Mythreesonsnc, I am no kitchen guru, but i love your sketches. So creative!

The plan is a little difficult to make out in its small size, so I can't really comment on the layout. I will say, however, that although I love the look of your range area, I am way too clumsy to have the full cabinets on both sides. I need more space around me. If I had to cook in that kitchen, I would want the counterspace all the way over on both sides.

Great job from what I can see!

I am VERY intrigued by your description and really want to see your plan, but it's too small. I love your drawings and your vision.

Some things I can comment on. I think 24"+ to each side of the range is enough with the island right across to do most of the work on...since it's not also the clean up area, which I am glad to hear.

If you're planning a dishwasher in each area (I think I see that in the small drawing), I wouldn't. It sounds good in theory, which is why I did it in our last house, but it didn't work. With 2 dishwashers it's better to have them both within reach from one spot. When you have one dishwasher 2/3 full and have too much for the other, you want to be able to open them both and shift things to get the best use of the dishwasher space. If they are in different areas, you end up running back and forth and with things ending up in the 'wrong dishwasher.' If side by side, you fill one til it's full, then run it...and turn to start filling the next. That way they both get run equally, which is good for wear and tear and keeping them clean and fresh inside.

4'6" between cooktop and island would much too far for me. Ours is 3 ft and just right, IMO. You want to prep and turn to the stove, not run steps back and forth. It would be different, again, if that sink and dw were also your cleanup zone and you had 1 or 2 others working at the island while you work at the stove. For an efficient work area, I wouldn't go past 42", and as I said, prefer my 36", which isn't at all tight.

Our 36" aisle with 2 grown dds working together at the stove:

Howdy--yes, the diagrams are too small to read.

Are the only ovens in a completely separate room, invisible to the cook? Are you really comfortable with that--with not being able to easily check on items that are baking or roasting while you're doing something else? What about the myriad recipes and cooking techniques that call for starting something on the stovetop and moving them to the oven--will you run across the kitchen with a hot splattering pan or just cross off all those recipes? (There are a lot of them, from salmon fillets to boeuf bourguignon.)

If that's a range, and not a rangetop, ignore my comment, because then you've already got an oven right there.

In any case, I think you are right to do a reality check now regarding function. I've seen other posters come here extremely concerned about symmetry, only to see how it interferes with function or storage, and also to realize that what appears perfectly balanced on paper is not so in real life.

Would also like to see a larger plan view if that's possible.

So keep in mind that I can't make out a single measurement.

I think the informal dining area is a little smallish(left to right). If its possible to have it line up with the dish pantry wall? Roughly, two empty chairs on either side of a table add about 15" each to the depth of the table. When occupied, the chairs add around 24" each. If I'm seeing the room correctly, there a banquette, a 5 foot round table and a sizable chair. So side to side is 24" for the banquette, about 60" for the table and 24" for an occupied chair - or nine and a half feet plus a little to make sure the chairs stay in the room when pulled back and to walk by seated people - so 10-11 feet. Unfortunately, if you use a 48" table, it reduces by only one foot needing a room about 9-10 feet wide.

I think your spacing on the side of the rangetop will be fine if you don't prep there (and I can't imagine why you would) - its too small with the tall refs on both sides to manipulate things.

For once, I think you could bring the island just a little bit closer to the rangetop run. (waves to rhome)

If you use the micro for cooking, placing it to one side of the rangetop would be a good candidate location. If it's mainly snacking, including a small worktop in the food pantry with the micro mounted above or to the side of it might work for you. Using the dish pantry - perhaps near the frzr (got water, dishes, micro and close to the ref) would seem to make the most sense to me.

I can't tell if you have one or not, but maybe put a small coffee bar - buffet in the informal eating area. Toaster, perhaps a plug in appliance like a waffle iron every once in a while to cook lite stuff at table on sunday morning or a place to set up service platters of foods for a supper.

About the only other thought is about a warming oven. If you serve with heated plates or heated cups , you might want a small one in the dish pantry.

I can't wait for these pictures.

I like what you have done, we are in the same process. I also have 3 growing little boys, and I am one to line everything up! I will try and reply to each of your questions.

1. I hate built in microwaves because if they break you are stuck with finding an exact size replacement or retro fitting the exsisting space, so I have mine slated to go into a microwave cabinet in the island that can double as a book shelf, but will likely place the microve in the walk in pantry because we rarely use it. With that being said you can put it in the island but with the location of most of your cabinet space you may want to put it in your walk in food pantry.

2. I would feel cramped in the small enclosed space at the range, but like most have said before if you are not preping you will be fine.

3. I love a large island, mine is 4 x 15, the bigger the better. You don't need anymore space than 12", IMO. That is what I will have. When you are at the bar in a stool even if you sat with your tummy on the counter top you knees would not touch the cabinets and with counter height stool they have a foot rest that most will use so that they don't loose all the feeling in the dangling legs. As for the boys kicking the cabinets, well I can say that only one of mine would do it and the others would steer clear and it most likely wouldn't happen again, I run a pretty tight ship here in the south.

I would say that there is not a whole lot of difference in 36" - 42" or 42" - 48" or 48" - 52", all a half step, but a lot of difference between 36" - 52" almost 2 steps. I think this is a VERY personal choice, I have 42" between my island and stove wall, but I am a gally kitchen and there is really no need for someone to be in my cooking zone unless they are helping me, so look and see who or what would be in you way. If a lot of through traffic you may need all that space.

4. I don't think you will need upper cabinets and you can always add them later, but what will go on the wall? That room doesn't look small so you may want to consider putting upper cabinets, but it is not a must, however it may help give this room a finished look.

5. If you like stuff out in the open then the table is a fine idea, but if you want things "put away" then consider utility cabinets or something that can offer roll our drawers.

6. Lighting!!! :-), I know you are not there yet!!!

Looks great so far!!!
Margaret

If a lot of through traffic you may need all that space.

That's part of the problem. All that space invites through traffic, and there shouldn't be any, when a h ot pan comes off the rangetop or chopped garlic needs to go in.

Thanks so much for the comments. I am going to try to post the layout again since it is too small to read. I'm trying it in tinypic, because I can't seem to make photobucket any larger....

Here is the entire kitchen area (for perpective, though this has several mistakes, my scribbled one above is more accurate).

Finally, the kitchen to dining room perspective...

In the kitchen, outside of the doors is a screened in porch, just didn't scan that portion.

I am eager to go through each comment --- just have to run the kids to school and then I'll be back --- but a big THANK YOU in advance.

Yea!

The island and seating overhang - just some thoughts

Looking at the larger plan, I understand your concern about perhaps not having enough cabinet space in the same room for gear, but because you have so much space, that would be my last choice of a place for it. Crawling under an 18" overhang to access deep cabinets is no fun. Maybe consider doing 18" deep cabinets on the ends and clustering the 3 seats in the center with a 2 foot overhang. If your kids are smallish, it can be fun to put a "secret" kids only place in the remaining depth.

I also wonder if the paired 27" ref/frz are ok where placed - or if they should move. If they moved, or one of them moved, would you then have enough gear storage? If they remain and are the only refrigeration, what is the pathway for getting a glass of water with ice(or a soda)? What will happen during entertaining or a kids party?

The dish pantry and no uppers:

This is just my thoughts! If you're height or mobility challenged, not using uppers makes perfect sense, if you use a form of a hutch for actual dish storage that also makes some sense. If you have lots of dishes, uppers or uppers to the counter or simply tall cabinets with glass doors or partly glass doors make sense. Because you can store then for along time without rewashing and you can see where what you're looking for is.

Food pantry:

Willow's pantry, lovely as it is, doesn't read relaxed farmhouse to me. When I read your description, I thought more along the lines of this pantry.

You have the room for the work table and I would surely do it. If nothing else, it gives you a place to sit down grocery bags before unloading to the proper place. I'm not sure about accessing small appliances? I can see it storing a food processor or a slow cooker, but I'm not 100% clear on how you'd use them back there. Maybe noodle around whether you could have room to store and use them in the dish pantry?

Additional thoughts:

I wonder if you want to mirror the barn doors with the porch doors, but maybe have them both stack to the same side of the opening.

I guess the last is wondering about having a bunch of utility spaces without windows - stuff like the pantries and the office and the hallways. Maybe the office space would be better on the perimeter? Maybe the stuff on the perimeter could have some transoms or other natural light?

One trick I suggest you try:

Print out several copies of your kitchen plan. The zoomed-in portion you posted above will work well.

Now, get pens or markers in several different colors. First, imagine you're you, and trace your steps performing a number of common tasks in the kitchen. Try to be as specific as possible--maybe keep a few of your favorite recipes by your side, and imagine where you'll walk and turn. Try things like:

-Roasting a chicken while making sauteed vegetables
-Defrosting leftover side dishes in the microwave to serve with dinner
-Making a cake or bread using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whichever you use
-Emptying a boiling pot of pasta, saucing it and putting it into pasta bowls

Now, pretend you are your kids or husband. Imagine that you are
- Grabbing a snack from the fridge or freezer and popping it in the micro while you are sauteeing
- Dropping off a dirty dish in the nearest DW while you are prepping
- Setting the table while you are basting a turkey in the oven
- Grabbing a snack and putting it on the plate to take it out onto that porch

Look at your own lines, and see how long your path is. Then check to see how your lines intersect with your family's. I think you might be surprised.

Lovely! Your breakfast area makes me rething using our wall for a fireplace and turning the space into a sitting/reading room. I love the built in you sketched out!

OK, I'm back...

Buckhead, thanks for the words of encouragement --- I know what you mean about the full expanse of counter space. I currently have an island with a cooktop (don't like this at all) and the landing space is about --- 21" --- I never ever use the space next to it to chop, etc, I tend to always go to the bigger space --- across the aisle. I was thinking in this plan that I'd prefer to wash vegetables and chop, etc . on the island because I'd be open to the room and the windows --- instead of having my back to everything, plus I'd have more space on the island. 2 of my sons LOVE to help me cook, so I thought the big island would be helpful to layout all the ingredients, measure, and prep. Then, the cooking area would be a bit more protected and is more of a one person space for stirring, etc.
Marcolo, you are right, it is a cooktop, not a range. You bring up a good point about carrying the pans to the oven. We just made Beouf Bourgoig.... (well, I give up on the spelling for the moment) last weekend, it was delicious and that is a hazard to carry it all. But, while we do like to cook, I also find the oven underneath to be troublesome in some scenarios --- I think of it like right now I have a trashcan under the sink (pain). While I'm doing dishes, every time somebody wants to throw something away / help clear plates, I have to scoot to the side to let them be helpful. I'd much prefer the trash to be a separate space so 2 people can work at once. So, I was thinking about the ovens in the same way --- for example, a daily meal....my son is at the cooktop stirring sauce(they stand on a stool to help) and I need to check the garlic bread in the oven. To open it, I need to move him from his post, move the stool and open the oven. Separate ovens would avoid this issue on a daily basis. Or, on a holiday --- I could have my father in law (fantastic cook) in his zone at the stove, working for hours on the perfect sauce. At the same time all of the kids could be baking cookies, and we'd stay out of his way. So --- given the 2 most common scenarios, do you think I'm still making a big mistake? I could do a combo -- make the cooktop a range with a single oven and then in the "baking area" put a single oven, microwave and warming drawer in a stack. But, the downside to that is losing the big drawers under the cooktop for the pans, lids and oils, spices, etc. I'd have more limited space for those. What do you think?

rhome, I understand your point completely about the dishwashers. From a fuction standpoint, I find we fill the dishwasher about once per day. I think we'll use the one in the dish pantry / clean-up area on a daily basis - I am excited about the DW drawers because I can put dishes from a single meal in, run it, and then have another drawer for a later meal. I was thinking the one in the island was more for parties and overflow, like holidays --- it would be near the butler's pantry, and it could handle the dining room and big event overflow, but would likely not be used on a daily basis. I figured that if we have SOOO many dishes, then I would also have extra hands to help load and we'd be able to double up on the clean up (each person could have a sink, trashcan and a dishwasher). But, you are making me wonder if that island dishwasher would be so infrequently used that it might get smelly? I am more inclined to remove it from the plan altogether than to move it near the other one just because it would truly only be used for holidays or parties --- and in those times, we expect dish overflow... and we could run it muliple times.
About the walkway between the island and cooktop -- I've been wondering if the 4'6" is just too much, and it sounds like it is too big. I think I'll shift it down to a narrower walkway --- and that will allow me to make the overhang a bit bigger (because if I make the walkway narrower by pulling the cabinets closer to the cooktop, I'd want to pull the countertop in the other direction too to keep balanced under that beam.
bmore - I think you are right about the breakfast area size --- it has always worried me, to the point of laying everything out (creating walls, the banquette, the windows, etc) to test it. It seemed fine in the test, but I wasn't considering the chairs pulled out situation, so I'm going to re-test! Thanks for the heads up. I do have a warming drawer planned with the oven stack. We've had this set up before and really loved it. We will have a little coffee area in the breakfast area, with the fridge drawer near it for milk or cream. I am excited about that, and about the fridge drawer right next to the table for the drinks. I've never had that, but somebody here recently posted that they have it and love it.

mbwaldrop --- 3 sons too --- it is fun isn't it! I agree about the kicking the cabinets thing -- have to say that mine would do it once and only once --- they are pretty good about understanding rules, especially if I explain the "why" behind the rule. I like the idea of the microwave on a shelf --- or maybe in the pantry would be best. I'm going to play with that a bit more.
The walkway situation --- I think this is tricky -- I want it to feel spacious, but don't want it to feel so spacious that it invites lots of traffic into the area, which I think is exactly Marcolo's point.
The upper cabinet thing -- I've done a quick inventory and feel like I don't need the upper cabinets in the dish pantry (like the drawers below because tey are much easier for the kids), but you might be right about it not looking finished. Wish I could think of something really neat to make that space feel really neat, and not just unfinished! Ideas anybody?
Lighting --- well, I've got several different theories...I have been worried about hanging pendants from the beams think redroze like), so then I decided the beams in the center of the room should just "hug" the roofline instead of coming across like a triangle. But, then I'd be hanging the pendants from an angled ceiling, which is weird. So, most recently, I saw this picture....in BHG kitchens mag...

another view....

I think the skylights above are so beautiful, and the chandelier (Niermann Weeks --- aka super expensive) is so pretty, but alas, out of my budget for 2. I could do this idea though over the island....

A single giant chandelier over the island, and then repeat it down in the keeping room.... I was thinking of this one --- it has wooden beads, by visual comfort....

Anyway, in addition, I think I'll need some cans, undercabinet lighting by the rangetop, and I was thinking of uplighting the beams, and uplighting the barrel vault in the breakfast area. Haven't really done much planning around the lighting yet, but I did really love the kitchen above, so it started me thinking.... Now, I can't decide if I should keep the totally rustic beam look (like the first picture in my post, or if I should do more of the skylight with the chandlier with the painted beams look? Or, can I come up with a hybrid of those 2 pictures, utilizing the skylights and the dark wooden beams....

Thanks again for looking and helping me... I am going to go back to the drawing board to try to incorporate these great suggestions.... Rachel

I was typing before and missed several posts....

bmore -- I LOVE that pantry. I am really going to try to utilize it in my pantry. The space looks similar and my mom has been telling me to put a counter for groceries, so thank you! I also LOVE the mirroring the barn door idea out to the porch, I can't wait to try to figure that out --- it is such a good idea because I have been struggling with the porch doors (as you can see by my marked up page). This will make it seem like they are thoughtfully placed vs. just stuck in there somehow. I also agree with you about the difficulty in accessing the space beneath the stools --- and am all for secret spaces for the kids, they really love that.... when I mentioned a secret space to them before they told me their requirements... They like the idea of a little panel where they talk-- if it is the correct voice, a trap door opens and sends them into a secret room. Complicated enough? But, anyway, I am going to work on the functional island situation. As far as the all fridge is concerned, do you have any ideas about where it should go, if not where it currently is? I was planning that fridge to be mainly cooking ingredients. Over in the breakfast area we'll have fridge and freezer drawers --- I was anticipating drinks would be in there. The awkward part is the cups will be stored in the breakfast area, but it is a bit far from the DW. Not sure how to address that.
In the dish pantry, I was planning to make a down to the counter hutch to store dishes. I can't find a good picture right now, but one that comes to mind is Cotehele's.
Marcolo - thanks for the idea --- will go through our basic steps to understand how this "lives." Thanks.

Thanks again!

First I didn't see the hutch in your kitchen closeup and wondered where the dishes were supposed to go. What is beside the hutch in the back corner? If you're going to bake in that 'prep' area and have no uppers, where will you keep all the ingredients and supplies? Will everything you need fit in the base cabs? (Flour, spices, flavorings, sugars, raisins, baking powder, aprons, hot pads, cookbooks, measuring and stirring tools, decorating supplies, cake pans, pie plates, cookie sheets, baking pans of all shapes and sizes, etc, etc)

Like Bmore, I'm wondering about the use of small appliances so far from baking or prep areas.

I was buying that this might work, although it has some quirks, like not being able to keep an eye on the oven and stove at the same time very easily, and if you have the microwave in the main area, there is a question of access to dish or spoon. But then I looked at the overall plan and noticed the butler's pantry. I feel like you're going to have so many places to keep things and do much to keep track of that I think it might be a step or two too divided. The butler's pantry and dining room seem a long way from the cooking area and much farther from where the dishes need to go to get cleaned up.

Where will you have a toaster or toaster oven? Coffee maker? Any snack foods, cereals, etc? If, for instance, you have cereal in the pantry, and bowl & spoon in the dish room, and milk in the cooking area...is that what you'll be happy doing to have a simple bowl of cereal?

Lots of cool factor and lots of things to consider, too...

Love your lighting ideas as well as the larger plans!!! You have put a lot of thought into your design and it will be enjoyed for many years!

I don't know if these are helpful or not. Its so hard to guess what is convenient for the way someone else cooks.

You could put the freezer in the pantry but build a 27" wide,but tall cabinet in its place with a single oven at 48" with gear stored above and below it. Trade the expensive frzr for a more utilitarian one and buy another chandy.

You could do the same thing with a combo 27" fridge/frzr to have a smaller local frzr.

Is it possible to add a door between the informal dining area and the dish pantry? Can you push the drinks and milk into the dish pantry? Does that make breakfast cereal pathways better?

If you do add a small buffet in the informal dining, could it store dry breakfast foods?

You have so much coolth and just a few issues to noodle through.

I love the idea of breaking things apart into separate rooms.

Not sure if this is related, but I've been thinking recently, if I had space, I would love to get all the non-cooking stuff out of a kitchen. Junk drawers. Phone rechargers. Incoming mail. All that stuff. Make the kitchen a real cooking place. Maybe a gathering place, too, as long as beverage and snack self-service was out of the way. So I think the idea of a kitchen as a collection of rooms is interesting, as is the idea of these little cozy rooms juxtaposed with your great hall.

My only concern is that you might have functions broken across rooms, rather than dedicating rooms to each function. You clearly have a great aesthetic sense--did you know btw that the whole reclaimed wood thing you're doing, while classic, is also the cutting edge of interior design right this second? I'm sure you did it to fit the Bucks County vibe you love, but I'm just saying you are very in tune aesthetically with what's going on today. That said, be careful that perfect aesthetics don't drive out function. It's why I suggested the plan-scribbling exercise--you'll know if it works for the way you cook and live.

For instance, if that butler's pantry is true to the name, it's where you'll stage food and store formal dishes. That should probably be closer to a cleanup area, or have its own, no?

Thanks for all of the nice encouragement. There are several areas of the kitchen which I feel pretty strongly about, and then there are the ones I am uneasy about. I think the Marcolo / rhome concern of too many steps for something as simple as a bowl of cereal is certainly worth considering, and I am going to work to tighten up those functions which are common for us. I have one of those little "planning desks" in my current kitchen and at any given time it is piled with papers, bills, kids pemission slips, and mail. If I have somebody coming over, I quickly dump it all into a basket which quickly becomes a black hole! My little room behind the cooktop (Rachel's space) is to allow my mess, keep it close by, but keep it out of the kitchen area. I know this little space will be a favorite, and it is really there only to handle a roofline issue. The home planning area, is where I was thinking the kids could do homework --- they would be close by, but not in the loud main room --- I knew it would be darkish, and would have no windows, but that is a bit by design as the computer will not have a glare and the printer and all of that stuff can be tucked away in here.
The butler's pantry will likely house the more formal china, and it is where guests can help themselves to wine, beer, drinks and a food buffet, though I think it will mainly function as a bar during parties, and food will likely be on the island. My thinking is the butler's pantry is a good connector to the dining room, and the great room, kitchen and porch. The corridor is wide enough for some milling around, and there will be a sink in there, but the related clean-up area will really be on the island. I'm OK with that.
One of the other things that you've all made me consider, is the steps to do things like get cereal. What if the 2 cabinets flanking the kitchen table have a fridge and freezer drawer, coffee maker, mugs, sugar bowl, glasses and bowls on one side. On the other side, what if they have 2 big drawers (size of fridge drawers) filled with the cereal boxes. Silverware is another issue. Would it make sense to keep the daily silverware over by the table? If so, couldn't I just take the silverware basket out of the dishwasher and take it (or have the kids take it) over to that area to empty. In that case, a daily meal (cereal and coffee, and juice) would all be handled right there at the table. Clean-up would involve setting the dishes through the little pass through (I could make this a door, but I think I like the pass-through) and then loading the dishwasher, etc. Not too bad, it only involves the breakfast and clean-up area. Now, things are more complicated for other meals. Setting the table would mean getting plates, etc. out of the "dish pantry" area.
In my little baking area, I think the comments are totally on --- I think I need to put uppers here for baking supplies. That would allow me to put drawers below for things like mixing bowls, pans, mixers, etc. The toaster could also go out here as well.
I know I have lots lots more to figure out --- but thanks for all of the help thus far.

Marcolo, thanks so much for the design and reclaimed wood, etc. encouragement. I have always loved these things and sometimes people look at me like I'm crazy, but I really love them. Good to know that I'm actually going to be current for a little while at least!

Hi Rachel

I'm just chiming in to say your plans look fantastic-love the banquette area (wish we had one) and the vaulted ceiling/lighting is going to be stunning. So exciting-keep us posted.
Katie

I can't tell, but it doesn't appear to me that you're going to have a water source in the eating area. If you're not, making coffee in there could be a problem. To me, it seems that the eating area is now becoming somewhat of another "prep area", with coffee, cereal, etc. and another potential clean up area. Would you consider the frig/freezer drawers in the "prep pantry"? At least the messes would be contained in 1 spot. It just seems to me that you have 3 potential areas to be cleaning up at all times. The kitchen, the prep pantry and the eating area. I envision running around with a sponge!! A poster a while back had a kitchen with a "scullery" which reminds me of your prep pantry. They basically used that for many of the things you are planning in your eating area and prep pantry. She used the "kitchen" for the cooking.

Also, I can't seem to find your dish hutch.

Also, you might want to think about what you will keep in your freezer drawers in the eating area. Ice cream? Anything that needs to be heated up will have to go to a different "room".

I understand what you're trying to do, and think it could be fabulous. For me, the part that is most concerning is that now your eating area seems to have prep activities going on. If it were me, I'd want them contained to either the kitchen or the prep pantry. Do you think your breakfast meals will possibly take place at the island instead of the eating area?

I really don't think you want to get into having dishes in all different rooms of your house...prep/cleanup, butler's pantry, and bfast room. Think about sorting them out and getting them all delivered properly.

When we had the separated dishwashers that didn't work, we had one in the kitchen/cooking area, and one in the dining area, where we also kept the dishes and silverware. But soon I noticed that having all the dishes and silverware in the dining room was very inconvenient when warming up leftovers, making lunches, etc...and tried, then, to have a special set of silverware for the kitchen and one for the dining, and kept some of the smaller plates in the kitchen, too. What a hassle. The only reason it wasn't completely disastrous was because the kitchen and dining room were on opposite sides of a wall with a pass-through window to connect, and we have enough family members to station someone on each side to pass things back and forth. I truly believe in one location for all dishes and all dish cleanup, even if it's a few extra steps to another part of the kitchen. Different rooms, though, adds more dimension to the question and more difficulties, I'm afraid.

But, by the way, I LOVE your "Rachel's Space." I have a little alcove for my desk just outside the kitchen, but would love a larger space that was more closed off from view. At its best, it's kind of messy looking.

Thanks Rhome. I hear you about the too many spaces issue. Mahlgold got me thinking too about maybe also using the island counter more frequently. I think that is a good point. When we had a large island in a previous house, we used it constantly. In our current home, it is very small, raised and more inconvenient so we rarely use it. But, I think I need to consider the island will be more of a gathering space for snacks and meals and projects, which might really really help with the idea of keeping it all contained in one location (not in the breakfast room). Maybe I should try to make the island a bit different -- meaning, instead of having 4 stools in a row, perhaps I should try to put them on 2 sides to make it more conversational ---- and to make it a bit more friendly than one giant row. Also, I think will go back to the drawing board a bit to see if I can figure out a good way to keep it all in one place. If the sink, dishwasher, dishes and silverware are all in the little dish pantry room, and the main fridge was in its current loation, would you still think this is too much? I could put the fridge/ freezer drawers in the dish pantry, or even in the island if you think that would help?
Thanks again for the input! Rachel

I think it's fine to have the main fridge separate from the dish area. Just to give you some real life experience on the frig/freezer and the frig/freezer drawers. We are a family of 4 and have a 24" frig and a 24" freezer, along with 24" refrigerator drawers. For us, the freezer is plenty big, the frig would never have been big enough if i didn't have the drawers. Are you planning 1 unit that has both a frig drawer and a freezer drawers or 2 separate units?

If you're planning the units in the main kitchen to hold your cooking items, i would probably put the drawers in the prep pantry(if that's where the toaster oven, coffee maker are going). I think in the island, it would just cause interference unless it was somehow on the outside of the island. If they do go in the pantry, you might want to consider a "full size" frig/freezer. You'd get a lot more storage than the drawers and it would cost alot less. It would be hidden away anyway.

I would just make sure that the prep pantry isn't becoming the place where the majority of tasks are taking place. Sort of eliminates the need for the main kitchen.

I'm late to the party and admittedly I did not read every response in detail but scanned so I may have missed somethings said above, please forgive me.

I love the plan!! I think there are a lot of really great things about it and really probably only needs some minor tweaks from what you originally posted. I would re-label the prep pantry as the cleanup/dish storage area and not plan to prep in there. I would then move the oven/mw/wd into the main kitchen area and freezer to the pantry and consider the main kitchen your prep and cooking area. The sink & DW there could be used for pots/pans cleanup as well. I think the butler pantry would be great to be used for fancy dish storage and a bar area, I would be tempted to put DW drawers in there as well, even though that may seem like a lot of Dishwashers.

I don't think it would be too difficult on a daily basis to grab cereal from the pantry, get milk from the fridge and a bowl and spoon from the dish pantry and pass it through to the eating area. I would prefer a door rather than a pass-through there, personally. When you write it out it sounds like a lot of steps but in reality I don't think it is actually that many more steps than many of our kitchens, just more walls/doors in between. Also, you probably don't have cereal every day for breakfast, so I don't think it makes sense to only plan for that particular meal. I think it is impossible to group everything you need for every function/meal without A LOT of duplication and then you run into the situations mentioned above of sorting/trying to keep things in the right spot.

The reality is that unless you have a very small kitchen so you don't have a choice, you are probably going to have to walk across it for some things, the goal is just to try minimize the trips needed to perform any given task. Think about how you cook... if you are a planner so you are likely to go to the pantry, get all the ingredients you need, go to the dish storage get all the dishes you need and then prep and cook in the main area, then set the table, take all prepared dishes to the eating area and clean-up all at once at the end of the meal... I think your plan will work well. If you tend to start cooking and find yourself constantly making trips to the pantry for additional ingredients or needing another dish, spoon, etc. or if your family all tends to eat different things and constantly make trips for other things once the meal has started, etc. Then honestly your concept of breaking up your spaces into separate rooms will still result in a lot of steps no matter how much thought and design you put into it.

If the sink, dishwasher, dishes and silverware are all in the little dish pantry room, and the main fridge was in its current loation, would you still think this is too much?

I think that would be fine. Our dishes aren't all that close to our fridge...Don't have a doorway separating them, but not any closer together, I don't think, which is what matters. I love the separation. Acountryfarm did something very similar in her kitchen, with the breakfast prep area and maybe baking area off her dish room, and the fridge, island and range or rangetop in the main area...and of course, there's Cotehele with her separate bakery.

I'm playing with lots of ideas now..... I was thinking of Cotehele's baking area, judydel, Willow and Allison0704 as great inspiration. I cannot find any links to acountryfarm's kitchen --- if anybody happens to have them, I'd LOVE to see them! I am hoping to turn the space flexibility into a pro --- but for the moment it seems like it is creating more problems, so I have to figure out how to make a space that I like more functional. All of the comments have been really helpful in giving me tests and ideas, etc. Thank you!