function bloopers.

"If you look closely at them you'll find a number of function bloopers."

Because I've had a cook top in my island for more than 20 years, I know the pros and cons of this set-up and I stated them in my post for the OP. The images I posted weren't meant to be followed exactly because yes, there are a few things I would not encourage, such as seating directly behind a range, but that wasn't the purpose behind posting the images. They were simply to illustrate my plan, which I don't believe includes any function bloopers. I'd love it if you'd explain what you mean. I'm sure it will help the OP.

I am an advocate of kitchen venting. I've been without my pop-up downdraft for several months (blocked it off when we redid the deck) and lousy as it was, it was better than nothing. Boy, do I miss having venting!