Absolutely, this is the new trend now to have a "bakery" independent of the main kitchen, and as you suggested is normally located off the pantry.

Lavender --> Have you seen Cotehele's baking room? I will link to the baking center post I found most useful. Cotehele's baking room pic is halfway down.

One thing I would suggest is separating the microwave and oven as in my house atleast the microwave is the most touched appliance by all house members and not just the cook. May be a spot in some upper run? Another thing to consider is whether you primarily bake during baking days or leisure or is the oven used frequently in regular cooking. If you often start something on the stove and finish in the oven, it might be a PITA to keep going around the wall. But I agree the marble counter baking nook with the pantry is beautiful

Baking center thread with pics

Oceangirl- I'm trendy? Good to know :)

Lalitha- I had forgotten about that thread...thanks for the link! As for the microwave, it's just me and my husband and I use the microwave for melting margerine/butter, maybe heating up hot dogs for the nieces/nephews and defrosting meat. My husband uses the microwave more often than I do, but it's usually something coming out of the freezer.

I'm really excited about the marble. I really want to use it in the baking area...but I don't want it as my main countertop. Hopefully, this is the perfect compromise.

Oh, and we're going to have a range, not a cooktop...so broiling and some baking could be in the main kitchen. I just want a wall oven for cookies, bread, cakes, etc. Also, I'd love to get those big flour (metal inserts) in the lower cabinets. Those are so cool!

I hope Cotehele doesn't mind...but I thought I'd post some of the pictures, from the other thread. It's a great space and I really like the contrast, between the main kitchen and the more 'unfitted style' of the baking area.
{{!gwi}}From Fairy tale cottage
{{!gwi}}From Fairy tale cottage

This is similar to my pantry sink :) {{!gwi}}From Fairy tale cottage

Great storage and I love the herbs! {{!gwi}}From Fairy tale cottage

lavender- when you get a chance please post pics of your kitchen...I would also love to see pics of the wood stove area. Thanks

Truly love cotehele's kitchen and bakery!

Do I recall correctly that you have marathon baking sessions with the nieces and nephews? Maybe for those times you could use the kitchen range. I think running into the pantry every 5 minutes to switch cooky sheets would drive me crazy, unless I just hung out in there until the cookies were all done--doable in cotehele's space with everything one would need, close at hand. But I never bake fewer than four batches at once, using 8-10 cooky sheets. (Baked chocolate chip cookies twice in the last couple of weeks--it's so nice to have a functional kitchen.)

For my use, I like having the microwave beside the fridge, but I've read that some folks keep their microwaves in the pantry, or have given up microwave use, and don't miss it at all. Lol, can you put your microwave around the corner, in another room and see how that works, before you settle on a kitchen plan?

BTW, I realllly want you to have that marble. :)

Thought I may as well chime in. Thank you for the kind words about my kitchen and bakery. I have been in them a little over two years. I have no regrets separating the two areas. The location of the ovens makes it easy to keep an eye on the bakery goods or general baking/roasting. There is adequate landing space beside the ovens-I see you, too, have a large marble countertop next to the ovens. I have two microwaves. The one we use most is in the kitchen. It is near the fridge and beverage center. A small MW in the bakery is used mainly for melting butter. I would not be happy with a MW in the bakery only.

Just a suggestion, but something I did relentlessly was to rearrange my old kitchen similar to the (many) layouts for the new kitchen to see what worked and what didn't. I didn't hire a contractor until I was convinced the kitchen we were building was one I could live with for the rest of my life. At the least every time you go to the ovens imagine what it would be like to walk around a wall into the next room. Only you can determine if it works in your situation.

Good luck and have fun starting from scratch. I will be a wonderful journey and a joy to use once it is finished.

Here is a link that might be useful: More pics of the bakery and kitchen

cotehele's kitchen is my absolute favorite, even though mine looks nothing like it. I love that big sink!

I would love to have a baking kitchen, but I'd need two sets of a lot of things because I would not want to run to the baking room to grab salt to add to something on the cooktop. But that wouldn't be a big deal, keep a small container of items near the cooktop and the main supply in the baking area.

LOVE LOVE LOVE cotehele's kitchen. One of my absolute all time favs.

Wow, cotohele...your kitchen is so inspiring to me.

LL--not sure what to say about your question but I love the plan you posted.

Wow, your kitchen is fantastic! (And I love cotehele's gorgeous kitchen too! Soo warm and charming!)

How often do you envision yourself using a sink or the refrigerator to grab ingredients when baking? If it's fairly often, my only concern would be the baking center's distance to them. Aside from that, I love it all!

Bella- Thank you. The pantry sink is close enough to use for baking and the main sink is right through the arch...so I can just slide pans right into the soapy water! I'm thinking about adding a fridge drawer or even a small undercounter fridge, in the baking area.

Mike- Thanks...I really like your kitchen plan, too. The range in the fireplace is going to look so great! Have you looked at any Agas?

Remodelfla- Me, too :)

Macybaby- I think you just solved on of my problems! LOL

Cotehele- Thanks for the input! I mainly use the microwave for melting butter/margerine or defrosting meats. My husband sometimes will heat up a frozen snack...so I think the location will work well for us.

Mama Goose- You're right, I do have baking sessions with the niece and nephews! For the little ones, the oven in the range is a better fit, since they can peek in at the cookies, as they bake.

Also, the plan is to have a screened porch, where the door to the right is, just by the powder room. Another good reason to add a little undercounter fridge. Also a nice place to take a break, after baking! :)

Angel- I don't have any pictures, yet...but I can show you one of my inspiration pics, just to give you a general idea of what we're thinking about doing... {{gwi:1433897}}From Fairy tale cottage

lavender- I think it looks like a great idea!! Whatever takes to use that marble!
: )

cothele- What color yellow/cream is that on your cabinet in your baking area with the white doors?

Fishies- Thanks! Whatever it takes to get the marble. LOL

That is a pretty yellow, on the cabinet. I wonder if it's the same shade Cotehele used on the walls, in the main kitchen? The light yellow, in the baking area, looks great with the wood and plants, too :)

Cotehele- Thanks for the link, to your blog :)

I have a question...what did you use, for your double oven cabinet? Is that an older piece or a new piece, designed to look old?

Your unfitted baking area is so charming and such a contrast to your main kitchen (which is also very pretty). What made you decide to decorate it that way? Did you want to use your antiques? Did you already have the sink, too? And if not, where did you find it?

Since I have a vintage sink (with two drainboards) I was hoping to do more of an unfitted look in that area, too. I was thinking about a more 'fitted' look in the main kitchen, but I do think I'd like different countertop and paint/stain, on the island.

Also...are you still planning to buy the house across the street? It sounds like an exciting project!

One time bump, to see if Cotehele sees this...or else I'll email :)

Sorry for being away so long. My life has changed since October, and I don't have as much time for blogging and online fun. I did not buy the house across the street. DH's thoughts were along the line of "I am dead set against it" and keeping peace in the family was more important. I am very disappointed. The house was purchased by a family who has not moved into the place yet, so it sits empty.

Thanks for your kind words about the kitchen and bakery. Many years ago I was given DH's grand mother's Napanee Kitchenette. I always loved it, but assumed it would go to her granddaugher and never expressed an interest in it. My SIL did not have a place for it in her kitchen and so it came to me. I was/am thrilled. It has always been a working piece rather than only a focal point. When I designed the new kitchen, including it in my baking area was a must. As all of us have experienced, creating the perfect kitchen plan is about impossible. There was never enough space or a good layout accommodating all the things I wanted/needed. The ovens were also hard to fit in the kitchen. I even tried hiding them under the counter behind doors. When we moved the kitchen location we also built a new two-car garage. Our lot is an odd shape, and to meet code the garage was angled. The angle didn't meet the house well and we ended up with a 8' x 16' space between the kitchen and the garage. The connecting space is the bakery. I waffled between stained and painted cabinet finish over the two years it took to design the kitchen because I love both. A scullery was always a fascination as well as appropriate for the age of the house and found it's way into many plans A very long answer to your question. I just got lucky to have the extra space. The two cabinets (ovens and marble-top cab) were custom made by the same cabinet maker who did our kitchen cabinets. The sink is new (Clarion Farmhouse Sink). It had the look I wanted and cost effective as otherwise 5' cabinet run, sink and countertops would have been necessary.

I love the contrast of paint and stained cabinets in one space. For our kitchen I wanted a period inspired (not period accurate) kitchen. Contrasting island seems to be from a more modern period, so I stuck with homogenous materials and finishes. Your layout is perfect for formal and informal styles in near by spaces, too. I don't think I would mix the two in one space.

I cannot find the building folder for the kitchen. All the paint is Sherwin Williams, but I don't know the name of the kitchen walls. The bakery walls are the SW match for BM Lemon Chiffon. The cabinet frames are custom color. I can give you the formula if you want it. I am embarrassed to say the white door and drawer color is primer. I like the look, so it has not been painted.

Cotehele- Thank you for the detailed response. It's a wonderful space (well, both of them are) and thanks for the paint color, too. I've been looking for a nice yellow, for the walls...and Fishies might like that in her kitchen, as well :)