I think this looks great and I wouldn't have even noticed asymmetry. I might swap the fridge and oven so that your island isn't a barrier between the fridge and the sink.

That is almost exactly the layout of kitchen. My stove is in an arched nook where you have your fridge, with base cabs on either side of it. The fridge is where you have your hutch cabinet. Microwave where you have your cooktop, and sink and dw are identical. Dining room is the same, as is the living room location. My island might be centered on the stove though. And maybe with the sink as well? If I wasn't so lazy, I'd get up and look lol!

I'm no expert, but I think I'd look at your kitchen in terms of flow rather than symmetry. Since you don't have a traffic path to the right of the island, it's already asymmetrical. Different functions, different dimensions.

I can relate to your comment about "you have to live in the house to know what works". I've lived in my house a long time too, and my remodel plans all stem from things that bother me about the existing layout, and things I wish I had as I work in the kitchen. And YOU are the one who has to live with it, not the KD!

This "asymmetry" doesn't bother me at all. What's important is how the kitchen functions for you. Your functional requirements, like entrances and double ovens, should be accommodated first, and only then should the room be made as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

I concur with the above comments - flow is important and this lookss great.

Do you have enough landing space to the left of the range? That is far more important than whether the range lines up with the island.

If you are concerned about visual symmetry, pay attention to the uppers immediately flanking the hood.

Thanks so much for all your comments!! Sounds like I may have a winning design. (Or beginnings of one--many more tweakings to come, no doubt.)

Marcolo, I only have a foot to the left of the cooktop--can't squeeze in more without crunching the sink-to-cooktop corner or shrinking to a 30" cooktop. I cook enough to crave the bigger cooktop. I have worried about that small landing as well. I will remember your suggestion about symmetry above the cooktop--I already realized I'll need a hood with cabinets above, to keep that 12" left cabinet by the door from hanging out all alone. I'm confident THAT would look weird.

Amandasplit--I have thought about how much I'll be running around the island to the fridge as well. But, I take big cast-iron pans stovetop to oven enough to want the ovens where they are. I'm thinking I can pile all my ingredients on the island with one visit to the fridge, more or less. Then grab them to the sink as I work.

In terms of function, I am liking this design a lot. I can picture how I'd cook in it. And, Annkh--it is totally driven by stuff that drives me nuts in my current kitchen! :) Like my current cramped corner between sink and stove. Everyone tries to tuck into that one corner for everything, and even when working alone it gives me little room for prep.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond. It's very reassuring to have advice as I forge ahead on my own!

I'm still living with my "before" kitchen, hanging out here and making notes for our future kitchen renovation. There are many things that I hope to change about our current kitchen but the basic layout is not one of them. It works really well for us... and it's also pretty close to yours, just flipped. My pantry is next to the refrigerator, where you have your double ovens.

This picture was taken from beside our kitchen table which is also in the same place as yours.

This post was edited by treasuretheday on Thu, Mar 7, 13 at 12:51

Your corner cabinet looks too big to me. A 36 inch corner cabinet with a Lazy Susan only occupies 12 inches along the inside run on the front of the cabinet face. Put that there, and then drop a pullout trash next to the sink, where it is handy for prep as well as cleanup. Now you can add another 6 inches or so to the left of your range.

treasuretheday! That photo is so helpful. And it is timed perfectly with Marcolo's suggestion, which would move the stove off center from the island (at least it looks like your stove and island aren't lined up).

I do have the corner Susan drawn with a 12" front, but could shrink the adjacent cabinet down from its current 30"--even 3 inches would help, I think. I also saw a listing for a 33" corner cabinet, but I imagine the opening might get pretty tight.

Thanks!!