Picture 2

Picture 3. Note that the shelves that appear on the wall in the far right are not really supposed to be there. I just can't make them disappear!? Also, this shows the addition of a floor-to-celing pantry, which I'm hoping makes the fridge look more "built in." Thoughts??

( And sorry, I still don't know how to do multiple pics per post :-( )

Let me know if there is any difficulty reading these, and I can try to make them larger.

Well either this is really good and no one has any ideas for improvement or its really bad and no one has the heart to tell me! Hahaha!!

Looks good to me, but I am by no means an expert. For that, I suggest you post this on the IkeaFans website, if you haven't already down so. They will surely give you some useful feedback.

I'd move the range to the right-. Is there space in the right corner for the closet/pantry? Can't tell what you plan for the gap on the right....I'd run cabinetry right into the corner,even if closet isn't going to fit.. I think since you have the open concept and mid twentieth century theme, I'd use the312 inch wall [minuspassage] for sink/rangeand fridge and clear the island. Do something design-wise with the island. Does the passage to office need to be 75 inches? You could potentially have even more wall space to work everything onto it.

Hi, Buildinva. I really like the layout of your island, which allows the area to right (on your picture) of the sink to be the scullery, leaving the nice large area on the left for your cooking prep.

The back wall seems pretty nice, especially the way the stove is centered on the opposite media wall, but is there room for a little tweaking here and there, working toward improving the balance even further?

My home-grown philosophy is normally more that good function will explain placement and make functional placements look right, but the rest of my philosophy is that being visually pleasing IS a very important function (not just "form" as in form vs. function). This is especially true for kitchens like yours, as it will be a major feature of that terrific room.

Regarding room for tweaking, for instance, that doorway to the office/garage is very wide. I suspect there's something nice about its 6+ feet you specifically want to keep since you're not narrowing it even a foot or two to gain more width for that side of the stove, but...? (The other side is wider, although perhaps that already looks quite right looked at from within the whole?)

On that other side, do you have a particular plan for that long stretch of counter? Would it be your main work space, or the island? If you plan mostly working on the island, I'm wondering if the mass of the refrigerator on the left could be balanced with a similar, not equal but similar, storage mass on the right, while still leaving good work and open visual space on each side of the stove.

Still musing on the right, what's behind that wall? Could the refrigerator and/or other storage, such as pantry pull-outs or broom pullout take a foot or two from the area behind and be set flush into the run of cabinets? Or, for that matter on the left? If so, a built-in look could be accomplished with a regular refrigerator.

Oh, and 45" between island and back counter? Some people really want and need it. I made mine 35" counter edge to counter edge and it was a very good decision for me. (No surprise--I laid the whole thing out with boxes and plywood first.) DH and I bump bottoms now and then, but mostly it's me there, with just a brisk step-pivot from one to the other. Just a way of saying, the only good "rules" in your kitchen are the ones you make for yourself. :)

You don't have to just give up on the space in front of the low window. In my non-remodeled kitchen, I have stainless commercial work tables in front of mine--lots of counter space with open shelving below so the light can come in under the countertop. You can do something similar with more permanent cabinetry. Stuff can roll off the back of the counters and onto the window sills, but with the open shelving things are easily retrieved.

Or you could put a window seat under the window, with storage inside. I'm not sure how you would configure the corner since I'm not sure of the measurements, but I'm sure you could figure something out.

I agree I'd wrap the cabinetry around the right side and under the window. You could add a shallow pantry on the ride side then wrap around for a window seat (and storage drawers below).