Repeat the arch over your shelving once on the other wall too. That arch is welcome interest, but seems a bit random now. Repeating that design element makes arches seem like a deliberate design choice. I'd suggest either making the window an arched window or having an arch over the range. You might also curve the side of the island counter where chairs are going in stead of having it be straight.

I'd also extend the window to the left so there is no more upper to the left of it. This is your longest stretch of counter and where you will do all your prepping, so more light and window to look out of here will only make that prepping more pleasant.

Is there a sink under the window (it doesn't look like it)? If not, make the cabinet under the window drawers. The base cabinets on the fridge wall are better off as all drawers as well. Unless you need a cupboard with doors specifically for a trash pullout, sink, or cookie sheet storage, I can't remember the last time someone needed to store something in the base cabinets that isn't better served by drawers. The superiority of drawers as base cabinet storage is one of the very rare things that gardenwebbers universally agree on.

A sink across from the range is not very safe. Especially as the location of your fridge will likely lead to people trooping through there while you're cooking to get snacks or drinks. I'd move the fridge to the other end of that cabinet run to try and redirect traffic and move the sink away from the range.

I am not good at design and usually shy away from these posts. One thing that did jump out at me though. The wall with window looks a bit choppy. If that's a sink under the window, lengthen the window to make it a counterheight window.

What is going on with the lowers around the range? Is the range that wide? And someone pointed out on another thread that guests arent going to be standing such that their sight lines have them dead on for a perfectly centered island, or pendant lights...that sort of thing is for pictures more than real life. Will the microwave be in the island? And agree...drawers as much as possible.

I will just say, I would not have arches. That is just my personal preference, but I am a straight lines kind of girl.

You are making a common mistake --planning your cabinets as if visitors will be looking at your elevation drawings instead of your real kitchen.

Biggest example: you are lining up uppers and lowers. This is completely unnecessary. No one in real life pays any attention to whether uppers and lowers match except in special circumstances. Especially because it's impossible to see every cabinet in the kitchen straight on, the way it appears in an elevation. Perspective dictates that most cabinets are always seen from an angle, where the matchy-matchy element is lost anyway.

As a result, you have some skinny lower cabinets that won't function well. And even worse, you have way too many lower cabinets compared to drawers.

If you had asked about layout, I would've told you to make your main sink into a prep sink, and add a cleanup sink under the window. Since you didn't, all I'll say is to suggest that you bring that window all the way down to counter level, as long as it doesn't mess up the fenestration on the side of your house.

What if you were to move the range towards the window and put a 2nd window on the right centering the range. Yes you'd run into some costs with a new window but you'd save on the purchase of a cabinet. Actually, I'd likely decrease/eliminate the uppers on the range wall. When you calculate the amount of usable/reachable space in uppers it's not nearly as much as you would imagine. It might pay not only for the window but also additional drawers.

For such a lovely large space there does not seem to be much prep area next to the island sink. I would rework to increase prep area so that you could at least get a salad bowl next a cutting board on at least one side of the sink. You'll also want a lower that takes trash so that you can dump the left over from prep stuff easily. Have you laid out where you intend to keep coffee machine, toaster, bread machine, juicer, blender, etc.

Stop looking at elevations. They are false. You need to view perspectives. It's way too rigid and unomfortable now, but lacks the $$ to achieve the details needed for formal symmetry. Realize that that is just not gonna happen in the amount of space and with your budget. It takes a lot more space and a lot more budget to do Peacock. Back away from that mental goal now. Start channelling your own house, and it's style. I can bet it isn't formal, nor is it likely to be focused on rigid bilateral symmetry to the detriment of functionality.

With the island in the way it's tough to see the range wall, but I don't understand what is underneath the window.

For the fridge wall - the top is fine but only if the arch that you have there is repeated someplace else and suits the house, otherwise get rid of it. I'm assuming that is a display case of some sort. The lower cabinets I would do two evenly sized banks of drawers. As mentioned - uppers and lowers don't need to match, especially at the risk of losing functionality which you are doing in this case.

You seem to have a lot of lower cabinets rather than drawers, even if you have to wait to do a backsplash until you have saved more money, or you have to give up something else, do not do cabinets. Do drawers, drawers and all drawers - it is the best decision and best use of your money for ease of functionality you will ever make.

What Marcolo and holly said...
design is proportion, rhythm, line, texture, balance (which is where symmetry falls in but does not mean it needs to be equal), and above all space- define space. Graphic design (elevations) has zip to do with defining space.

Too many things to point out but some have been touched on. Of note:
-the aisle between the island and the fridge is too small-33"from by my measure. Island needs to be moved and redone,
-redo fridge wall. Is that a combo utility laundry room behind fridge? Is there an architect?
-think about a proper (taller and wider) hood unless you live off the microwave. Especially with an open plan.
9-1/2 ft ceilings? right?

Slab doors shown- are you doing contemporary? IF so consider shorter wall cabinets- add in a long thick shelf above and a bigger window, then look at ways to continue the mass of the shelf down on the left wall and dump that cabinet
IF traditional spring for stacked cabinets or at least split doors. Given the lengths of run and the high ceiling it will be darn hard to get nice proportions using 42" uppers.

If you think the KD is any good I'd suggest asking them what they would do. Emphasize you want an honest opinion. It may be hard to get, particularly after 3 revisions but worth a try. Then bring that back here for review. OR start a new thread complete layout thread with full info, from scratch with dimensions and let the crew here have at it.
And what others have said- work in 3D

Function has to trump symmetry. Advice from a perfectionist.

I like my sink directly behind my cooktop. I would suggest having another wash zone for a second sink.

I don't like the arch unit. It seems like wasted space. But, I'm not much into displays.

The cooktop wall has additional room for another cabinet at the end if you give up the symmetry issue with the island. Once again, extra storage.

I love walk in pantries. They are cost effective and efficient use of space. You can close the door if it becomes a little disorganized.

This is all such great advice - exactly what I'm looking for! I will be taking each suggestion under consideration while reworking the design. Thank you all so much! Additional comments and suggestions are welcome.

Below I've included additional information and answers to questions. If you don't have time to read the detailed version, here's a quick summary:

* There will only be 2 adult occupants - no kids
* We rarely entertain
* We use the kitchen for almost every meal, but we aren't chefs or bakers
* The new house will be informal & transitional but the floor plan has axial symmetry in both directions
* The ceiling height will be 10 feet
* The stone fireplace in the living room will have an arch at the top, but we're not set on using arches in the kitchen
* There are large/tall windows in the living room and dining room, so having a window in the kitchen isn't necessary unless it helps the design
* The view from a kitchen window will be the side of the neighbor's house
* The upper cabinets will be 42" - regretfully we can't afford to go higher
* I would like suggestions on 3D kitchen software so I can experiment before asking the kitchen designer to make more changes
* I would appreciate any suggestions on 36" wide decorative range hoods that are affordable (if such a thing exists)
* We plan to vent the range hood outdoors, but we want to keep the CFM down to avoid makeup air requirements

Now for the detailed version:

My husband and I will be the only occupants in this house - there are no kids in our future either. We very rarely entertain, but if we do, it's usually limited to 1-2 guests.

We make almost every meal in the kitchen, but due to medical dietary restrictions, we often cook different meals, sometimes at different times. We definitely aren't chefs or bakers, but my husband grills outdoors and smokes meat quite often.

Our new house will be informal and transitional. However, there is a lot of axial symmetry in the floor plan. For example, you'll notice that the foyer is centered on the fireplace, and windows flank either side of the fireplace. On the horizontal axis, the sofa and TV cabinet will line up with the island.

The stone fireplace will be the main focal point in the living room. It will go from floor to ceiling, and there will be a stone arch at the top above the wood mantel.

The ceiling height throughout the public area is 10 feet. There will be large windows in the living room and dining room, so it isn't essential to have a window in the kitchen unless it improves the aesthetics. Note that our best view will be looking out the large windows to the back yard - if we include a window in the kitchen, we'll have a fabulous view of the side of the neighbor's house.

The cabinets will be mitered flat panel in the center (not slab). From a distance, they look similar to shaker cabinets, but up close they have a more detailed profile. The drawers will be 5-piece as opposed to slab.

The plan we've chosen was designed by a local architect for the builder as a stock plan. We are customizing the plan a bit to meet our needs.

The kitchen designer has provided 3D perspectives of the previous iterations, but I don't want to ask for additional changes until we have nailed down the design. If there are computer programs that I could use to easily create my own 3D model, I'd appreciate recommendations.

As I mentioned earlier, we are on a budget, and we're already stretching to get 42" kitchen cabinets. It would be great if we could afford to stack the cabinets to the ceiling, but it's just not in the cards. We may be able to afford drawer bases instead of doors, but I will need to consult the kitchen designer for pricing.

The sink is currently located in the island with a dishwasher on one side and a trash pull-out on the other. A second prep sink would be nice, but we truly don't need it given the way we cook. The range will be a 30-inch slide-in. I feel like a 36" decorative range hood would improve the aesthetics, but I don't think the budget will allow it. If anyone has suggestion on decorative yet affordable range hood options, that would be great.

There will be 36" between the refrigerator and the island. We're between houses and living in a rental house that has the same island/fridge configuration, and honestly it hasn't been problematic so far. Given that we have limited space, I'd rather have a longer island than have another foot of clearance on the side of it.

We are not set on using arches in the kitchen, but I suppose they would tie in with the stone arch on the fireplace if we do. The main reason for the arch in the kitchen is to dress up the open display cabinet a bit. I don't like clutter, but I do like to have a few places here and there for pottery and artwork, so I'd like to have at least one display cabinet in the kitchen. In the house we just sold, we had a tiny kitchen, so in comparison the new kitchen will seem huge and roomy, and the walk-in pantry is icing on the cake! I don't mind wasting one or two upper cabinets so that I have places to decorate and break up the wall cabinets, but I want any display cabinets to be well placed.

In the same vein, I'd prefer not to add another cabinet to the right of the range run so that I have a small piece of wall for artwork.

The room behind the refrigerator wall is a laundry room with a mudroom next to it. The extra space in the laundry room will likely be used for some unsightly exercise equipment.

Function is very important to me, but my OCD eye also requires that I address what's behind the island very carefully. For my sanity, that small section of wall cabinets directly behind the island either needs to be symmetrical or else there should be nothing but cabinetry behind it so that my eye doesn't perceive an imbalance. I know that's super anal, but that's the way I was built, and now I have to build my new house to accommodate! :)

Thanks again everyone - you're all awesome! Please keep the suggestions coming.

This post was edited by broken_arrow on Sat, Nov 15, 14 at 17:08

You also might consider turning the island 90 degrees. From the corner to the end of the fridge wall looks a bit longer than the distance from the corner to the end of the stove wall, and then you'd be facing out all the windows when you are working on the island.

I was curious, where do you see yourself doing all of your prep work for cooking, baking etc? That would help. If you do not need the window then get rid of it. Especially if you are looking at the neighbors house. I personally, would always like a window in my kitchen, but that is me and if you do not then nix it.

I still am not sure what the large rectangle shape with the x on it is. I know you are putting a range there, but what will go on either side of it.

I understand if you will go nuts if things are not symmetrical with upper and lowers, just as long as you have all of the space you need for functional storage. I would suggest drawers in place of the two door and drawer cabs (still symmetrical but maybe more practical), However, drawers do cost more.

As always, when posting, you will get so many ideas from others, as we all have different tastes. I think you just need to be sure you have the storage you need and it looks good to your eyes. That is why I ask about the prep space and how you see yourself using your space.

I tried to draw your layout. Here are some renderings.

Imo, this layout doesn't seem very promising both in function and form.

If venting and relocating laundry, mudroom and pantry would not be a problem, maybe you can consider using only the fridge wall for cabs and range,have a bigger island and reserve the exterior wall for some wall shelves, art, etc.

@Jillius: Thanks for the suggestion to turn the island 90 degrees. Our builder does that in some of his other floor plans, but I've always preferred the island facing into the living room for some reason.

@aktillery: We'll likely do most of our prep work on the island, but it will depend on what task we're doing and whether or not we're both in the kitchen at the same time. In other words, we'll be working all over the kitchen, but the island will be the primary spot.

The large rectangle represents the island in front of the range run. I blocked it out just to show its size and that it was lined up with the cabinets behind it. We'll probably have drawer bases on either side of the range.

We're definitely planning to add more drawer bases now than we were before. Great advice everyone!

@sena01: WOW!!! I'm still in shock that you took the time to draw up a 3D model of our space. Thank you so much!!! Not only that, but you even drew an alternative design. DOUBLE WOW!! I really can't thank you enough for being so generous with your time and talent.

You have great suggestions, and this really helped me visualize my latest design changes. (Our finishes will be different - white cabinets, black granite, medium-dark wood floors, and muted yellow walls, but I'm able to visualize the space perfectly with the finishes you used.) Regarding your alternate design, I'm pretty set on keeping the island in its current orientation. With the island facing the living room, I feel like the kitchen will have a greater visual impact when viewed from the living room.

@ Everyone:

I know we don't have a ton of money to work with, but I still feel like there has to be a way to give our kitchen some "pizazz" that's appropriate to the informal design of the house. Along those lines, I've been toying with an idea based on a suggestion from jakuvall to install a larger range hood. In the attached elevation, I took out the kitchen window, 2 of the wall cabinets, and the cabinet over the range. In their place, I added a 36" wood range hood with wall space on either side. After the house is built, we could always install floating shelves on either side of the range hood if we feel the need to fill the wall space a bit. I'm hoping that by taking out those 3 cabinets, this will free up enough funds for the nicer range hood, but I'll have to check with the KD on pricing.

The island would still be located directly in front of the open range hood space. I added a wing wall to the right of the range hood area to give the backsplash a place to stop, and to help define the cooking area a little better. I'm not really sure if this the wing wall is the best solution, but I know I will hate having the backsplash stop in the middle of the wall if there's no wall cabinet to anchor it on the top. I'm also considering taking the white tile in the range hood area all the way to the ceiling, but I think I will like how the white hood will pop against the muted yellow wall better.

I drew this last night and I still like it today, so that's a good sign! What do you guys think? Is this an improvement given what I'm trying to accomplish?

Also, in your experience, do you think a 36" wood range hood purchased from the same cabinetry company would be more expensive than 2 tall wall cabinets and 1 short one? I have a separate budget for the blower itself as well as the installation/venting.

Thanks again everyone!

I like this better, but I would miss the natural light from the window. Since there isn't much to look at out that way, maybe you could install a long, narrow window above the cabinets?

Like this.

Broken_arrow - try google sketch-up. It's a great, free, 3-D tool and after a few of the online tutorials, you should be able to do what you need. It's phenomenal. I purchased Chief Architect ~$100 at the start of our renovation - steeper learning curve and I haven't used it since I started using Sketchup.

If you can, watch the sketchup tutorial on one device and practice the skill on another. I find it much easier to learn that way.

You sound like you will have some fabulous features in your new home. Keep asking questions:). You'll get great advice here. Good luck!

The cleanup sink needs to go on the outside wall with a window. The fridge would be better there as well. Rotate the island so that it faces the correct direction for the space and put in a prep sink. The range then occupies the longer axis back wall, and the whole thing functions much much better. As is, there isn't enough room in the right spots. Everyone will be crowded around a too small island with both prep and cleanup functions stepping on top of each other.

Really should address the aisle width between fridge wall and island. To correct it to 42" counter to counter the island either moves or gets much shorter which impacts all your other ideas.

Could consider a site built hood with an alternative finish, often less money and can be interesting in transitional, maybe match the fireplace.

Gotta watch mitered doors in paint. Seams will open seasonally.

Can get split doors in 42" that look like stacked but aren't.